Tapping into Human Capital

Tapping into Human Capital

By: Dr. Roger Landry, MD, MPH

 “It’s time we unleash the superhero that is the collective resources of our older adult population onto the problems of our society,” I announced during my keynote at Masterpiece Living’s 2015 Lyceum. I was met with a few inquisitive looks, but for the most part – everyone understood.

For 99% of the time we’ve been on this Earth, older adults have been revered as vital members of society for their wisdom, guidance and experience. Sadly, all that changed following the Industrial Revolution, where we began valuing appearance and speed over substance. Even worse, we began believing the myth that older adults are a liability on society and a drain on the economy. This myth is not only reflected in our public policy, but it is reflected in the lives of older adults who choose to live – essentially – disengaged from any meaningful contribution to society. It’s as if we save gold for six, seven or eight decades, and when we have a large pile, we throw it away.

Every day in America, nearly 10,000 people turn 65 years old. It’s time to be creative with our public policy to ensure that our older adults can stay engaged in a productive, purposeful way, and that we tap into this valuable human capital.

Here are just a few ways we can begin doing that:

What If …

• What if older Americans became part of our education system as mentors?
• What if our motivated grandparents were integrated into our childcare system?
• What if we create a registry of skilled older adults who want to act as consultants to businesses and organizations?
• What if we create a registry of volunteers within our community at large?
• What if … (What do YOU think?)