Suggested by
Alisha Mehndiratta
about 4 years ago
Due to improvements in healthcare, people are are healthier for longer. We start treating people as "elderly" once they're in their 60s, but in reality, most minds and bodies continue to be relatively healthy and productive until our 80s. There is currently a ~20 year period in people's lives that totally lacks purpose, which drives high rates of loneliness, depression, and other mental and physical ailments. We need to find a way to create structure, meaning, and purpose for older adults after they retire or become empty nesters; otherwise, we are not only neglecting their needs, but we are also societally missing out on benefiting from value that can be created by harnessing the immense potential of the older adult population.
America is aging. In 2035, the US Census Bureau anticipates older adults (age 65+) will outnumber children for the first time in the country's history. By 2060, about 25% of the country's population will be 65+. While the healthcare system is bracing for the impact of these numbers, it is arguably more important to act now to identify ways we can proactively reduce the healthcare burden. "Lack of purpose" in older adults has already been proven in multiple global studies to be linked to both mental and physical illness, so solving this problem effectively will directly reduce serious healthcare needs in the next several decades as America's population ages.
Are you interested in addressing this Unmet Need?
USAF Veteran. MBA. @ I am a recent MBA grad, concentrating on Technology and Operations.
I think about this a lot. I think old people find a lot of meaning in sharing their wisdom with younger folks. Younger folks are spending less time listening to older folks, because we have the Internet. If we want to listen to the wisdom of an old person, we can just go to YouTube or read a book.
If we can get back into the lives of our seniors and show them that their hard work has led to our flourishing, that could be very meaningful. We could also benefit greatly from their stories and wisdom.