Next50 makes nearly $1M investment in institute to support growing aging population, which is expected to top 95M by 2060.
Next50, a Colorado-based national foundation that works toward a society that values aging, and the American Society on Aging today announced the launch of the On Aging Institute. As the population in the United States continues to shift toward a point where older adults will outnumber children for the first time in history, the institute will build transferable knowledge and resiliency across aging-focused organizations.
According to census projections, by 2060, Americans 65 and older will comprise 23% of the U.S. population (95 million people), compared to just 17% (56 million people) in 2020. Along with this growth of the aging population comes the need for aging-focused organizations that offer services that support healthy, interconnected and purposeful aging.
The On Aging Institute will bring together organizations that value aging to collectively focus on age-inclusive approaches and build better solutions for a growing aging population through programs, lectures, toolkits and knowledge sharing designed to sharpen expertise and combat disparity, connect the tech and aging services sectors to spur innovation and promote organizational sustainability.
“We are excited to partner with the American Society on Aging to shape the On Aging Institute. Our work will ensure the organizations that are serving older adults have the resources they need to remain resilient and responsive to our aging society,” Next50 President and CEO Peter Kaldes said. “There is incredible work being done in the aging network and outside of it, and we look forward to seeing some of the Colorado-based initiatives Next50 already supports catalyze other institute participants through their innovative efforts in areas like addressing the underrepresentation of older adults in clinical trials, reducing the attainable housing shortage for older adults and examining direct care costs for older adults to inform policies, for example.”
The Institute will mature over the course of a multi-year development process, beginning with a library of programming that will focus on leading with equity and building capacity among aging services organizations. The second phase will include a series of discovery meetings with aging service organization leaders and front-line staff members to learn about the challenges and barriers they face. The third phase will include the development and launch of new courses informed by the discovery sessions and feedback from early program participants. Next50 has committed nearly $1 million in support over the institute’s first three years.
“Next50 has been making its mark as an amazing resource for and champion of aging service organizations, and we are thrilled to partner with them to build the On Aging Institute,” American Society on Aging President & CEO Leanne Clark-Shirley said. “Next50’s financial support and expertise help us pave the way for more connected, resilient and impactful organizations and professionals working every day on behalf of our aging society. ASA is ready to hit the ground running to curate our existing wealth of virtual education and collaborate with leaders in and beyond Colorado to create an institute that is tailored to their needs and aspirations.
To learn more about the On Aging Institute, visit https://asaging.org/on-aging-institute.