Public Engagement

Aging is one of the biggest issues facing modern society. In Minnesota, the number of people over 65 is expected to double in the next 30 years, while the number of younger people is expected to decline. The common view of older people is that they are a problem: think Medicare Part D, Social Security, long nursing home stays, etc.

However, an increasing number of people, including some energetic and highly effective elders, are recognizing that older adults can be more a resource than a problem. At the University of Minnesota and throughout the state, this recognition is embodied in the Vital Aging Network (VAN), developed by Jan Hively - an extraordinary exemplar of an energetic and effective elder - through the College of Continuing Education and the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium.

According to its web site, VAN is composed of "individuals who are sharing our strengths to promote and support the self-sufficiency, community participation, and quality of life of older adults....VAN is open to all who share the following values:

• Self determination is central for the realization of civil and human rights.
  
• Everyone should be encouraged and supported in being as self-sufficient as possible.
  
• The vital involvement and integration of older adults in communities is necessary for individual and community health.
  
• Older adults are a community resource. Their productivity and contributions must be recognized, encouraged and supported.
  
• Communities should recognize and support the mutuality of interests across generations.
  
• Ageism is a pervasive form of bigotry that must be challenged.

The web site notes that

Public officials and service providers tend to see aging as a problem, as they struggle to meet the needs of a growing population of old-old, frail elderly. However, improvements in health status have done more than expand longevity. They have also resulted in the active independence of more than three-quarters of older adults into their eighties. The growing population of healthy, active, young-old adults constitutes a new generation in the world. For many of us who are part of this new generation, these years are turning out to be the best years of our lives, when the opportunities for rich life experience outweigh the challenges of coping with decline. In this time of life called the Third Age, there are unique opportunities for self-actualization -- for seeking and finding meaning and balance.

Although an aging population is an issue everywhere, the social problems it produces are most evident in rural parts of the state as young people leave for better economic opportunities in urban areas. "When the baby boomers become seniors, Minnesota and the nation will experience the most dramatic age shift in history. The future is already here in farm communities and retirement communities where older residents must share their strengths, get the community's work done, and take care of each other. "

To help enlist and focus the efforts of those "who are interested in developing and practicing their leadership skills as advocates for vital aging", the University of Minnesota has established an Advocacy Leadership in Vital Aging Certificate Program . It lists the benefits to participants as

• Gain knowledge, skills and confidence to advocate for yourself and others;
  
• Learn how to use information to organize and advocate at the community and state level;
  
• Raise public awareness and advocacy on issues relevant to vital aging;
  
• Explore the match between your personal skills and interests and the leadership needs of advocacy organizations;
  
• Expand your network; and
  
• Develop individual plans for activities that will sustain your leadership work.

The VAN is a superb example of how the university can work together with community partners to mobilize skills and energy to achieve important social goals.