A Declaration of Independence for American Elders
The average
American arriving at the age of 65 can expect to live another 20 years. This is
more than four years longer than just half a century ago. Will those 20 years
be a sentence or a gift? Will older
Americans stand tall and live out their lives as they aspire to, or will their
existence be overshadowed by the menace of illness? Will they be self-reliant,
engaged, and useful, or will they spiral anxiously into being disregarded and
pushed around and sunk in the sense of losing physical capabilities and friends
and engagement with the world and its beauty?
Americans of all ages, sharing large but not
limitless resources, must face such issues in a non-apocalyptic way. All must
be aware of the inevitable challenges of growing older but also mindful of the
immense benefit to the society that arises from a large group of people who
have worked hard, who know a lot, who have gone beyond a narrow concentration
on “me,” who are healthier and wealthier than older people used to be, and
highly motivated to “give back,” not only to their own families but more
generally to community and nation.
These are people who are determined not to
be a burden, not to be cheated or abused, concerned to continue to get about freely,
and to stay in the best possible physical and mental shape, building new
friendships and intellectual and cultural interests, and running the
innumerable details of their lives as smoothly as possible.
Living as they do in a highly
individualistic society, older Americans have known that they must take the
initiative and organize to achieve these aims, while enlisting the energy and
ambition and focus of younger allies. They have begun building institutions,
including a variety of residential communities that serve a few percent of
Americans over 65. But the vast majority of more than 40 million elder
Americans neither wish nor can afford to leave the homes they love. They
strongly desire to remain embedded in the communities where they have worked, raised
their families, entertained their friends, voted, paid taxes, and undertaken
volunteer service. They want to live near their health care providers and a
wealth of activities in multi-generational neighborhoods.
They know that they must maintain their homes,
sustain a maximum level of physical activity, eat watchfully, and arrange for a
vigorous social life in order to keep their independence and self-respect. To
help them do this, they have not waited for government action or philanthropy.
To “Age in Community,” they have pulled
themselves together in intensely local, non-profit Villages from coast to
coast, which orchestrate comprehensive services to help them live in a serene,
orderly, and efficient way. The Villages operate as friendly, businesslike management
partners at the elbows of their members. And so, they also represent the best
kind of good news to the worried relatives and other caregivers of older
Americans.
In just a few years, the Villages have
proven themselves effective, at a modest cost to their members. To be sure,
potential expansions of their services may add somewhat to the fees. Most
likely these extensions will include transportation and subsidized memberships,
as well as intensified education for better health, financial management, and
computer skills. But it has rapidly become clear that a small central Village
office staff can provide a kind of “family office” that meets many practical
and social needs.
Further, the Villages do more than fulfill
the motto of “Quite Griping, Start Coping!” They represent a contribution by
elders themselves to moderating the costs of an aging society. The Villages
have built a national network to standardize best practices and begin the
professionalization of their services. They have demonstrated that they
represent a majority solution for American elders. They have broken through the
paralysis of denial of the practical problems and opportunities of the process
of growing older.
Victor King
McElheny,
President,
Cambridge at Home