Ready, Set . . . Retire?

The end of the conference marked the beginning of a new chapter in the "politics of aging" in Washington. One immediate goal of senior advocates is reauthorization of the OAA, which became law in 1965. It created the Administration on Aging , which is home to vital programs dealing with nutrition, health services, volunteerism and support for family caregivers. The agency is the focal point for the nation's efforts to provide home and community-based care to millions of older persons and their caregivers. While broad-based support for renewing the OAA is expected, the level of funding for its programs is considered uncertain -- especially in the current negative fiscal climate. In time, however, the agency will have to serve a much larger number of people than it serves today.

Progress on aging issues does happen. Robert B. Blancato, executive director of the 1995 conference, told me that two things emerged from that meeting: A major expansion of the federal commitment to Alzheimer's disease research and the establishment of the National Family Caregiver Support Program in 2000.

That session also created interest in the subject of elder abuse. Blancato, who is national coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, said he expects passage next year of the Elder Justice Act, with $3.9 billion in funding for seven years. It would create federal offices of elder justice in the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. Invisible for a long time, the abuse of older persons -- which can be physical, emotional or financial -- is now attracting wide attention. As the number of older persons grows, so will this problem, unless efforts are made to curb it.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the 2005 conference was built around a slogan: "The Booming Dynamics of Aging: From Awareness to Action." It was used to create an upbeat mood for the conclave, which issued a steady flow of predictions that boomers will lead longer, healthier lives than their parents and will change the nature of retirement. As the parent of several boomers, I hope it all turns out to be true. But as an older person, I would have voted for a resolution that said: "Resolved: We will not romanticize old age."

Because there is really nothing romantic about it. At 78, I have arrived at the "danger zone" of life, a stage that is quite familiar to millions of Americans in their late seventies, eighties and even nineties. It is a time of life when we are most at risk for serious illness and infirmity. As any resident of my retirement community will tell you, the so-called "golden years" can quickly turn into the "rusty years," complete with endless visits to doctors, hospitals and imaging centers. (That's the downside of advances in medical science that have increased our chances of living 30 or 40 years past retirement.)

You know, on second thought, maybe I would like to be a boomer after all.

Author's e-mail: stanjh@aol.com

Stan Hinden, a former Washington Post reporter, wrote the Retirement Journal column for the newspaper from 1997 to 2004. He is the author of "How to Retire Happy: The 12 Most Important Decisions You Must Make Before You Retire" (McGraw-Hill).