Changing the Perception of What ‘Old Age’ Means — And What Older People Can Contribute
“What we’ve done with these longer lives is to basically make them fit into our existing life-course ideas, so the only stage of life that actually got longer is old age.”
That’s a quote from Laura Carstensen in a Q&A in The Wall Street Journal that brilliantly captures the present situation for older adults.
American society is still set up for people to retire in their 60s and die about 10 years later. But on average, we live much longer lives than that now. There has been no adjustment.
That means that adults are viewed as “old” in their 60s, and they stay that way in many people’s eyes as they live into their 80s or 90s.
The most obvious problem with this is simple ageism: It’s wrong to consign a growing cohort of millions to 20 or 30 years of stereotype-fueled cultural irrelevance.
But we also have to realize that there are countless Americans in their 60s, 70s and 80s who could make enormous contributions to society:
👉 They can help power our economy — the largest untapped workforce in America today is older adults.
👉 They can strengthen our social fabric — we have never needed volunteers to be mentors, tutors, caregivers, etc. more than we need them today.
👉 They can enrich our communities — many older adults are ready and willing to help improve our world through causes and philanthropy.
So we need to change our perception. If we view old age as an interminable period of 20, 30, or even 40 years where people have little to offer and increasingly burden the younger generations, we’ll make life miserable for older adults and miss out on huge opportunities that longevity has presented.
As I often say, the change has to start with young people. They have the most at stake. Today’s older Americans are benefiting from a bit of longevity. But young adults are projected to live even longer lives.
If they don’t want to be sentenced to decades of societal irrelevance, they need to start changing our norms and expectations today.
Bob Kramer is broadly recognized as one of senior living’s most influential and high-profile thought leaders and connectors. With over 40 years of industry leadership, he has earned the reputation of “agent provocateur” in the seniors housing and care industry and aging services field. He has been described as an ice-cutter and scout in identifying industries and trends that will disrupt the future of seniors housing, aging services, and aging more broadly.
