The Future of Aging and Longevity - Flipbook - Page 16
Roots and Reform:
Cultural Iden琀椀ty and Structural Change
in an Aging America
Keri Vogtmann
Jennie Chin Hansen
Founder and Principal, Gaman
Insights, and Aging Experience
Innova琀椀on and Digital
Enablement Strategy Leader,
Segment Interna琀椀onal
Cataly琀椀c leader of the
original Program of AllInclusive Care for the Elderly
(PACE); former President of
AARP; former CEO of the
American Geriatrics Society
s America enters a new era of aging, the
60 and older popula琀椀on is becoming
more diverse, with the fastest growth
among La琀椀no, Asian American Na琀椀ve Hawaiian
Paci昀椀c Islander (AANHPI), Middle Eastern and
North African, and mul琀椀racial communi琀椀es. Yet
aging in these communi琀椀es is shaped not only by
longevity, but by structural inequi琀椀es, including
immigra琀椀on histories, language access, family
structure, economic insecurity, and uneven trust in
public systems. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed
these fault lines, with dispropor琀椀onate death rates
among older Black, La琀椀no, and Indigenous adults
while intensifying racism and isola琀椀on. Older adults
and caregivers without digital access, including
non-immigrant popula琀椀ons, were o昀琀en shut
out of 琀椀mely health care and bene昀椀t resources,
A
12
leaving many to rely on community networks that
some琀椀mes propagated misinforma琀椀on.
More recent policy shi昀琀s and funding cuts
deepened uncertainty for families already
naviga琀椀ng fragmented health and aging systems.
This has compounded mistrust in communi琀椀es
with histories of exclusion, surveillance, and
neglect. The last decade also elevated overdue
a琀琀en琀椀on to caregiver strain, social isola琀椀on,
telehealth, and the social determinants of health.
Together, these disrup琀椀ons and advances create
a de昀椀ning opportunity for the next decade: to
build a caregiving system that centers ethnic
and economic diversity and trust as core design
requirements, not a昀琀erthoughts.
Looking ahead, technology and AI hold real
promise for aging and caregiving, especially for
MIL K EN I N S T I T U T E | T H E FU T U RE O F AGI N G A N D LO N GEV I TY
