The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America

by Ai-jen Poo

Overview

In The Age of Dignity, thought leader and activist Ai-jen Poo offers a wake-up call about the demographic reality that will affect us all. "We have more senior citizens in America today than we've had at any time in our history," Poo writes, pointing out that more than 14 percent of our population is now over sixty-five; by 2030 that ratio will be one in five. In fact, our fastest-growing demographic is the eighty -five-plus age group—over 5 million people now, a number that is expected to more than double in the next twenty years. This change presents us with a new challenge: how we care for and support quality of life for the unprecedented numbers of older Americans who will need it.

Despite these daunting numbers, Poo has written a profoundly hopeful book, giving us a glimpse into the stories and often hidden experiences of the people—family caregivers, older people, and home care workers—whose lives will be directly shaped and reshaped in this moment of demographic change. The Age of Dignity outlines a road map for how we can become a more caring nation, providing solutions for fixing our fraying safety net while also increasing opportunities for women, immigrants, and the unemployed in our workforce. As Poo has said, "Care is the strategy and the solution toward a better future for all of us."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620972014
Publisher:	New Press, The
Publication date:	06/07/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ai-jen Poo is the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and a co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign. Her accolades include the Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Award, Newsweek's 150 Fearless Women list, and Time's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. She lives in New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Caring Across Generations 1

Part I A Changing America Needs Care 11

1 The Elder Boom 15

2 The Sandwich Generation 43

3 The Caring Professionals 71

Part II Care at the Crossroads 107

4 Waking the Caring Majority 113

5 A Policy of Caring 141

Afterword: Life in the Care Grid 169

Acknowledgments 177

Appendix A Government Programs Related to Aging and Care 179

Appendix B Resources for Families 189

Appendix C Ways to Get Involved 201

Notes 207

Index 217

About the Authors 227

About the Photographers 229

Editorial Reviews

"A big-hearted book [that] seeks to transform our dismal view of aging and caregiving."
—Ms. Magazine

"This book is a starter for conversations that are long overdue. If you are someone's child, a spouse, or concerned about yourself someday, The Age of Dignity will give you food for thought."
—The Philadelphia Tribune

"Poo's positive and inclusive approach is particularly appealing…[O]ffers a critical and complementary perspective on this important issue."
—The New York Times

"[P]rovides an accessible and heartfelt look at a major problem looming for the United States—how we will care for baby boomer generation as it rapidly ages."
—Colorlines

"This book fills a crucial gap in existing literature: it is now the foremost writing that demonstrates the interconnectedness of elder care issues with the rights of women, immigrants, and all workers."
—Feministing

"This can-do book by an activist seeking to rouse the public into action has a lot to say to anyone who plans on getting old."
—Kirkus Reviews

“Thoughtful, moving, and relatable, with numerous personal and professional anecdotes, Poo delivers a concise discussion recommended for readers interested in the social sciences or elder care.”
—Library Journal

"A strong argument for a cultural and governmental shift toward valuing older citizens and providing them with opportunities for rich, full lives."
—Publishers Weekly

"People getting older is not a crisis, it's a blessing. That is the message of The Age of Dignity, an urgent and irresistible book by Ai-jen Poo. To benefit from this blessing of experience that comes with longer life expectancy, we'll need more well-paid and expert home care workers. In just the next four years, that demand will increase by more than 90 percent. This gives you some idea why every American should read this slender book. With luck, it will be the future for all of us."
—Gloria Steinem

From the Publisher

An articulate author and home-care labor spokesperson says more caregivers will be needed for the huge increase in aged people we’ll soon have. Narrating with clarity and compassion, Emily Woo Zeller pulls listeners into the audiobook’s personal stories and invites them to consider the challenges and detailed solutions offered. Sounding concerned and knowledgeable, she connects in a special way with the author’s message: American society doesn’t have the culture or administrative infrastructure to deal with the home-care needs of the 11.5 million Americans who will be over 85 two decades from now. Attention is needed now to prepare for preserving their independence and dignity, and tending to the welfare of typically underpaid home-care workers. This powerful audio will awaken listeners’ sensibilities and shake up institutional lethargy about this looming social need. T.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2015 - AudioFile

2014-11-04
A fierce advocate for the rights of domestic workers examines two phenomena—a booming aging population in need of long-term care and the rising tide of undocumented immigrants—and finds not two problems but one great opportunity.National Domestic Workers Alliance director Poo is surprisingly optimistic in the face of what would seem to be tough problems for American society. With reams of statistics, she presents the facts about the coming increase in our aging population, and she points out that we can learn from other countries, namely Japan and Germany, that have already faced this situation and have been finding ways to cope with it. We can become a more caring nation by making certain cultural, behavioral and structural changes in our society, and Poo offers some specific models of change to build on. Some are technological developments; some are community-based projects; some are government programs currently being tested in a number of states. The author argues that just as the nation has built an infrastructure of roads and electricity, so can it build an infrastructure of care. The caregivers that the elderly must frequently most rely on are immigrants, "the invisible infrastructure" of our economy and our social fabric. Poo claims that we must create a way for undocumented caregivers to attain legal status, provide the training needed to raise the quality of care and improve their wages. She even outlines how the money could be raised to accomplish these goals. Her narrative is filled with stories of the lives and struggles of individual caregivers for the elderly that she has interviewed, and she provides photographs of her grandmother and other elderly women with their devoted caregivers. Three appendices provide further information on resources. This can-do book by an activist seeking to rouse the public into action has a lot to say to anyone who plans on getting old.

Kirkus Reviews