Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Age of Dignity

Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
By 2035, 11.5 million Americans will be over the age of eighty-five, more than double today's 5 million, living longer than ever before. To enable all of us to age with dignity and security in the face of this coming Age Wave, our society must learn to value the care of our elders. The process of building a culture that supports care is a key component to restoring the American dream, and, as Ai-Jen Poo convincingly argues, will generate millions of new jobs and breathe new life into our national ideals of independence, justice, and dignity.


At the intersection of our aging population, the fraying safety net, and opportunities for women and immigrants in the workforce, The Age of Dignity maps an integrated set of solutions to address America's new demographic and economic realities.
  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      An articulate author and home-care labor spokesperson says more caregivers will be needed for the huge increase in aged people we'll soon have. Narrating with clarity and compassion, Emily Woo Zeller pulls listeners into the audiobook's personal stories and invites them to consider the challenges and detailed solutions offered. Sounding concerned and knowledgeable, she connects in a special way with the author's message: American society doesn't have the culture or administrative infrastructure to deal with the home-care needs of the 11.5 million Americans who will be over 85 two decades from now. Attention is needed now to prepare for preserving their independence and dignity, and tending to the welfare of typically underpaid home-care workers. This powerful audio will awaken listeners' sensibilities and shake up institutional lethargy about this looming social need. T.W. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 27, 2014
      Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and recent winner of a MacArthur Fellowship, offers a critical examination of the current and near-future situation of the elderly and home care workers in the U.S., along with hopeful suggestions for improvement. In the first portion of this work, Poo combines statistics with the stories of individuals to give a multifaceted picture of the difficulties facing older Americans, their families, and their caregivers. With the population of Americans over the age of 85 now representing the country’s most rapidly growing demographic, she predicts that the demand for care workers and the challenges to our current “care labyrinth” will only increase. The book goes on to indict the U.S. medical system and government assistance programs for emphasizing the “delay of death, rather than the quality of life.” Meanwhile, elders’ family members, generally too busy to provide adequate care themselves, relegate the task to in-home care workers, many of them undocumented immigrants, who receive poor wages and virtually no benefits. For possible solutions, Poo looks abroad to programs like the “time dollar” currency credit of Japan, as well as to domestic programs like Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities. Overall, she makes a strong argument for a cultural and governmental shift toward valuing older citizens and providing them with opportunities for rich, full lives.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading