The Future Doesn’t Belong Only to the Young: Innovating for How to Care for a Growing Aging Population

At the end of January, Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey chaired a Senate Aging Committee Hearing to discuss the state of assisted living facilities. This comes at a critical time when, according to the Population Research Bureau, a whopping 58 million people – almost 17% of the population in the U.S. – are considered an aging adult at 65 or older. In 2050, one in four Americans will fit into this age group. Yet, this hearing marks the first time in 20 years that The Senate has taken up a review of assisted living facilities and has discussed how we are caring for our growing population of aging adults as a nation. In Pennsylvania, we are fortunate to have a Governor who supports our seniors, having signed an Executive Order in 2023, directing the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to develop a 10-year Master Plan for Older Adults, Aging Our Way, to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s senior population and improve Commonwealth services for older Pennsylvanians. The investment of over $13M to support this plan in Governor Shapiro’s recently proposed 2024-25 budget underscores the importance of ensuring our aging adults are properly cared for.??

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On the national stage, Senator Casey highlights an important shift in age demographics in the U.S. and calls out our need to find solutions to changing needs in care. Additionally, I would like to raise that senior care is not only about support for what older adults are not able to do, but also for what they are able to do. While census data shows that people are living longer than we were in the past, a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health indicated that older adults are embracing an active aging lifestyle with plans for continued engagement in their communities. We must further rethink how we support our aging adults as they revise their approach to aging and reshape the definition of what aging looks like.?

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More and more people are choosing to “age in place” so they can stay in their homes near their friends, their activities, their doctors, remaining engaged in their communities–on their terms. The challenge with this shift is discovering what care and safety look like for this population. While older adults may be healthier and more active than ever before, there are still care needs that need to be met and risks that need to be mitigated and planned for. We need to ask questions about transportation, in-home care, staying connected, safe living spaces and daily needs like food, medication and personal care. And, as active adults age in place, how do we know when the risk of aging in place outweighs the benefit???

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On top of these questions about caring for our aging adults, we must also consider the implications for caregivers. Senior care is managing through labor shortages both in aggregated care facilities and homecare as we experience a national caregiver shortage. As Senator Casey initiated this important conversation, he noted that we owe it to all aging adults and their families to provide them with the tools and information necessary to decide how and where to seek care as they age. With significant technological advances in things like AI and remote monitoring, we should be using every possible tool in our arsenal to find an acceptable and affordable way to provide the best care scenarios and outcomes.?

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We, as a community, need to come together to care for those who paved the way and cared for us. Let us continue this important conversation that Senator Casey has reignited by reaching out to our representatives in Congress to urge attention to this issue, while also educating ourselves on the resources and challenges of providing options for our parents, grandparents and other aging loved ones.??

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Help Senator Casey understand your experiences with assisted living here.?

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Resources for Aging and Aging in Place:?

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National Institute on Aging?

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PA Aging Services? ?

Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging (P4A)?