Conference Examines the “Silver Tsunami” in Asia and America

AARP is teaming up with the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana in Missoula to examine the subject of aging in America and Asia during a conference this fall. The conference, titled "Methuselah's Challenge: Aging in Asia and America," will bring panelists from the Far East (including Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, and India) together with experts from the U.S. and Montana. Methuselah is the biblical figure who lived nearly 1000 years.

As America grapples with health care reform, there are reasons to examine the Far East as a health care model. Citizens of Japan are the healthiest people on the planet. Japan has the highest life expectancy of any country in the world (according to both UN and World Health Organization estimates). At the same time, Japan enjoys the lowest per capita health care costs, which are less than half of those in the U.S. Conversely, on a per person basis, the United States spends more on health care than any other nation on earth—by almost a factor of two. But the U.S. has among the lowest life expectancies in the industrialized West. Overall the U.S. ranks 31st.

The public conference will have international as well as local dimensions and is intended to address overarching issues such as the policy implications of aging populations in the U.S. and Asia, as well as matters of practical importance to seniors, their families, neighbors and communities.

AARP experts will participate in two panel discussions exploring topics important to its mission of enhancing the quality of life for all as we age.

The first panel discussion entitled “House, Home and Family: Living Options for the Elderly in Asia and America” will look at alternative housing arrangements for the elderly, including options such as aging in place, living with children, assisted living, elder communities, nursing homes and others.

The second panel discussion entitled "Living, Learning and Working in Asia and the U.S." will explore the topic of advocacy for the elderly and will examine AARP’s work to foster positive social change.

“This conference will give participants an opportunity to learn about the types of challenges societies are expected to face because of population aging,” said Lee White, AARP Regional Vice President and conference panelist. “While there is much we can learn from looking to the Far East, we are also eager to share details of AARP’s outstanding work to lead positive social change, as well as our knowledge and expertise on issues associated with aging.”

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana in Missoula honors Mike Mansfield, a longtime Montana U.S. Senator, former U.S. Senate Majority leader and former American ambassador to Japan. The internationally renowned center is a nonprofit think tank that strives to improve U.S. - Asian understanding.

The conference takes place September 23-25, 2009 at the Mansfield Center on the University of Montana campus in Missoula. It is free and open to the public with no advance registration required. For more details, check the University of Montana web site.