I’m looking forward to the day when we can refer to the growing global population of older adults and not use the word “catastrophic” to describe the implications of that growth.
Bruce Chernof, president and chief executive of the SCAN Foundation, correctly used the word “catastrophic” to describe the situation we’ll find ourselves in if we don’t get a handle on how to deliver and pay for the long-term services and supports that more older adults will need in the future. His quote was part of a recent article—and attention-grabbing headline—in The Washington Post.
The article described the state of Maine as “super-aged.” In other words, one-fifth of the state’s population is over 65. More than 15 states will join Maine as “super-aged” in just 6 short years. These state-specific statistics only tell part of the story, however. The number of Americans ages 85 and older will more than triple from 6 million today to 20 million by 2030.
This will result in many more 5-generation families. Yes, 5 generations. Unheard of until only recently. There will be many more great and great-great-grandparents. Many more intergenerational connections. All in all, that’s a wonderful thing.
But, as Chernof points out, this growth will also challenge our already strained family caregivers and our supply of qualified and trained paid caregivers.
So how do we get the word “catastrophic” out of our aging lexicon? Creative solutions to address the growing needs of a growing population are a must.
Some of those solutions will come from other countries, including Japan, which launched an ORANGE plan in 2015. According to an article by Deborah Carr in Aging Today, the ORANGE plan is simple: volunteers attend a 90-minute dementia lecture, don a bright orange bib or bracelet, and walk neighborhoods to check on neighbors, assist those who have wandered, and connect residents to services. There are 25,000 orange-attired volunteers filling a basic need and freeing up paid caregivers for work that they are trained to do.
Certainly, the ORANGE plan can’t fill the caregiver gap all by itself. But, in the face of a need that will grow exponentially in the coming years, every small step can make a difference.
It’s time to let loose our creative juices. We must look for solutions here in the United States. But we also have to look to our colleagues abroad for guidance. Like Japan, many countries are already supporting a very large older adult population. Together with those countries, we can begin preparing to support those older adults, many of whom will become centenarians, and their families.
Let’s have bigger, bolder conversations about how we find solutions that work. And let’s build a world where our “super-aged” communities across the country prosper and thrive.