Individual & Social Strategies to Mitigate the Risks & Expand Opportunities of an Aging America

Abstract

Increasing life expectancy offers the potential benefit of additional years of productivity and engagement to both individuals and society as a whole. However, it also carries substantial risks. For many, advanced age brings increased disease and disability (including cognitive impairment), financial insecurity, and social isolation. These risks are greatest for those with the least education and financial resources. An aging society must cope with increasing demands for high-quality geriatric care, mounting stresses on social insurance programs (such as Social Security and Medicare in the United States), and the increasing danger that the growing gap between the haves and have-nots will threaten societal cohesion. These risks can be mitigated or aggravated by the lifestyle and savings behavior of individuals, families, employers, and the government. We present policy options in the areas of education, work and retirement, financial security, health care, and social cohesion that can promote the benefits and reduce the risks of longer life.

Aging tsunami coming: the main finding from China’s seventh national population census

“…Rowe [30] showed the substantial benefits and potential of an aging society such as productivity in late life (work or volunteering), and human capital development (lifelong education and skills training). Zissimopoulos et al [31] suggested that increasing life expectancy offers the potential benefit of additional years of productivity and engagement to both individuals and society as a whole. In fact, there are more than 260 million elderly people in China, and these people can still make a huge contribution to society.…”

Raising the Social Security Entitlement Age

“…Americans are living longer today compared to any other time in history (Administration on Aging, 2013). The boom in the U.S. population aged 65 and older presents economic and social challenges (Congressional Budget Office, 2014; Zissimopoulos, Goldman, Olshansky, Rother, & Rowe, 2015) but also brings large-scale social and economic capital with the potential to benefit everyone in the United States.…”