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May 05, 2008

Council on Foundations
Preparing for a Wave of Older Americans

The growing number of older people in America can benefit society immensely, said Rep. John P. Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat, at a Council on Foundations meeting. He likened the demographic shift to a wave: “If we’re ready for it, it can really lift us up.”

But he and others at the session, entitled “Multi-Generational Challenges for the Future,” stressed the need for appropriate systems in place to reap these benefits and “absorb the energy and excitement” of older Americans.

The panel, moderated by Bill Moyers, focused on the importance of continued civic engagement by older people, including in the arts, education, and the environment. It also explored the health-care and financial challenges that affect older people.

Carol Moseley Braun, a former Democratic Senator from Illinois and founder of the nonprofit group Good Food Organics, stressed that the poorest elderly are single women, and that only 15 percent of black women and 10 percent of Hispanic women have pension coverage.

“That speaks ill of us as a community,” she said. “How we treat them, as well as how we treat our children, will define our generation.”

Panel members had many ideas for linking engaged older people and children.

“One of the places we’re seeing most success in engaging seniors in volunteer work is with schools,” said Mr. Sarbanes. He’d like to see older adults volunteer alongside children on environmental issues, for example, as a way to increase children’s time and experiences outdoors.

Dana Gioia, poet and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, urged conference participants to take the lead on finding ways to engage the older population. “You need to create partnership and investments in bold new ideas,” he said.

All speakers agreed on the need for a fundamental shift in how our society views the elderly.

“We’ve got to get out of this mental box where we think seniors are old and retiring,” said Mr. Sarbanes. “Seniors are young and what I like to think of as graduating” to a career serving the public.

— Cassie Moore

Monday May 5, 2008 | Permalink

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