Publication Date: February 2015
Ai-jen Poo’s new book, “The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America,” is a heartrending appeal to the growing requirements of an aging population. She references the “sandwich generation” and this becomes a literary device, threading through the different parts of a difficult conversation that involves an understanding of gerontology. Caregiving is the essential and elemental component of a sustainable life. Ai-jen makes a poignant comment: everyone has parents but not every family is made up of children, so how is it possible that we could be so willingly incognizant of our own eventual needs for eldercare?
Most of us share an almost innate fear of death, and because of it, we’re inadequately addressing the challenge to develop a safety net that is more decent for the many retirees who unexpectedly face hardship or insufficient support for living their final days in comfort. Ai-jen Poo takes a concerned tone, for example as she explains the improbability of expanding institutionalized care such as nursing homes[1], but she also adopts a positive and action-oriented approach by reminding us that, “what could feel like the beginning of an epic national crisis in care can in fact be one of our greatest opportunities for positive transformation at every level.” She argues for a cultural shift that will help families realize that as vitally important as planning and preparedness are, it must be done in collaboration with government and employers.[2]
The reader is forced to question what kind of society we want for ourselves, does it include a society of productive individuals stripped of options, stressed over obligations? Poo digs deep and asks, “…What does it mean when caregivers feel so unsupported, desperate, and alone in this work that they dwell on thoughts of the death of their beloved family members because they cannot imagine sustaining the necessary care?” The sandwich generation, about 20 million out of the 43.5 million, are financially and emotionally torn between responding to the “demands of their children and the needs of their parents.”[3]
It’s absolutely necessary that we create the economic incentives that reward and also reinforce our desire to do good. Embracing a community-based strategy[4] is also highlighted in an intergenerational framework;[5] and Poo makes a strong case for key policy changes in an investment strategy she describes as the “Care Grid”—“When we build the infrastructure we need to support human life, so much energy will be released in positive, transformative ways in our families, community, and economy, Rather than each of us struggling through in lonely isolation, we will have a shared base of support and structure on which to build our individual lives. As the elder boom arrives, we must take up the building of a Care Grid. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again” (143). And with that reassuring plea, she advocates for an overhaul of the social security system to address the problematic fact of a waning tax base and improving job quality for 21st century home careworkers to provide the training and technological experience for ensuring an affordable and appreciable long-term care.
Javiera Alarcon, Intern
For more about the book, “The Age of Dignity” and Caring Across America, click here: http://www.caringacrossamerica.com
Order the book online from Powell’s here.
[1] AARP reports that two-thirds of nursing home costs are paid for by Medicaid; in 2010, that expense was $49.8 billion, which amounted to about half of all Medicaid spending that year. This is despite the fact that 90% of senior Americans want to age at home (31).
[2] There’s a wide disparity between eldercare and childcare; with the latter being offered in three-quarters versus only one-third of employers offering assistance for the elder (65).
[3] By 2030, it’s estimated that Americans over the age of 65 will be about 71 million, that’s almost twice as many as the current 42 million (53).
[4] For example, the Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)
[5] The Pew Research Center has noted a slight increase in households now having multiple generations under one roof, up to 16% from 12% (127).
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