Aging Nation

"It is gratifying to see two such prestigious observers of aging issues put forward a clear analysis of the aging 'crisis' in the United States. This book is an antidote to the ceaseless drumbeat of doom and selfishness coming from those who would dismantle our key sources of retirement security in the United States. Schulz and Binstock are recognized experts in the field of aging whose counsel should put to rest the claims that we cannot and should not rely on shared public programs for our future. They offer real solutions, not just sloganeering on an issue that should concern all Americans." -- Marilyn Moon, Vice President and Director of the Health Program, American Institutes for Research, Former Trustee of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds "This seminal policy assessment, by the country's two leading policy gerontologists, is a must read for the general public, politicians, pundits, and anyone who cares about growing old in the United States. Schulz and Binstock provide the expert analysis, balanced viewpoints, and historical overview essential for countering alarmist scenarios and promoting reasonable public policy and discourse about the future of our aging nation." -- Fernando M. Torres-Gil, Professor and Director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging, School of Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles, Former U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging "Aging Nation is a solid corrective thwack against conventional (and often false) wisdom, propagated by the doomsters, about the perils of a nation living longer. Take notes for your own protection." -- Dr. Robert Butler, Founding Director of the National Institute on Aging, President and CEO of the International Longevity Center-USA

With the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the various issues related to the aging population is paramount. The author's agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of policies in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable.

With the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare system. In Aging Nation, renowed experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of the issues and their impact on everyone, old and young.

Deserving poor or greedy geezers? The debate rages on. In a period of huge government deficits and the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. The policy debates have never been more contentious; they range from deciding who should receive limited subsidized housing and medical services to the ongoing battle over saving Social Security and other entitlement programs. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare infrastructure that will implode under the strain of intergenerational conflict. This book debunks most aging crises put forth by merchants of doom and offers a new policy focus for our nation.

In Aging...