America is aging rapidly. What does this mean in a 21st-century society?
By 2030, the U.S. population over age 65 is expected to exceed 88 million people. That’s twice as many as today. Yet, as a nation, we are woefully unprepared to address the challenges—much less take advantage of the opportunities—that our aging population presents. Too much of what passes today for knowledge and understanding of aging are myths: that physical and mental capacity inevitably decline with biological aging; that aging mainly impacts the elderly; that policymakers must choose between investments in youth or the elderly; or that, in an aging society, the young and the old are inevitably pitted against one another. In fact, the coming “gray tsunami” has profound financial, biological and cultural implications for our country as a whole. While the aging process is, of course, a biological reality that is largely beyond human control, how we as a society choose to define “old age” is not. In our upcoming Salon, we’ll discuss a much richer and multidimensional definition of aging, one that addresses how generational expectations have changed over time, and how each of us—at every age—is facing new pressures and being asked to do more. In the 21st century, we must unleash the economic, intellectual and moral productivity inherent in all ages of our population. We hope you’ll join us April 16th at Jacksonville University’s Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences, Room 144. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and participate in the dialogue. The program will begin at 2 p.m. Discussion groups will start at 3 p.m. Light refreshments and snacks will be served. [This event has concluded.] Discussion leaders:- Earl Evens is Executive Director of Baptist Healh’s Age Well Institute, which was launched in 2012 to respond to the community’s need to enhance the quality of life for older adults.
- Dr. Ruth O’Keefe is a Professor of Accounting at Jacksonville University.
- Nina Waters is President of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, Florida’s oldest and largest community foundation.
- Matt Kane, owner of Greenshades, will act as moderator of the event.
