Aging

Retirement Savings Are Growing, But Not For Everyone

There is a seemingly endless debate about whether Americans have sufficient savings for retirement (see here and here). The answer is that many do. But tens of millions do not. Overall retirement assets have grown enormously in recent years-- to $36 trillion, despite a terrible stock market in 2022. But looking at total retirement plan savings, or even average 401(k) [...]

By |2023-12-14T10:20:19-05:00December 14th, 2023|Aging|0 Comments

Is Congress About To Take Historic Steps To Enhance Elder Care?

Not since the 1960s have so many critical policy issues that affect older adults come together in Congress at one time. Over the next few months, lawmakers will decide whether to both increase and fundamentally refocus federal support for older adults and younger people with disabilities. Those reforms would assist those who need long-term services and supports and many healthy [...]

By |2021-09-15T10:38:08-04:00September 15th, 2021|Aging, long term care reform, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Why Are We So Shocked By COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths? We Have Been Failing Our Frail Older Adults For Decades

The headlines are eye-opening: On Friday, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that, as of as of April 23, there were more than 10,000 reported deaths from COVID-19 in long-term care facilities—in just the 23 states that publicly report this information. That may be shocking. But it should not be surprising. COVID-19 has exposed and amplified our profoundly flawed system of [...]

By |2020-04-27T13:58:33-04:00April 27th, 2020|Aging|3 Comments

The 2020s Will Be A Tipping Point For Elder Care In The US

As 2020 dawns, the US is about to reach a critical, historic tipping point in its need to care for frail older adults. And we are tragically unprepared. In just five years, the first of the 77-million strong Baby Boom generation will reach age 80—the time when people’s frailty increases dramatically and they begin to need high levels of long-term [...]

By |2020-01-01T16:03:19-05:00January 2nd, 2020|Aging, Uncategorized|0 Comments

How To Master Growing Old

Growing old is not easy. And it also is not simple. There is a lot of learn about how you can care for your changing body, how to keep and grow social connections, and how to manage your legal and financial life. But where can an older adult learn these things? The Woodbury Senior Community Center in  Litchfield County Connecticut, [...]

By |2019-12-09T19:26:20-05:00December 10th, 2019|Aging|0 Comments

The Federal Government Will Spend Half Its Budget On Older Adults In Ten Years

In 10 years, the federal government will spend half its budget (not counting interest on the debt) on those aged 65 and older. The inexorable aging of the Baby Boom generation means that a growing share of federal spending will be used to support older adults—mostly for health care and retirement benefits. As CBO importantly notes, it is misleading to [...]

By |2019-02-01T09:25:16-05:00February 1st, 2019|Aging|0 Comments

Don’t Blame Older Adults For Big Increases In Medicaid Spending

Is the growing need for long-term supports and services (LTSS) by older adults driving big increases in Medicaid spending? Not according to a new study by Don Redfoot and my Urban Institute colleague Melissa Favreault. Indeed, they found that while Medicaid enrollment and expenditures for older adults grew in recent decades, it had far less effect on the program than [...]

By |2018-08-22T19:15:44-04:00August 23rd, 2018|Aging, Medicaid|1 Comment

A New Snapshot of Older Adults In The US

It is easy—and dangerous—to create stereotypes of older adults. Just when you think you have a picture in your head of what a senior is, you realize how very different they are. To borrow a phrase: You’ve seen one older adult and, you’ve seen one older adult. The 50 million Americans over 65 are more economically and racially diverse than [...]

By |2018-05-03T20:14:20-04:00May 4th, 2018|Aging|0 Comments

Many Americans Go Broke In Retirement, But Many Others Gain Wealth In Old Age

While many Americans spend their through assets in old age, a surprising number have more savings two decades after retiring than they do when they leave their jobs.  The phenomenon is yet another chapter in the story of old age in the US-- which might be titled A Tale Of Two Retirements. A new study by Sudipto Benerjee of the [...]

By |2018-04-18T15:35:38-04:00April 18th, 2018|Aging|4 Comments