MISSION COLLEGE : Expert Discusses Aging Society

People must face up to the realities of an aging society or be caught unprepared, an expert on aging told a seminar at Mission College.

“We are becoming an older society,” said Dr. Michael Creedon of the National Council on Aging and a former consultant on aging to the White House. “The number of people over 85 is 31 million. In 2030, 51 million of the population will be 85 or over.”

But, he said, many families are not prepared to provide elder care.

“Eighty-three percent of families have no discussion about an emergency before it comes up . . . but 80% of elder-care costs are provided by families,” Creedon said at the seminar held earlier this month.

The result is usually panic, he said. Many families are not prepared to put an elderly relative in a nursing home, to take the person into their homes or to provide a nursing aide at home, he said.

However, he said, many working adults often find they must provide some financial care for their parents. The average age at which a person faces decisions about care of a parent is 47, Creedon said.

Because of these realities, he said, society should educate families about the services and options available to care for the elderly. In addition, families should communicate with elderly relatives before such decisions arise, he said.

Finally, Creedon said, society should combat the negative stereotypes surrounding the elderly by recognizing their productivity. An increasing number of retirees--about 40%--are returning to work, and elderly people are becoming more literate, more educated and more assertive.

The seminar was sponsored by the college and the National Council on Aging.