MacArthur Establishes Research Network to Examine Challenges of Aging Society
MacArthur Establishes Research Network to Examine Challenges of Aging Society
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced the creation of a new, interdisciplinary research network to help the United States prepare for the challenges and opportunities posed by an aging society.
Funded by a three-year, $3.9 million grant, the MacArthur Research Network on an Aging Society will be chaired by Dr. John Rowe, professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and former CEO of Aetna. In the 1990s, Rowe chaired the foundation's Network on Successful Aging, which found that most of the factors that predict successful aging are not solely genetic but at least equally related to lifestyle. He has established a team that represents a wide range of disciplines, including gerontology, psychology and health behavior, macroeconomics and public policy, social epidemiology, cognitive neuroscience, demography, and aging policy.
The network's research and projects will focus on three themes: the positive and negative impact of key intergenerational issues on families and society; the development of meaningful roles for older people; and the potential effects that the various sources of diversity and inequalities may have on the structure, economy, and overall health of an aging society. Early next year, the group will present new U.S. population and mortality projections that take account of potential life-extending advances in bio-gerontology and the effects of unhealthy life conditions.
"Much prior work in this area has focused on the economic implications of the looming demographic transition, including the increasing burden of entitlements," said Rowe. "The new network will supplement these efforts by exploring the substantial opportunities that may be derived by harnessing the wisdom and energy of the elderly in new organizations and arrangements that provide them with meaningful roles and yield economic, social, behavioral, and health benefits for them and other generations."
“New MacArthur Research Network to Examine Impact of Aging Society.”
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Press Release
11/21/08.
Primary Subject: Aging
Location(s): National
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