When people launch a podcast, they usually begin with a conversation that people should be having – but aren’t. Harry Margolis, who spent much of his career in elder law, began his podcast with a crucial conversation that he believes more Americans need to have right now: an upcoming crisis that the country is not prepared to handle.
“We’re going to have an elder care crisis in about 10 years,” Margolis says, “when the oldest baby boomers will reach their late 80s. They’re going to need assistance, and we don’t have the infrastructure or the people needed to help. It’s going to be a real crisis unless we do something now.”
Margolis’s podcast, Risking Old Age in America, invites guests to who are doing something about this emerging crisis in care for older adults. Lawmakers, scholars, housing experts, and more talk with Margolis about ways the country can address the challenges of aging in the U.S. The conversations reveal not just the immensity of the problem but the ingenuity of those who are working to devise solutions that may alleviate it.
Margolis is a fellow with the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston. His multi-disciplinary background gives him a unique perspective on the field. He’s worked in law and journalism, and launched consumer websites about elder law and special needs planning.
The Search for Solutions
Currently, the U.S. has a fairly small population of people over 85. This is because people who are over 85 now were born during World War II and the Great Depression, times when few children were born. But soon, when the Baby Boomers hit their late 80s, that population will surge—as will the need for care. Compared to people in their 70s, it’s more likely that someone in their mid-80s and beyond often have physical or cognitive challenges that require help. If the country already has a care crisis for older adults now, it’s about to face a much bigger one soon.
Margolis’s guests offer hope. One recent guest, Lizbeth Heyer of 2Life Communities, shared how her nonprofit has found a model for high-quality, affordable senior housing that connects with supportive services in the Boston area. 2Life Communities provide subsidized housing options, but they also fill a void in the market for those who don’t quality for subsidized housing yet lack the wealth to afford high-end market rate senior living. Heyer spoke with Margolis about the opportunities that senior housing can provide to make aging easier, more affordable, and more enjoyable for more people.
“We have a narrative that if you move into senior housing somehow you’ve failed to succeed at aging,” Heyer said on his podcast. “We really want to change that narrative and encourage people to understand: Choosing to age at home often means choosing loneliness. Choosing to move into a community setting is not only a better economic choice, but a choice to share a life with others and to choose community and to choose wellness.”
Other recent guests included Edward Miller, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Gerontology at UMass Boston, who discussed his research on Medicaid reimbursements and nursing home costs, as well as Mary Lou Sutters, former Secretary of Health and Human Services for Massachusetts, who discussed long-term care and healthy aging. Eventually, Margolis will turn the lessons shared during his podcast into a book. And, in the meantime, he’s starting a crucial conversation to encourage people to prepare for the crisis before it comes.
“There are a lot about a lot of people out there doing a lot of good work, both on the academic side and on the care side,” Margolis says. “I’m hoping to help spread the word about what they’re doing.”
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