The Future of Aging and Longevity - Flipbook - Page 63
A FT E RWO RD
A Decade of Progress,
A Decade to Act
Michael Milken
Chairman,
Milken Ins琀椀tute
his year, the oldest baby boomers turn
80. Born in 1946, I am one of them.
For a genera琀椀on that has reshaped
expecta琀椀ons at every stage of life, this latest
milestone o昀昀ers another opportunity to reconsider
what it means to grow older.
For most of human history, living a longer and
healthier life was one of our greatest aspira琀椀ons.
It was also exceedingly di昀케cult to avoid the many
causes of premature death and su昀昀ering that
plagued humanity. Over the past century and a half,
however, advances in medical research, public health,
nutri琀椀on, technology, and educa琀椀on have helped
make longer—and healthier—lives a reality for billions
of people. Global life expectancy has more than
doubled since the beginning of the 20th century.
This increase in human lifespan may be the
greatest accomplishment in history. Yet we o昀琀en
hear aging framed as a problem to be addressed.
The essays in this collec琀椀on show how much
has changed in just the past decade since the
Milken Ins琀椀tute Center for the Future of Aging
released its 昀椀rst collec琀椀on. Scien琀椀sts are gaining
a be琀琀er understanding of the biology of aging,
moving medicine toward earlier detec琀椀on and
preven琀椀on. The 昀椀rst disease-modifying treatments
for Alzheimer’s have arrived. Technology can
detect health risks earlier and help people remain
T
independent. Today, almost one in four American
workers is over 55, as employers increasingly
recognize the value of experience and encourage
lifelong learning.
These developments should give us con昀椀dence
about what is possible. When my father was
diagnosed with cancer in the early 1970s, the
science that might have saved him did not exist.
When I received my own cancer diagnosis less
than two decades later, science had progressed a
great deal. I have spent much of my life watching
seemingly insurmountable medical challenges yield
to research, investment, and human ingenuity.
Human capital does not expire at 65. Americans
over 50 already account for trillions of dollars
in economic ac琀椀vity. People in their 70s, 80s,
and beyond possess decades of knowledge and
experience that can bene昀椀t their workplaces,
families, and communi琀椀es. Longer lives also create
opportuni琀椀es for investment in biomedical research,
昀椀nancial products, housing, and technologies that
help people remain healthy and engaged.
And perhaps most important, they give us more
琀椀me. More 琀椀me with our families. More 琀椀me to
learn and contribute. More opportuni琀椀es to pass
knowledge and experience from one genera琀椀on
to the next. At a 琀椀me when nearly one in four
Americans is caring for a family member or friend,
those connec琀椀ons across genera琀椀ons have never
been more important.
Realizing the promise of longer lives will require
changes in how we think about educa琀椀on, work,
re琀椀rement, and health care. It will also require
ensuring that the bene昀椀ts of longer, healthier lives
are available as broadly as possible.
We should approach that work with urgency,
but also with op琀椀mism. A longer, healthier life is
an immeasurable gi昀琀. Let us make the most of the
years we have gained.
A D ECA D E O F P RO GRE S S , A D ECA D E TO ACT 59
