It's widely accepted that most Americans are living decades longer than any generation in human history. This longevity has far-reaching implications for society, and experts, policy makers and the general population are only just beginning to grapple with how to reframe our thoughts on aging. What does it mean for communities, programs and policies, and how we live and work? COMING OF AGE IN AGING AMERICA is a penetrating documentary that probes these questions. It suggests that America's social and economic institutions will - and must - change to adapt to a staggering demographic transformation where more than half of the world's population will eventually be over the age of fifty. Over the course of an hour, the program examines the current social security system; looks at the data being collected on the aging brain and body at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) lab; explores a town re-designing itself for multi- generational use; and observes a large medical system remolding its work environment to both retain older workers and welcome younger ones. Through interviews with experts - including John W. Rowe, professor at Columbia University's Aging Center; Lisa F. Berkman, professor of public policy and director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies; Laura L. Carstensen, professor and director of the Stanford University Center on Longevity; Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab; and urban planner Scott Ball - COMING OF AGE IN AGING AMERICA examines the exploding population shift, its impact on society, and the need to see the reach and magnitude of the changes an aging America will bring.
