United States – October 21, 2026 -- OATS and Senior Planet, drawing on fifteen years of work with seniors and technology, say the United States is failing to prepare for a rapidly growing older population because of invisibility, negativity and disempowerment of older adults.
Organizations list structural failures in US elder care and employment
The organizations say the US underinvests in geriatricians and overinvests in nursing homes. They also say workers are pushed out of the workforce while still willing and able to contribute.
They describe an age-segregated society in which older and younger people rarely socialize, collaborate or create together. Public policies and social practices, they argue, have not been modernized despite what they call unprecedented growth in the share of the population that is old.
Geriatric programs in social work and medicine remain under-subscribed
The groups report a widening mismatch between the growing population of older adults and a shrinking workforce interested in serving them. Programs offering geriatric specializations and placements in social work and medicine have been notably under-subscribed.
They also say seniors report feeling unwelcome in commerce, fashion, nightlife and popular music, where informal age segregation prevails, and unheard when they do speak up.
OATS says outdated stereotypes ignore longer lifespans and better health after 60
The organizations point to increasing lifespans and improving health and mobility for people over 60. Americans nonetheless continue to associate aging with decline, sickness, impairment and dependency, they say.
OATS acknowledges that cognitive and physical decline often accompany advanced age. It maintains that aging is not defined by frailty and that, for many older adults, the later years are their best.
The organizations say their view is rooted in grassroots activism and tens of thousands of hours working alongside seniors. They add that it is not a universal view and that other organizations bring different diagnoses of the problem.