martin short steve martin

Television’s ‘Senior Moment:’ Something to Celebrate, and Build On

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Should we be celebrating what the New York Times calls television’s “senior moment?”

It’s hard to answer “no.” But I can’t give an unequivocal “yes,” either.

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higher ed older adults

The Path Forward for Higher Education in the Age of Longevity

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Institutions like Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge have shown they’re serious about creating in-depth educational opportunities for middle-aged and older adults in recent years.

I applaud their efforts — but I don’t think they are enough.

In a Forbes piece titled Higher Ed Meets Longevity: The Global Rise Of Midlife Education, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox highlights programs at 12 universities across the globe.

“Higher education is being redesigned for the second half of our lengthening lives,” she writes.

Without criticizing the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative or the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute (DCI), it’s important to point out that these are typically expensive programs at elite universities, designed for those at the top of org charts and the wage scale.

They’re valuable, and I’m glad they exist.

But to have a significant impact on the economy — and society — we need universities, colleges and even technical schools to open opportunities for those aged 40 to 75, across the economic spectrum and, in particular, for those whom we have typically considered middle-income. All of us, including the institutions, stand to benefit.

Avivah’s piece focuses on programs that serve successful executives who are looking to go from success to significance — finding meaning in their work and giving back.

But in countries like the U.S., where average lifespan is increasing and adults want (or need) to work longer, higher education should also serve:

👉The construction worker who feels their days of working a physically demanding job are coming to an end, but needs to continue to draw a paycheck.

👉The middle-aged knowledge worker for whom AI isn’t just coming for their job, it has come and now they need programs and training that offer them the opportunity to reskill for their next career.

👉The 50-something middle manager who decides 30 years in one industry is long enough, and is ready to make a move.

Here’s the bottom line: 30- and 40-year careers will not support an economy with 100-year lifespans. Instead, we need to build the infrastructure for what will soon be 60- and 70-year careers.

And they may well be careers, plural. That’s where the opportunity lies for colleges, technical schools and universities. They can provide training and inspiration for second and even third careers. Middle-aged workers need the opportunity to learn skills for their next career, and the strength of our economy will depend upon it.

U.S. higher education has reached the edge of a “demographic cliff” — a decline in the number of high school graduates, due to declining birth rates around the time of the Great Recession.

These institutions need to find new students.

And middle-aged and older workers need to find ways to remain productive contributors to a changing economy as they approach and pass traditional retirement age.

This is a golden opportunity to truly re-energize our economy. Let’s not miss it.

samuel moyn op-ed

Offering Simplistic Solutions to Real Problems of an Aging Society

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With the headline “Older Americans Are Hoarding America’s Potential,” a recent New York Times piece by Yale professor Samuel Moyn has, understandably, attracted a lot of attention in my networks.

Much of the attention is critical, and I share some of those criticisms. But let’s recognize that Moyn identifies real problems.

He writes, for example, that older Americans deserve a better-funded long-term care system. I agree. Our long-term care and healthcare systems (or lack of systems) incentivize older people to hold on to wealth in fear that a medical emergency could wipe them out financially.

Unfortunately, Moyn’s piece offers simplistic solutions to the problems he identifies. For example:

➡️Voting: He writes that older Americans are overrepresented in elections, and they contribute a disproportionate amount of campaign donations.

I agree that younger Americans should have more influence in politics. Moyn focuses on reducing the impact of older voters and the older politicians they often vote for.

Instead, we should fix a political landscape that leaves younger voters feeling like it’s not worth voting at all.

➡️ Housing: Moyn suggests “a progressive tax on older homeowners to incentivize them to downsize rather than retain.”

I think many older adults would downsize without a nudge — if there was somewhere to go.

But we’re building the wrong type of housing. Very little new stock is all-age accessible. We build tall townhouses with no elevators because developers claim they’re too expensive. New housing for young adults often includes large HOA fees.

In the end, the options for older adults who want to move are impractical or unaffordable — or both.

➡️ Workforce: Citing a lack of opportunity for young and middle-aged workers, Moyn suggests we reinstitute mandatory retirement.

But forcing out older adults who want to work makes no sense given current demographic realities.

Immigration levels are falling dramatically. The number of 18-year-olds is plummeting as well. Even if the government incentivizes larger families, that won’t make a difference for 20 years, if at all.

Given these trends, we should be asking “Where will the workers come from?” The answer is older adults. We need to expand, not reduce, the age range of our workforce.

I also have an issue with the piece more broadly: using the word “gerontocracy.” It’s sensationalist, fanning the flames of ageist ideas which will not solve the real problems Moyn outlines.

His piece sends the message — perhaps not intentionally — that our problem is too many old people with too much influence. Too many old people at work, too many old people in single-family homes, and too many old people in the political process, from voters to elected leaders.

He doesn’t go so far as to ask, “How can we reduce the number of old people in society?”

But his line of reasoning may lead others there. And that’s alarming.

the limits of agetech

What ‘AgeTech’ Can — and Can’t — Do

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As the founder and director of MIT’s AgeLab, Dr. Joe Coughlin is one of our leading thinkers on the differences technology can make in our lives as we age. So the stance he took in his piece on “Buying Longevity” grabbed my attention.

In the piece — written just before the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas —  he noted the explosion of “AgeTech” devices and products aimed at the average consumer.

“Sleep trackers. Recovery scores. Health dashboards. Coaching apps. Devices that promise not just productivity or entertainment, but longevity itself,” he wrote. “What used to live in clinics, research labs, or wellness retreats is now packaged, priced, and placed on retail shelves.”

And his reaction: Hold on a second. While this technology provides some benefit, its costs are beginning to add up. And more importantly, technology by itself will not put more life in our years.

I feel the same way. I’ve often talked about how housing and healthcare — two crucial elements of quality of life for older adults — work best when the element of community is mixed in.

Community produces belonging and engagement, which in turn helps create a sense of purpose for each of us. And that, to me, is the secret sauce that makes the difference as we grow older.

Joe has noted that increases in longevity mean at traditional retirement age, one can expect to live, on average, 8,000 more days. Technology can do a lot for us in those 8,000 days, but it can’t deliver a sense of purpose.

As Joe writes, “The risk is not that we are investing too much in longevity science or technology. The risk is that we are underinvesting in the lived experience of longevity, such as connection, structure, meaning, and mattering to other people.”

In the end, it’s not a stat from a wearable device or feedback from a fitness app that motivates us to get out of bed each day. It’s much something much simpler: our relationships with other people.

joyspan senior housing aging services

How Senior Housing and Aging Services Can Extend ‘Joyspan’

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“A lengthy life span does not equal a life well lived: You have to like your life, too.”

That’s how a recent New York Times piece sums up Dr. Kerry Burnight’s idea of “joyspan,” and I was thrilled to see the concept — and her new book, “Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half” — featured there.

Like health span, joyspan is an important factor in getting the most out of our later years. There are four “nonnegotiable” actions you can take to extend your joyspan, Kerry says:

▶️Grow
▶️Adapt
▶️Give
▶️Connect

I think “Give” and “Adapt” are especially important.

Giving

“Everyone has something to give, [Burnight said], whether it’s ‘time, attention, patience, wisdom or kindness.’”

I, of course, agree.

The challenge for senior housing and aging services is whether we can recognize that ability among our residents and program participants.

Even more challenging, can we provide customized opportunities for them to give, even if they face physical or cognitive challenges?

Artificial intelligence and other technology may help. But we need to recognize what a difference it could make. All of us get something out of giving. Finding ways for older adults to give will help them feel connected and that they have value in others’ lives.

Adaptation

Kerry’s focus on adapting is important to note, as well.

Listing things that have gotten better as you’ve gotten older and brainstorming ways to adapt are good suggestions for older adults facing challenges.

It also strikes me that senior housing and care staff and sales teams can play a key role in helping people to adapt, finding positive ways they can express who they are, and do the things they used to take enormous pleasure in.

Staff can lead residents toward a more constructive frame of mind by asking questions like “Can you tell me about some things that have gotten better for you as you’ve gotten older?”

Or they could address the loss of a certain ability by asking “What are some things that you can do instead that would give you a sense of satisfaction and joy?”

Salespeople — whose job is connecting with prospective residents and letting them know they understand their situation — can explain how moving into their community is a good way to adapt to the challenges that they face.

For instance, if an older adult used to travel the world but no longer can, the sales staff might suggest, “Here, you could lead presentations on all the places you’ve traveled and even lead virtual tours to those places.”

The key is finding ways to make a person feel that they still have value. Acknowledge that they still have something to contribute, and the community would be thrilled to have them contribute.

You certainly don’t need to be on the sales team or the staff of a senior housing and care organization to get something out of the idea of joyspan. I strongly recommend giving this piece — not to mention Kerry’s book —  a look.

helen mirren taylor hackford aging

Helen Mirren and Society’s Condescending, Negative Attitude Toward Aging

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Actress Helen Mirren made news recently with her visceral reaction to murmurs of  “Awwwww” and “Isn’t that cute?” when she and her husband, both in their 80s, hold hands in public.

“It’s like, excuse my language: ‘F*%$ off,’ ” she said during a recent promotional appearance. “There’s something very condescending about some people’s attitudes, and I think they think they are being kind and generous. But they’re not. They’re being insulting.”

Mirren’s strong reaction is understandable and justifiable. In the situation she describes, like many others, people assume that when you reach a certain age, you’re no longer qualified to exhibit what are really just normal adult behaviors.

To many younger people, an older couple showing affection is a surprise and a novelty. Their reaction shows it.

Mirren is right to label it as patronizing.

But in the same appearance, she made a deeper point which may be getting lost:

As you get older, she said, “you lose certain stuff, but you gain other stuff.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Yes, we lose things as we age. It might be physical prowess. Maybe some degree of mental acuity. Sadly, we lose some friends.

But what do we gain?

The top benefit, I would say, is gaining invaluable perspective with age.

The knowledge and experience we accrue brings wisdom about ourselves and about life.

We learn lessons.

We figure out what works for us and what doesn’t.

And we even discover that certain things that we’re at risk of losing, we actually may be able to keep them as long as we use them (see my recent LinkedIn post on losing cognitive skills as we age).

Thanks to society’s stubborn ageism — and the internalized ageism older adults often imbibe — we tend to focus on the negative aspects of getting older. We miss the positive aspects of aging.

That’s a real problem, because it’s never been more important to highlight those positives. Our society is getting older. And, on average, people are living longer.

If we want longevity to be a bonus instead of a curse, we need to recognize the benefits of being an older adult and restructure both our expectations and our social and economic systems to capture these benefits.

Imbued with perspective, experience and wisdom, older adults can help boost our economy, strengthen volunteer organizations and build stronger communities.

Or perhaps I should say they can, if we let them.

bob kramer slif talk 2025

A New Narrative of Aging Can Solve Big Problems

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We desperately need a new narrative about aging in the United States.

Why? Perhaps the biggest reason is that it will create opportunities to address some of our country’s most pressing problems.

I was happy to have the chance to describe these opportunities during my talk last summer at the Senior Living Innovation Forum (SLIF) in New Mexico. You can watch the full presentation below, but I’ll hit the highlights in the text, too.

Before I get to the ways a new narrative of aging can solve big problems, I’ll share the four reasons our current, outdated narrative doesn’t work:

➡️ It doesn’t speak to the realities of age and aging in 2025.

➡️ It doesn’t speak to the desires of Boomers, Gen Xers, or their Millennial children.

➡️ It is rooted in a framework of moral obligation that is at risk of collapsing.

➡️ It doesn’t speak to the needs of our society today — in fact, it often exacerbates those needs instead.

The fourth reason leads to the assertion I made at the beginning of this post: A new narrative about aging will create opportunities to address some of our most pressing problems.

In the current narrative, older adults are a burden and net takers — not givers or contributors.

But given the increase in longevity (and healthy longevity) we are seeing, there’s even more reason to view older Americans as a vital asset rather than a costly liability.

If we do, they are well-positioned to help solve some of the toughest challenges our society faces:

💪 Workforce: Immigration is decreasing and deportations are increasing. But adults aged 55 to 80 remain the largest untapped workforce in America.

💪 Volunteerism: If we encourage and accept older adults into the ranks of volunteers, they will create enormous social capital. Whether it’s mentoring, teaching, or even caregiving, their contributions are desperately needed.

💪 Loneliness: We’re seeing alarmingly high rates of isolation and loneliness among those aged 18 to 29. Intergenerational programming and housing — connecting younger adults with older adults — can help ameliorate this crisis.

💪 Healthcare costs: Older adults can help curb escalating healthcare costs by spurring a move from a “sickcare” system, where they drive volume and cost, to a “wellcare” system that prioritizes prevention, prediction and proactive management of chronic conditions.

💪 Community building: Sadly, we have become a badly fractured society. Who better than older adults, with their reserves of perspective and wisdom, to play a key role in healing those rifts, especially at the community level.

If we can’t change our narrative of aging, we’ll miss out on these opportunities. Instead, our problems will grow worse, while increased longevity becomes more and more of a  burden for older adults — and for our society.

Here’s the recording of my talk:

aging is not a disease

No, Aging Is Not a Disease

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I can’t believe I have to say this: Aging is not a disease.

You might have seen the same Wall Street Journal story that I did earlier this year, raising the question in its headline: “The Scientific Fight Over Whether Aging Is a Disease.”

Initially, I was appalled — anyone who considers aging a disease is stigmatizing a huge population group.

But it’s worse than that. I can’t help but wonder if some are seeking this classification for the sake of drug companies and others who want to promote the latest version of the “Fountain of Youth.” It’s an awful idea.

Chasing youth is practically our national pastime. But in the age of longevity, what many miss is the fact that a large percentage of older adults, especially Boomers and Gen-Xers, aren’t looking for magic potions, and we know we’re not going to feel like we’re 25 again. We have to be both honest and realistic about what I describe as the aches, pains and inconveniences that accompany our advancing years.

To get the most out of our later years, we focus on the advantages that come with being older, from the wisdom to make better choices to a fundamental happiness that is hard to come by earlier in life.

There’s real value in the experience, maturity and perspective of older adults. As a society, we risk losing it if we see everyone past a certain age as carrying the “disease” of aging. We’ll end up in a place where:

👉 Ageist stereotypes grow stronger as getting older is viewed as something bad and to be avoided.

👉 Those who have “succumbed to the disease of aging” are viewed as net takers in society.

👉 We’ll view the coming surge in the number of older adults as a disaster, instead of an opportunity to leverage added longevity for the benefit of all society.

Sadly, the labeling of aging as a disease seems likely to enable “get-young-quick” schemes that will prey on vulnerable older adults, while lining the pockets of people who are promoting their drug, their food, or their program as the key to eternal youth.

In the end, classifying aging as a disease might help these long-life enthusiasts — but it will do precious little for older Americans.

Illustration courtesy Wall Street Journal

Senior Living and the Need for a New Narrative About Aging

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“They don’t have a friggin’ clue.”

That’s how Dr. Joe Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, described Baby Boomers and Gen Xers during our joint session at the 2025 NIC Spring Conference.

To be fair, it wasn’t a blanket condemnation of the two generations that are so important to senior housing and aging services providers. No, Joe was speaking about older adults’ expectations and desires for their later years — a period that is, thanks to increased longevity, becoming a new stage of life.

There’s no roadmap and no narrative for this stage. It’s a problem for Boomers and Xers, but an opportunity for aging services providers.

As Joe said during our session, the industry is at a crossroads. Longevity has opened up new possibilities, but older adults are unsure of how to think about a new stage of life — or how to prepare for it.

So most simply seek to avoid or delay “becoming old” as long as possible.

To them, getting “old” means the end of independent agency, of purpose and passions, of meaningful contributions to the world. They fear it’s an interminable period of decline.

Senior living falls into the same category as getting old in their minds: Something to be avoided or delayed to the very last moment.

Obviously, that’s not where we want to be as an industry.

To transform from an avoidance setting to one that can excite and delight, we’ll have to create a new narrative about this stage of life and our role in it.

As Joe says, this transformation is not optional, it is essential.

In our session, Joe outlined several steps senior living can take to shape the aging narrative. He encourages the industry to reframe its language, integrate with the community and build “aspirational positioning,” among other smart suggestions.

To me, Joe’s proposals are part of a necessary move from being a provider to being a curator of experiences. And perhaps more importantly, moving from a focus on what is done for and to older adults, to what is done by and with them.

We have to present a vision of something people can aspire to as they get older, with messaging that:

👉 Starts early

We need to reach older adults well before they move in as residents, meeting them where they are — in their single-family homes, apartment communities and membership clubs — and establishing our ability to excite and delight in this new stage of life.

👉 Shows support

We must show that we will support their efforts to get more life out of their years and prioritize extending their healthspan, not just their lifespan.

👉 Emphasizes growth

Let’s demonstrate how residents continue to find purpose and pursue passions with us — instead of simply managing decline.

There’s an additional piece of the puzzle, too: the responsibility of the resident to take advantage of the independent agency that we encourage.  I wrote about that in a March 2025 LinkedIn post.

seniors need risk

Why Seniors Need Some Risk in Their Lives

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Joel Theisen caught my attention recently by writing that, in order to truly thrive, older adults “need to move beyond the well-planned life to add something unexpected: personal risk.”

I’m with Joel on this. To me, adding (or maintaining) an element of risk in our later years is about a vital feeling of personal agency.

With agency, older adults are more motivated to tackle challenges, and more likely to find meaning in each day, thinking, “Hey, I can still do things.”

To many, unfortunately, risk and old age don’t go together. Even the senior care field, with the best of intentions, tends to guard older adults from risk. Instead, we promise a life of ease, where absolutely everything is taken care of for you.

As Joel writes in his piece:

“We’ve become so preoccupied with surplus safety at all times for seniors that we have stripped away too many of the surprises and unexpected twists that make life worth living.”

Joel — the CEO of Lifespark — writes about the benefits of challenges and games for older adults. He sees some trying to set personal records on their fitness trackers. Others compete in Lifespark’s team competitions: the TRY-athlon Tournament, the Grip Games and the Spark Challenge.

Participants in activities like these court risks — such as falling while racing down the hallway with a walker. It’s natural to worry about downsides like that.

But we must acknowledge that the downsides of not taking risks are significant:

➡️ It deprives older adults of the sense of purpose, belonging and connection that a more active (and risky) life offers.

➡️ It leads to loneliness and a loss of physical strength.

➡️ It reinforces learned dependency — a state where older adults increasingly rely on others to do things for them, including taking responsibility for their health.

➡️ At its worst, a risk-free life infantilizes the “safe” older adult.

All of this stands in opposition to what an older adult needs to enjoy healthy longevity.

The better alternative is encouraging a sense of self-control and self-determination. Adding (reasonable) risks to life is a great way to accomplish that goal.

When older adults take on challenges and risks, they tell themselves, “Wow, I’m doing something significant. I’m making a difference.”

When they lose that sense — when risk is eradicated from their lives — they instead ask themselves a troubling question: “Why keep going?”

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