Dear Readers,
How old are you? Tomorrow is the final day of the year 2010 - how old will you be forty years from now? I imagine that many of you will fall into the category of 'older person' by the year 2050, if not far sooner than that.
Do you realize what is happening with the world's population? Fewer children are being born and people are living longer. Between 2010 and 2050, the number of older persons (let's say those age 65 and older) will skyrocket. What does that mean to you?
For those of us who are now middle aged, we have plenty to worry about besides whether the world is ready to host a vastly increased number of older persons. We have kids still at home or perhaps in college. We have mortgages, car loans and credit card debt. We may be struggling with discontent at our jobs, or our marriages may be in the doldrums. The thought of retirement seems a distant thought, one to even scoff at.
When you retire from full time employment is one thing. But the fact that we are each becoming an older person, one day at a time, is another - inevitable - thing. What do you want your world to look like when you are an older person? What will you need? What government policies and programs will help to ensure that your older years go as smoothly as possible?
This blog is about waking up each and every person to the fact that in virtually all countries, societies are about to change (and some already have!) from being focused on children to being focused on older persons. This shift will have impact all aspects of life - family relationships; community services; work and play; living arrangements; governmental expenditures; medical services; and more.
The more that you are aware of the change that is happening, the more you can influence how your world will look when these issues affect you the most.
Cheers to 2011 - the year that the world truly wakes up the Aging Adventure!
