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Advancing Financial Resilience at the On Aging 2026 Conference
AARP Foundation experts highlighted the financial toll of health care debt and the challenges faced by paid family caregivers.
The American Society on Aging’s On Aging 2026 Conference, held April 20-23 in Atlanta, convened thousands of nonprofit industry professionals to discuss health care, technology, caregiving, equity, and aging advocacy. As the nation’s largest multidisciplinary gathering focused on aging, the conference centered on the theme, “The Power of Belonging: Amplifying Voices, Advancing Justice, Accelerating Connection.”
The four-day event featured pre-conference workshops, keynote sessions, and dozens of panels spanning topics such as caregiving, economic security, ageism in marketing, health care, longevity, and innovation in aging services. Attendees engaged in cross-sector dialogue to strengthen systems of care and advance equity for older adults, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and practical, community-based solutions.
AARP Foundation researchers highlighted new research on health care debt at a session titled “How Health Care Debt Threatens Older Adults’ Health and Financial Security.” Presenters Hannah Beesley, AARP Foundation senior social entrepreneur, and Ivan Avila, an AARP Foundation senior research analyst, shared research showing that nearly 4 in 10 older adults with low income carry health care debt, often forcing difficult trade-offs such as delaying care or rationing medications. “Underinsurance and high deductibles are major causes of debt,” said Beesley.
The top sources of health care debt for older adults are dental costs, doctor’s visits and lab fees. The debt includes the full range of how older adults finance out-of-pocket costs, including bills that are past due, charges to credit cards, money owed to friends or family for medical expenses, or payments made directly to their provider.
The session underscored how health care debt is not just a financial burden but a driver of worsening health outcomes and inequities, and emphasized the need for policy solutions, improved access to affordable care, and stronger consumer protections. “Debt is not about the size but the ability to pay,” noted Avila. Attendees were engaged throughout the session and asked questions about how to reduce health care costs.
In a session titled “Paid Family Caregivers,” Lisa Winstel, AARP Foundation’s caregiving program manager, talked about the nearly 1 in 3 family caregivers who have a household income of less than $50,000. Check out all of the available AARP Foundation Caregiving Resources. She was joined on the panel by Selena Caldera, a senior strategic policy advisor at AARP.
AARP’s presence at the conference was both expansive and strategically coordinated, resulting in a robust footprint that included four sessions on the AgeTech Stage, featuring Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) from AARP, a charitable affiliate of AARP dedicated to helping seniors harness technology to improve their lives, and more than 15 AARP presentations spanning research, caregiving and innovation.
Overall, the conference reinforced the importance of a holistic approach to aging. By bringing together diverse voices and disciplines, On Aging 2026 highlighted both the urgency of current challenges and the opportunity to build more inclusive, supportive systems for older adults.
Learn more about AARP Foundation’s work to end senior poverty.
Our Impact
Learn more about AARP Foundation’s work to end senior poverty.
Our Impact
Learn more about AARP Foundation’s work to end senior poverty.