Across the developed world, large increases in life expectancy over the past century, often coupled with decreasing fertility rates, have created older, top-heavy societies. The United Nations projects that by 2050 the world population of “oldest-old” aged 80 years and above will triple to 434 million (1). In the United States, this trend is personified by the baby boomer phenomenon. In 1960, only 9% of the US population was aged 65 years or older. Within a decade, that figure will double. There are now more people aged 60 years or older than those under 15 years for the first time in American history.

The experiences of older adults as they age are vastly different across countries. To enhance the quality of life of the elderly and allow them to effectively engage in society, we must devise strategies that ensure that each society is successfully adapting to population aging. Image courtesy of Shutterstock/Barabasa.

Yet the experiences of older adults as they age are vastly different across countries. It is well established that social institutions have major positive or negative effects on the health and well-being of older persons (2). These effects are mediated through access to effective health care, support to enhance function and restrict dependency, financial security, and opportunities for older persons to effectively engage in society (3). Therefore, we must shift from our prior sole focus on individuals and their immediate environments to a strategy that ensures that each society is successfully adapting to population aging.

An important first step is to carefully measure how well a society provides a context that facilitates successful aging. Our newly devised, comprehensive Aging Society Index, which measures societal adaptation to aging, is an important first step in this direction. It suggests mixed results for aging in the United States. We find the …

[↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: dana.goldman{at}usc.edu.

[1]: #xref-corresp-1-1