AARP The Journal

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Editorial Team

Executive Editor

Jean Accius

Editor-in-Chief

Peter Rundlet

Managing Editor

Holly Schulz

Contributing Editors

Erica Dhar
Stephanie Firestone
Jeffrey Gullo
Carl Levesque
Majaella Ruden
Erwin Tan

Contact

international@aarp.org

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Awards

AIGA 50 award

Most recently, The Journal 2019 edition was honored with the AIGA 50 award.

PGAMA

Excellence in Print Awards/Best of Category (2016)

Association Trends All-Media Award "Silver"

For all of the hundreds of national and international submissions, only three awards are given in the category of large organization annual or quarterly publication. The Journal received the Silver award.

15th Annual Communicator Awards "Gold"

The Communicator Awards is a leading international awards program honoring creative excellence in communication for a range of media.

2009 Hermes Creative Awards "Platinum"

Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional materials and programs and emerging technologies.

2008 MarCom Platinum Award

This is the highest honor conferred by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals, and the international competition receives over 5,000 entries. The award recognizes outstanding communication concepts, writing, and design of publications and marketing communications.

Creativity 38 Platinum Award (2008)

This is the Best-in-Category award for magazines and journals, and highest honor awarded by the 38-year-old competition. Thousands of entries come from 44 countries around the globe, and the winners are celebrated at an annual gala event. In addition, the winning entries are profiled in a prestigious hardbound book that is distributed worldwide by Harper Collins.

The Journal 2021 Edition Now Available!

This year, with a focus on the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing initiative, The Journal features perspectives from global thought leaders within four key action areas: age-friendly environments, combatting ageism and age discrimination, integrated care, and long-term care.

This edition also offers a closer look at Latin America, a region on the cusp of significant demographic change. We explore five countries in depth: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

in this edition...

Jo Ann Jenkins

A Letter from our CEO

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

The Decade of Healthy Ageing is an Investment in All of Our Futures

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Cecilia Morel Montes

Dignity and Quality of Life: Prioritizing Aging Issues in Chile

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Contributing Authors

A Turning Point for the Rights of Older People

By Kenneth Roth and Bridget Sleap, Human Rights Watch

For too long we have witnessed the impact of excluding older people in responses to climate change, conflict, and humanitarian disasters. Ageism must no longer be ignored.

Age Friendly Towns in Ireland

By Emer Coveney, National Programme Manager, Age Friendly Ireland

Developing Age Friendly Towns revolves around the ethos that if you design for the young, you exclude the old, but if you design for the old, you include everyone.

An Innovative Caregiving Program Shows Promise

By Peter Lloyd-Sherlock, Karla Cristina Giacomin, and Lucas Sempé

Decent pay, training, and a professional identity enhance staff retention, accountability, and quality assurance. In this way, PMC has become an empowering career option for women in neighborhoods where steady employment is very limited.

Applying the Pandemic’s Public Health Lessons Holds Promise for Latin America and the World

By Julio Frenk, President, University of Miami and former Minister of Health, Mexico

While the current emergency is not yet over, we are all starting to imagine what a post-pandemic world could look like. In fact, there is much talk about a new normal. I would argue, however, that we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a better normal. We owe it to all those who have suffered to apply the lessons we have learned thus far.

Combating Ageism in the Media and Marketing

By Martha Boudreau, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, AARP

Reaping the economic benefits of age-inclusive marketing starts with understanding the 50-plus lifestyle and then using images and messaging that connect with the reality of how people are aging today. Increasingly, that lifestyle includes employment, which is tied to consumption and spending patterns.

Concerted Action for Nursing – Germany’s Strategy to Combat the Shortage of Nursing Professionals

By Matthias von Schwanenflügel, Head of Directorate-General 3 ‘Demographic Change, Senior Citizens, Non-statutory Welfare’ Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

By launching the nationwide campaign, “Make a career as a human being!” (2019–2021), the government aimed to attract young people and adults seeking a career change to nursing.

Dignity and Quality of Life: Prioritizing Aging Issues in Chile

By Cecilia Morel Montes, First Lady of Chile

Older persons have much to learn and even more to give. We need to foster and make visible their contribution to the social, family, economic, and cultural life of countries, showing that they are not a problem but rather an asset.

From the CEO: Turning the Decade of Healthy Ageing into Action, in the U.S. and Across the World

By Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO, AARP

Healthy aging is a lifelong pursuit. It doesn’t begin at age 50 or 60 or 65. Likewise, it doesn’t just happen, and it’s not something one can do alone. That’s why at AARP we seek to create a society that supports healthy longevity across the life course.

From the Editor-in-Chief: AARP The Journal 2021

By Peter Rundlet Vice President, AARP International

We decided to focus on developments in a region perhaps not as frequently discussed in the aging-issue context because it is not among the oldest — yet it is one that is among the fastest aging regions in the world: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

From the Executive Editor:
Aging: The Impact from Every Tailored Action

By Jean Accius, Senior Vice President, AARP Global Thought Leadership

Rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all approach that we know doesn’t work everywhere, we must continually adjust our strategies and elevate policies, programs and other innovative solutions that are local yet scalable.

Global Innovations in Aging and Longevity

By Stephen Johnston, Founder, Fordcastle and Co-founder, Aging2.0

Human activity is increasingly digital, and our data trails are powering countless business models. Healthcare has been a laggard so far, but is now catching up, propelled by the pandemic, venture funding, and ambitious moves by consumer tech giants into digital health.

Lessons from Abroad, Applied State-Side: The US Needs to Increase Investment in Home and Community-Based Services

By David C. Grabowski, Professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School

Regardless of where they live, older adults prefer receiving care in the community rather than a facility. More HCBS also leads to less reliance and stress on family caregivers and a lower likelihood of entry to nursing homes.

Message Received, Loud and Clear: Pandemic Shows Society Falling Short of Statute’s Vision

By Marcia Scazufca, Scientific Researcher, Instituto de Psiquiatria Universidade de São Paulo

The pandemic has only exacerbated perennial challenges. As the pandemic continues to send lessons and messages that have long needed to be heard, it is time to ensure that the statute truly becomes a way of Brazilians’ everyday life.

Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons

By Andrew Byrnes, Emeritus Professor, International Law and Human Rights, Faculty of Law & Justice University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

While existing treaties address sexism, ableism and racism, there is no explicit obligation to address ageism and ageist practices.

Response of the Republic of Slovenia to Population Aging

By Aleš Kenda, Secretary, Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of the Republic of Slovenia

In response to population aging, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia has sought to emphasize an interministerial approach, promote aging as a human rights issue, encourage intergenerational responses and support, and take part in discussions in the international level. Since its independence, Slovenia has evolved its aging strategies to become broader and more integrated into the larger community.

The Aging Population in Costa Rica and the Importance of Lifelong Learning

By Sofía Elena Segura, Professor, School of Medicine and Coordinator, Programa Institucional para la Persona Adulta y Adulta Mayor (PIAM) University of Costa Rica

In the Central American country of Costa Rica, individuals ages 60+ currently represent 9 percent of the total population. By 2050, this proportion is expected to more than double, as older adults will account for approximately 20 percent of the population.2,3 Costa Rica’s evident trend of accelerated aging will have diverse social, cultural, economic, health, and legal implications.

The Decade of Healthy Ageing is an Investment in All of Our Futures

By Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization

It is time to rewrite the narrative on population aging, which is often thought to have adverse effects on economic growth and is used as a justification for cost cutting.

Why We Need Age-Friendly Public Health Systems

By Nadine Gracia, President and CEO Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Terry Fulmer, President, The John A. Hartford Foundation

The vision for an age-friendly ecosystem encompasses the lived environment, social determinants of health, the health care system, and a prevention-focused public health system.