Jeff Rubin: Discrimination facing our aging population affects everyone, not just old people

Who’s problem is it when it’s not my problem?

I recently posed that question to a group of thought leaders regarding the subject of ageism, a form of discrimination more pervasive than racism or sexism and certainly as debilitating to anyone denied equal access to resources, services, or opportunities simply because they are considered too young, or more likely, too “old.”

This global “ism” continues unabated, even in the face of a worldwide longevity revolution.

Consider the facts. In 2020, the population of the U.S. stood at roughly 331 million people, 16.6% of whom were 65 years of age or older.

By 2030, that figure jumps to 22% when the last of 78 million baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will have turned 65. This according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Global estimates are equally as eye-opening. The U.N. currently estimates some 1 billion people are now 60 years of age or older. That number is expected to grow to approximately 22% of the world’s population by 2050.

The repercussions of such growth would appear obvious. Yet little is mentioned in the press, media, or public discourse regarding the issues and opportunities that arise from our universal aging boom.

Literally, every sector of our society is impacted by ageism in some form or fashion. We see the effects played out in employment, health, housing, safety, abuse, neglect, and fraud, just to name a few.

Age discrimination further underscores the absence of value society places on older adults, the lack of self-worth many elders place in themselves and the scarcity of resources available to meet current and future demand for basic human services.

This lack of strategic foresight fails to capture too, the enormous economic and multi-generational opportunities that can be expected to evolve by embracing, rather than denying advancing age.

Such a dichotomy was spelled out as recently as 2015, in a New York Times op-ed piece that proclaimed, “Older people are likely to be seen as a burden and a drain on resources, rather than as a resource in themselves.”

Yet in a similar time frame, a Transamerica Center for Retirement study reported two-thirds of today’s baby boomers plan to work past age 65, or do not plan to retire at all.”

For many, that truth may lie in the lack of adequate savings for retirement or the dwindling number of companies providing defined benefits or pensions. For others, it may be simply a desire to stay active, engaged, or valued.

Add to that, the “56% of Americans 85 and older who say, “They have no limitations on their ability to work or to live their lives,” as reported in a 2014 Journals of Gerontology article, and one can easily surmise that our current view of work, retirement, and what constitutes a good quality of life as we age, demands serious review and revision.

Those who still see older people as “a drain on our resources,” might want to consider what a 2017 article in Oxford Economics had to say about older consumers:

“In the U.S. alone, the ‘longevity economy’—the products and services Americans over 50 consume, and the industries that serve them—already generates $7.1 trillion annually, which should grow to $13.5 trillion by 2032, when it is expected to account for more than half of U.S. gross domestic product.”

Joe Coughlin, director MIT AgeLab added, “It’s not so much a question of which industries are likely to benefit from the longevity boom. It’s harder to identify those that won’t.”

Why then you might wonder, are we failing to embrace the obvious?

Andy Rooney, long time newsman and 60 Minutes commentator who died at the age of 92, may have said it best:

“The idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn’t appeal to anyone.”

Be it aging, climate change, COVID, or countless other issues that might negatively impact our lives, the tendency is to deny that it’s happening, assume it won’t happen to us, or believe that someone else will take care of it when the time comes.

In July of 2019, the Global Coalition on Aging held the first high-level forum on Longevity and the Silver Economy in Helsinki, Finland.

The forum brought together decision-makers and leaders from government, business, and non-profit sectors throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.

The consensus they arrived at:

What they agreed was needed instead:

The biggest takeaway, however, may have been voiced by one of the forum speakers, when he said, “Aging is not about old people; it’s about everyone.”

In short, if we are to change the future for older adults, WE all must be the change we seek.

We have a lot of work to do.

Jeff Rubin is the author of Wisdom of Age, an international advocate for positive aging, and a leader in the fight against ageism. He advises business and community leaders on inter-generational and aging issues. An advocate for “Age-friendly” and “Livable” communities, Rubin is currently working to advance these initiatives in Kentucky and elsewhere across the country.