Abstract:

One lesson we are learning is that the life one leads as a younger person affects one's prospects in older age. As such, it is wrong to assume that the older population of tomorrow will look the same as today's elderly. We can look at the characteristics of younger cohorts to predict change. For example, differences in the extent and quality of education has lifelong effects. Education is an indicator of the likelihood of eventual differences between the health and economic status of today's and tomorrow's elderly. A key focus here is that the United States will have a much larger, even more diverse older population in the future. This remarkable growth is a virtual certainty, not only in the United States but throughout the world. We can expect to see less of our traditional focus on youth. We will need more understanding of our differences and our similarities. The directions we choose, the decisions we make, will directly affect the quality and vitality of our lives for many decades. As individuals, and as a society, we will face the challenge of anticipating the changes in needs and desires of a diverse, aging population.