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REMARKS BY: DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLACE: The Forum on Technologies for Successful Aging, washington, D.C. DATE: October 4, 2000
I'm honored to be part of this forum on technologies for successful aging - a gathering that's bringing together seniors, the federal government, private industry, and academic institutions to address the needs of an aging America.
I recently returned from another gathering that brought many people together. Some of you know, I headed the U.S. delegation to the Olympic games in Sydney. While I was in Australia, I had the opportunity to see the amazing Dara Torres swim for the U.S. team.
At one of her competitions, I overheard a color announcer comment: "Torres has had an amazing comeback - especially given her older age. I don't think I've ever seen anyone of her age give such a great performance."
I had to lean closer to the pool to make sure that he was talking about the same athlete that I was watching. What I saw, of course, was a world-class athlete: 33 year-old Dara Torres. No one -- except for the rare sports announcer -- would argue that Dara Torres is too old to compete. But the incident highlights the fact that when it comes to aging, perception is one of our greatest challenges.
In the past, we thought of aging as a steep decent into a nightmare of disability, depression and isolation. Today - though seniors still face challenges -- we know that this nightmare is far from reality. The fact is: older Americans are now living longer and living better than ever before.
That's partly due to the fact that more people are adopting the idea of "active aging." Active aging means encouraging - and supporting - seniors to remain involved and engaged. But it also means becoming active long before old age. Only by becoming active when we're young can we fend off diseases like hypertension, stroke and osteoporosis - diseases that debilitate us when we're old.
Seniors are more independent than ever, they're more engaged than ever, and they more physically fit than ever before. This past summer -- probably inspired by John Glenn's mission to space at age 77 -- Space Cowboys, the story of four seniors heading into space to solve a problem their younger counterparts can't handle, was a box office hit. From athletes to entrepreneurs, every day, seniors are changing what it means to be retired, breaking new records and showing the world that you're never too old to be a champion. My own mother in her 80s only recently stopped playing competitive tennis, but she still exercises almost every day.
Thanks to seniors like John Glenn, and Clint Eastwood, Americans everywhere are getting the message that we may have to age - but we don't have to grow old. But while the perception of growing old is certainly changing, we're still a long way from ensuring that every senior citizen can enjoy a life of dignity and activity and of purpose and possibility.
We must do more to foster, to aid, and to encourage successful aging and we can't wait a minute longer. Americans over 65 are one of the fastest growing segments of our population. By 2030, over 70 million citizens in our country will have passed their 65th birthday. Additionally, every 5 to 7 seconds, a baby boomer turns 50. We can make this millennium a golden age for senior citizens - but only if we continue to update our perceptions and our policies.
First, we must change how our culture tends to devalue the contributions - and frankly the wisdom - of older Americans. To do that, we have to work with our public institutions, changing and adapting policies that help prepare our country for a growing population of aging people.
Essentially, we must create a seamless system of supports for America's aging population. I'm talking about supports that reach across retirement systems to health care systems to caregiving systems to our national infrastructures -- from our highways to our sidewalks -- to help seniors live longer and live better. This seamless system of supports must include new and improved technologies that promote greater independence and provide greater dignity for older Americans.
That's why NIH scientists are already working with psychologists, computer experts and various other professionals to design innovations to help older Americans and their caregivers meet every-day challenges. We're testing inventions like an internet page that's responsive to the specific skills of its operator; an ATM machine that's more user-friendly for seniors and the disabled; and a modified driver's test that can more accurately measure the driving skills of those over 65.
But building and supporting new technologies to improve the lives of seniors and caregivers isn't enough if we want a truly seamless system of supports. We must make sure that the growing number of seniors in managed care plans receive both high quality -- and cost effective -- health care.
We must learn more about chronic diseases associated with aging like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes. We must continue to strengthen Social Security and Medicare. We must focus our attention on serving seniors where they live which, for the most part, means in their homes and communities. And, we must make sure that Medicare is ready for the 21st century senior boom by including a prescription drug benefit that is voluntary, accessible and affordable.
But we cannot stop there. A seamless system for the 21st century demands that we must focus much more attention on long-term care and caregivers. Many baby boomers are now facing a generational "squeeze" - raising their children and caring for their parents at the same time. We must lessen the squeeze.
This won't be easy but we're already developing technologies to help caregivers. For example, in Boston, NIH is testing a computer network that would link Alzheimer's disease caregivers directly to the health professionals who specialize in providing care to these patients. Thanks to email and other technologies, even at 3:00 a.m., caregivers can get direct access to the experts and peace of mind as well. We must strive to provide the best technologies, the best information and the best local assistance to support caregivers in continuing their important responsibilities.
I believe that we can meet all of these needs - all of these challenges - and build a seamless system, but only if two things happen. First, we must all continue to work together. We've seen in the past that when the Administration, Congress and the private sector work together, we can improve the lives of every older American.
We strengthened and modernized social security and Medicare. We've made health care one of our top national priorities, and we've made the investments that resulted in tremendous breakthroughs in healthcare technologies - breakthroughs that resulted in treatments, therapies, and cures to help us live better and longer.
But working together isn't enough - we also need Congress to act now and reauthorize the Older Americans Act. We have before us a historic opportunity: for the first time, the National Family Caregiver Support Program is part of the Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. Reauthorizing the Older Americans Act will help us reach out to caregivers across the U.S. as well as help to ensure that all senior citizens can reach the ultimate goal - a life of activity and dignity.
In Sydney, I learned that the average age of this year's Olympians is 28. That's a big step up from the 1992 Olympics where the average age was 20. Perhaps this average will continue to rise as we help educate our country about the realities of aging.
I'm convinced that if we continue our work - changing America's perception of "old-age;" encouraging active aging; and strengthening our seamless system of supports for our seniors and caregivers - we'll make silver a golden age. Thank you.
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