The Age of Dignity ─ Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America

By 2018, demand for home health care will increase by more than 90 percent, and by 2050, the total number of individuals needing long-term care is projected to grow from 12 million to 27 million. With someone turning sixty-five every eight seconds, America faces a unique new challenge providing our elders with the dignified care they will need. InThe Age of Dignity, MacArthur genius” Ai-jen Pooone of Newsweek’s 150 Fearless Women and the director of the National Domestic Workers Allianceexplains how we can meet that challenge, combining a broad vision for change with concrete policy recommendations.

Interweaving her own personal stories with those of seniors and caregivers across America, Ai-jen Poo allows us a glimpse into the often hidden lives of seniors, as well as insight into the lives of those we pay to take care of them.The Age of Dignity outlines a road map to how we can become a more caring nation, providing solutions for fixing our fraying safety net for elders while also increasing opportunities for women and immigrants in the workforce.

A wake-up call about a basic demographic reality” (In These Times), The Age of Dignity is a clarion call for fairness and empathy toward both our elders and their caregivers.

Ai-jen Poo is the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and a co-director of the Caring Across Generations campaign. Her accolades include the Ms. Foundation Woman of Vision Award,Newsweek’s 150 Fearless Women list, and Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. She lives in New York.