May 2012

Social Capital, Lifelong Learning

Greetings,

At Home Instead Senior Care, we are actively changing the face of aging. What does that mean? I think for all of us it means fundamentally changing the way we think about growing older. For U.S. policymakers, the implications are dramatic.

This issue was brought home to me when my colleagues who serve with me on the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Ageing and I developed a book, Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?, to examine the successes associated with aging.

The book explores the ways global aging will reinvent how societies and economies work. In chapter seven, "Social Capital, Lifelong Learning and Social Innovation," my co-authors and I call on researchers and policymakers to review how they describe and respond to aging trends. For example, a U.S. Federal report recently stated 42% of people in the U.S. over 65 have at least one functional limitation. The report neglected to reinforce that 58% are not functionally limited.

How the statistics are reported does not change the data, but the choice of words speaks to the perception that the senior years are a stage of burden and decline. In contrast, proprietary research conducted in 2010 by Home Instead Senior Care showed that 62% of men over 85 report no limitations to daily living.

The Marist Poll Organization, in research also conducted in 2010 for Home Instead, said younger generations--62% of the Millennials and 60% of Generation X--feel that people should be encouraged to continue working as they reach retirement age.

Our own U.S. government is an example of the graying of America. Among U.S. Senators, four are in their 80s, 23 are in their 70s and 36 are in their 60s. Approximately 190 U.S. Representatives, or 43%, are 60 years old or older.

As a society, we cannot continue to promote stereotypes and cling to pessimistic assumptions about aging. A more virtuous response is to identify the opportunities presented to society at a time when many citizens are enjoying a longevity bonus. We have a tremendous chance to learn from the wisdom available from our seniors.

According to the Global Agenda Council on Ageing, "Current demographic changes require comprehensive responses. However, much of the discussion focuses on the challenges occasioned by an ageing society rather than on the opportunities. These negative scenarios need not be our fate; there are significant benefits to an ageing world, but they require smart policies. This Council focuses on healthy ageing and the discourse on ageing to facilitate healthy and participative living in age-friendly environments and to realize the social and economic potential of elders."

By changing our thinking, we will change the face of aging. Won't you join this mission? As always, I am available to listen to your feedback.

Sincerely,

Paul R. Hogan

Paul Hogan is Chairman & Founder of Home Instead Senior Care and, with his wife Lori, co-author of Stages of Senior Care: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Best Decisions.

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