Global Aging Issues
AARP's Global Perspective for 2007
Opinion
December 2006
By William D. Novelli
CEO, AARP
For nearly 50 years, AARP has prided itself on being a voice for older Americans. Over time, it has become increasingly clear to us that our work to improve the quality of life for people 50+ does not and cannot end at our national borders. Aging is a global phenomenon…the whole world is getting older. And we’re all affected by this phenomenon known as global aging.
As we confront the challenges and opportunities of aging societies, we can learn much from the experiences of other countries, and there is a lot we can share with them as well. Thus, we revamped our Global Aging Program five years ago to learn and to share, and we have made progress in dealing with aging issues. This year, 2006, has been particularly productive.
In March, we sponsored an conference on the use of health information technology (IT). Speakers from Australia, Germany, England, Ireland and Canada discussed common challenges and opportunities, highlighting best practices from their experiences. AARP also released a paper titled, “Learning from Abroad: Lessons and Questions on Personal Health Records for National Policy,” which focused on the progress that England, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have made in planning and implementing health information infrastructures to share information across clinical settings. It also details the challenges of integrating electronic personal health records.
In June, our Board of Directors and executive team conducted a European leadership study to examine the experiences, trends, best practices and policy and delivery approaches in health and long-term care. We met with government officials, key representatives from nongovernmental organizations, consumers and business leaders in France, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands and visited hospitals and long-term care facilities to observe how care is delivered abroad. We came away realizing that although these countries have followed different historical paths in their approaches to health and long-term care, we can learn a lot from their experiences to apply here in the U.S.
In September, in conjunction with the European Commission, we held a joint conference in Brussels to highlight the common challenges in long-term care and to promote an exchange of ideas and experiences. The Cross Atlantic Exchange to Advance Long-Term Care convened 150 international opinion leaders from each of the 25 European Union member states and the United States to develop a platform for exchange and dialogue and policy analysis on long-term care. The conference underscored that providing high-quality, affordable long-term care for older people is a cross-cutting policy issue and a challenge for many nations.
Also, in September, several AARP colleagues and I met with policy makers and opinion leaders in Canada to learn about Canadian approaches to health care and retirement security. And in March 2007, we will hold an international conference in Tokyo to explore how Asian societies are dealing with issues related to retirement, aging populations and quality of life for retirees and older workers. “Reinventing Retirement Asia” will convene leading decision makers and opinion leaders from government, NGOs, academia and business from throughout Asia and the United States. It will be a catalyst for regional cooperation and will increase the exchange of ideas and best practices among the United States and some of the most dynamic and fastest growing—and aging—societies in the world.
In 2007, we also plan to publish a follow-up report to our landmark study, The Business Case for Workers Age 50+: Planning for Tomorrow’s Talent Needs in Today’s Competitive Environment. This study, prepared by the global professional services firm Towers Perrin, refutes many of the claims regarding the cost of employing older workers in the United States. It also shows, through documented best practices and case studies, how to develop and implement an effective strategy for retaining and recruiting workers 50+.
In our follow-up study, we will explore the experiences of companies in the G-7 countries in dealing with aging workforce issues. The report will include demographic analysis of the labor pool in each country, best practices for extending work lives, productivity of older workers, cost of older workers, and attitudes toward older workers. The report will expand the business case for older workers internationally, and, it will also help us to reach out to business leaders and opinion leaders to enlighten the debate on older workers in other countries.
With increased and broad international cooperation, the challenges aging poses to the world can be met fairly and equitably, ensuring that older people can lead longer, healthier, financially secure and more productive lives…to the benefit of economies and societies everywhere. That’s the goal of our Global Aging Program. In 2006, we made significant progress toward that goal. And, by continuing to learn from and share information with other countries, we plan to do even better in 2007.