An Elder Boom is Coming, Are We Ready to Care for the Aged?
Geoff Gross, Philadelphia, founder and CEO of Medical Guardian
Aging adults are at the center of many strategic conversations lately and I hope that continues. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, the population of Pennsylvanians aged 60 and over is projected to surpass 3.8 million by 2030 — the fifth highest in the country — accounting for one in three Pennsylvanians. Soon, older Pennsylvanians are expected to outnumber every other age group which is unprecedented in U.S. history, according to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB).
This dramatic demographic shift impacts strategic planning and product development in all industries from housing, to health care, and beyond. How older adults are living is also shifting. Instead of slowing down, aging adults are demonstrating that aging can be an exciting period of growth, reinvention and maintained independence. This shift in lifestyle also requires a deep rethinking of how to support older adults.
Fortunately for Pennsylvanians, Governor Shapiro’s strategic plan for older adults, Aging Our Way, proposes strategies to bring together services and investments from 29 different commonwealth agencies in new ways that address the shifting needs of this growing population. But we can’t stop with a plan; it needs funding, voices and ambassadors to ensure it goes into action so that Pennsylvania’s largest population is taken care of.
I encourage you to reach out to your legislators and ask them to support funding, planning and programming for our older adults. It is time to invest in those who got us through some of the most challenging times in our country’s history. It is time that we care for, engage with and uplift Pennsylvania’s — and all — older Americans.
