Aging in America: How Prepared Are You Perspectives from CommonHealth ACTION Vincent Lafronza, Ed'D'

1
Aging in America How Prepared Are You?
Perspectives from CommonHealth ACTIONVincent
Lafronza, Ed.D.October 23, 2006
Waltham, MA
2
CommonHealth ACTION is a national, nonprofit
organization located in Washington, DC
www.commonhealthaction.org Funders/Clients
(partial list)W.K. Kellogg FoundationJoint
Center for Political and Economic
StudiesNational Indian Health BoardNational
Black Caucus of State LegislaturesCenter for
Empowered Decision Making (New Orleans)
3
Healthy Aging

• Healthy aging is the development and
  maintenance of optimal physical, mental and
  social well-being and function in older adults.
  It is most likely to be achieved when physical
  environments and communities are safe, and
  support the adoption and maintenance by
  individuals of attitudes and behaviors known to
  promote health and well-being and by the
  effective use of health services and community
  programs to prevent or minimize the impact of
  acute and chronic disease on function.
  Source CDC Healthy Aging Research Network.

4
Growing Older in AmericaHow Prepared Are You?

• 404 survey responses from individuals across
  almost every state
• Preparedness factors included
• anticipated personal needs
• reliance on social security and care giving
• overall confidence in the state of Americas
  preparedness for the increasing age of the public
  

5
Age Ranges
6
Work Status
7
Respondent Race/Ethnicity
8
Income All Respondents
9
Respondent Education
10
Self-Identified Community Participation
11
Self-Rated Retirement Preparedness x Income
12
Current Reliance on Social Security for Survival
(retirement age)
13
Anticipated Reliance on Social Security for
Survival (still working)
14
Current vs. Anticipated Reliance on Social
Security for Survival
1 not at all / dont know2 somewhat3
completely
15
Assessment of FederalGovernment Preparedness
16
Assessment of FederalGovernment Preparedness
17
Political Influence
18
Confidence Federal Gov't Will Support Aging Needs
x Race
19
Worried About Nursing Home x Race
20
Worried About Assisted Living x Income
21
Worried About Assisted Living x Race/Ethnicity
22
Affordable Housing Worries x Race/Ethnicity
23
Income x Race/Ethnicity
24
Worried About Being Alone x Race/Ethnicity
25
Worry Extent x Issue
26
Worried About Being Alone x Income
27
Worried About Social Security x Income
28
Confidence Federal Gov't Will Support Aging Needs
x Race
29
Additional Information Needs to Prepare Better
for Retirement
30
Confidence Federal GovernmentWill Support Aging
Needs x Income
31
Anticipated Care Givers
32
Salient Findings and Implications

• Women appear much more concerned about aging
  preparedness
• Even those in middle and high income brackets are
  very concerned about not being financially
  prepared to age
• majority will need to rely on social security for
  survival
• 18-29 year-olds not confident social security
  will exist

33
Salient Findings and Implications

• Regardless of race/ethnicity, majority are not
  confident that federal government will support
  their needs, while almost half anticipate need to
  pay for personal care services
• majority anticipate relying on family and friends
  for safety net, but this assumes caregivers stay
  well
• if individuals with middle class incomes report
  being ill-prepared for aging, what will happen to
  those individuals and families with lower
  incomes?

34
Implications for Technologies

• How can technology
• Assist in retirement preparation?
• Support aging in place?
• Advance social interaction in a meaningful way?
• Assist in self-advocacy for care?
• Better inform policy?

35
Aging in America How Prepared Are We?

• The moral test of a government is how that
  government treats those who are in the dawn of
  life, the children those who are in the twilight
  of life, the elderly and those who are in the
  shadows of life the sick, the needy, and the
  handicapped.
• Hubert Humphrey