The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781620970386)

One of Time's 100 most influential people "shines a new light on the need for a holistic approach to caregiving in America . . . Timely and hopeful" (Maria Shriver).

In The Age of Dignity, thought leader and activist Ai-jen Poo offers a wake-up call about the statistical reality that will affect us all: Fourteen percent of our population is now over sixty-five; by 2030 that ratio will be one in five. In fact, our fastest-growing demographic is the eighty-five-plus age group--over five million people now, a number that is expected to more than double in the next twenty years. This change presents us with a new challenge: how we care for and support quality of life for the unprecedented numbers of older Americans who will need it.

Despite these daunting numbers, Poo has written a profoundly hopeful book, giving us a glimpse into the stories and often hidden experiences of the people--family caregivers, older people, and home care workers--whose lives will be directly shaped and reshaped in this moment of demographic change. The Age of Dignity outlines a road map for how we can become a more caring nation, providing solutions for fixing our fraying safety net while also increasing opportunities for women, immigrants, and the unemployed in our workforce. As Poo has said, "Care is the strategy and the solution toward a better future for all of us."
"Every American should read this slender book. With luck, it will be the future for all of us." --Gloria Steinem

"Positive and inclusive." --The New York Times

"A big-hearted book that] seeks to transform our dismal view of aging and caregiving." --Ms. magazine

Author: Ai-Jen Poo
ISBN-10: 1620970384
ISBN-13: 9781620970386
Publisher: New Press
Language: English
Published: 02/03/2015
Pages: 176
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.60w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/27/2014
Kirkus Reviews 11/15/2014
Library Journal 01/01/2015 pg. 122
New York Times Book Review 03/01/2015 pg. 18