The Beatles song, When I’m Sixty-Four, pays homage to the aging process and is a tribute to the value of enduring friendships. The light-hearted ditty encapsulates some of the values and aspirations of The SCAN Foundation, which focusses on improving the quality of health and life for older people.  SCAN’s mission is to advance a coordinated and easily navigated system of high-quality services for older adults, preserving their dignity and independence. Bruce Chernof MD currently serves as the Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer.  In this LLAMA podcast interview with Peter Bowes, recorded at TEDMED, Dr. Chernof explains the challenges for all generations, as they get older, and why he believes embracing the Internet of Things will be crucial to healthy and active aging. He also suggests that the planning process for old age should start much earlier than most people realize, with the sharing economy playing a pivotal role in our way of life.

Published on: 14 Jan 2019 @ 15:49 PST

NOTES & QUOTES

Connect with Dr. Chernof:  The SCAN Foundation | Twitter | Facebook

SCAN is a new partner of TEDMED

In this interview we cover:

• Why Dr. Chernof believes we should stop thinking of aging as “somebody else’s business.”
• The SCAN Foundation’s new podcast.

“We think that there’s a real need to change the dialogue on what it means to age.”

• How Gen-Xers and Millennials are “active caregivers” and why they are stressed-out about it.
• Looking after an adopted grandmother, aged 102.
• Why we need a better word for “care-giving.”

“Aging is somehow somebody else’s business but in reality it’s something that we’re all doing.”

• Living in your own home – but for how long?
• The challenges of the unknown.
• Losing the independence that comes from being able to drive.
• Devising a plan to maximize mobility as we grow old.
• Embracing public transport before we are give up the car.
• Ride share options like Go Go Grandparent.
• Embracing the Internet of Things for healthy and engaged aging.

“Right now it seems that so much of what’s out there is just medical – ‘we can take your blood pressure, we have a pill box that’ll talk to you,’ – I don’t think that’s what most older people are looking for in technology – they’re looking for their lives to be supported and enriched and we’re right at the cusp of that.”

• How the sharing economy, embraced by millennials, is helping design future living models.
• Living longer but with chronic illness.
• Tackling future health challenges – beyond Alzheimer’s.
• Breaking out of agist thinking.
• Recognizing the fount of knowledge in older people.
• Devising a plan and aging with dignity.

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Episode 34: Dan Trigub – Reimagining transportation to improve healthcare for older people.