In the last seven days, Tampa Bay has had the distinct opportunity to host two significant events, The White House Conference on Aging Regional Forum and a visit from the founder of the encore movement, Marc Freedman.
White House Conference on Aging
The White House Conference on Aging convenes every ten years and in the past has catalyzed key policies including Medicare and Medicaid. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the conference as well as the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid.
Tampa was selected as the first of five regional “listening” forums that will set the agenda and priorities for a major White House Conference on Aging scheduled for this summer in Washington, DC. These regional forums are designed to help our government identify the major issues facing older Americans.
Four main areas are being addressed in this year’s conference:
- healthy aging,
- long term care/service,
- retirement security and,
- elder abuse/fraud
Encore Tampa Bay had the great privilege of sending a large delegation of community leaders to listen, learn and advocate for innovative ways to view aging and to help address these challenges. Our message:
Shift our thinking about the solutions and programs needed to serve our aging population.
Although federal programs are still critically important to address this population’s needs, we can no longer rely solely on our government to solve these problems. Rather, we need to collaborate and look to engage our own talented and experienced older adults to address these issues! Please add your own comments and suggestions for Aging in America (the White House is definitely listening).
Marc Freedman Community Leader Breakfast
On Tuesday, February 24th, Marc Freedman, the founder and CEO of Encore.org spoke to more than 60 Tampa Bay community and business leaders. He shared with us the evolution of the ever-growing social change movement where mid-life Americans are redefining life, work and retirement in the second half of life.
Freedman explained, “We are in the midst of a massive redefinition of aging, where 60 is the new 60”. It is no longer an idea of “reinvention” but one of reintegration of wisdom and experience aligned with purpose. An encore can look like a hobby turned into a business or starting a social enterprise to solve a problem while earning an income. It could mean volunteering for a non profit or working part-time in a business.
There were several key areas that Freedman identified as opportunities for Tampa Bay to capitalize on this new longevity revolution:
- Become a bridge builder from one professional career to the next which might be with a non profit, a new industry, a new start up or government.
- Create ways for retooling/education to be more affordable, accessible and accelerated for older, experienced adults.
- Create new kinds of financial planning that incorporates the idea of life planning.
Encore Tampa Bay’s Opportunity
With over 500,000 adults over 50 in the Tampa Bay area, we are poised to begin our own journey to create an encore community. We have a strong group of leaders who are working with me to identify specific strategies in the following key impact areas:
Discovery and Retooling for your encore- Leveraging encore talent to strengthen non profits.
- Finding ways to provide transition programs for pre retirees in business or through financial planning.
- Fostering a productive entrepreneurial environment for 50+ entrepreneurs
- Identifying larger community impact opportunities
We are truly changing the landscape and conversation about aging in Tampa Bay and it will benefit all of us along the way!!
Come join us. We welcome your ideas, suggestions and involvement. PLEASE let me know if you want to help with any of these specific impact areas. Stay up to date with our website that provides current discovery/retool programs along with first steps in each of these high priority impact areas.
I will leave you with one of Marc Freedman’s most memorable quotes:
“The world might be done with us,
but we are not done with the world”.
John F. Kennedy closed the 1960 White House Conference on Aging with these parting words:
“Today’s older population and tomorrow’s senior citizens, not only expect to live half again as long, but with a new vibrancy and usefulness in these later years. We may have added years to our lives but we have not added life to those years.”
Let us all add life to our years and add meaning and purpose to our lives that will impact our world!