The Future of Aging and Longevity - Flipbook - Page 58
From Longer Lives to
Flourishing Socie琀椀es:
Designing for a Third Demographic Dividend
Linda P. Fried, MD
Director, Robert N. Butler
Columbia Aging Center and
Dean Emerita, Columbia
University Mailman School of
Public Health
Julianne Holt-Lunstad,
PhD
Professor of Psychology and
Neuroscience and Director
of the Social Connec琀椀on &
Health Lab, Brigham Young
University
ver the last decade, research, prac琀椀ce,
and policy have converged on a clearer
understanding of what makes longer
lives healthier and more meaningful. Healthy
longevity is not produced in old age alone. It is
shaped across the life course by educa琀椀on, public
health, medical care, social connec琀椀on, economic
opportunity, and the environments we live in.
Longer lives need not focus exclusively on nor
bene昀椀t only older adults. When socie琀椀es redesign
for health and social connec琀椀on with meaning and
purpose, all genera琀椀ons thrive.
A decade of landmark reports and ini琀椀a琀椀ves
has built the scien琀椀昀椀c evidence and policy
founda琀椀ons for this redesign. The Na琀椀onal
Academy of Medicine’s The Global Roadmap for
O
54
Healthy Longevity, the World Health Organiza琀椀on’s
Decade of Healthy Aging, and the Stanford Center
on Longevity’s The New Map of Life translate the
evidence about the factors that create health
and well-being in old age into a mul琀椀sector
agenda for ac琀椀on.44 Together, they re昀氀ect a
growing consensus that di昀昀erences in longevity
across na琀椀ons and regions are not shaped by
medical care alone, but cri琀椀cally by investments
in popula琀椀on-based approaches that support the
condi琀椀ons for health across the life course. Among
these factors, cri琀椀cal areas of evidence that
support ac琀椀on are the need for lifelong quality
educa琀椀on, public health, social connec琀椀on, and
suppor琀椀ve community.
Cri琀椀cally, social connec琀椀on has moved
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
