I don’t usually get political in my editor’s note, but I came across something in my Facebook feed I felt was important enough to talk about.
It was from Next Avenue, a source that focuses on issues for boomers and elders – from career reinvention to retirement pitfalls to end-of-life wishes – we all shy away from talking about.
What caught my attention – and prompted me to devote this column to the information – was a discussion of the “other” campaign in 2016 – the push by AARP, the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the American Society on Aging (ASA) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to use this election year to reframe the image of aging in America*.
It profiled America’s ageism – and its broader implications on funding for programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Senior Centers and other services – especially when the power shift takes place in Washington next year.
Research conducted by the Washington, D. C. – based FrameWorks Institute for AARP shows the average American’s view of old age is pretty bleak.
“It’s a scary and depressing image of aging,” wrote columnist Bob Rosenblatt. “If you are sick or poor and over 65, it’s your own fault because you didn’t do the right things when you were younger.”
Most Americans, he notes, would like to believe in an “idealized” vision of aging, where people are healthy and productive, but instead see it as an “inevitable process of deterioration.”
Are advertising for personal safety devices – “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” – the dangers of cigarette smoking, or even scooters and lift chairs to blame?
Whatever the reason, this mindset is dangerous –14 percent of Americans are already over 65 and a projected 21 percent will be 65 years of age or older by 2040 – and most will need some or all of the services cited above.
It also runs counter to the truth, that most older people, as Rosenblatt observes, are “healthy and independent,” a fact James Appleby, executive director and CEO of the GSA, notes is “under appreciated and unrecognized by the vast majority of the public” – especially Millennials – the second largest voting block.
“Reframing Aging” plans to launch its campaign in November.
I don’t think we can wait that long.
Let’s start a conversation about what aging looks like right now. I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line at 280 North Main St., East Longmeadow, MA. 01028
*To read the full article on the “Other Campaign,” visit www.nextavenue.org/the-other-2016-campaign-reframing-aging/
