AARP Hearing Center
On Sept. 5, 2014, I walked onstage at AARP’s national member event at the San Diego Convention Center to deliver my first speech as AARP’s chief executive officer.
That day I made a promise to AARP’s members: “As your CEO, I will be unapologetic in fighting for the wants and needs of people 50-plus.”
As AARP’s new CEO, I wanted to change the conversation about what it means to grow older. I said we need to “disrupt aging”—to challenge outdated stereotypes and attitudes about getting older and spark new solutions that help people live better as they age. I challenged our members to help me do that.
As I prepare to say farewell to AARP, I look back and ask, “How did we do?”
And I feel we can take pride in what we were able to accomplish together.
We are now better prepared to shape the future so people will be empowered to choose how they live as they age.
We have fought for people 50 and over in the halls of Congress, at the White House, and in state capitals and communities across the country. We brought relief from the high cost of prescription drugs, helped ease the burden of caregiving, opposed age discrimination in the workplace, protected Social Security and Medicare, made it easier for people to save for retirement, made communities more age-friendly, and ensured that older Americans have affordable access to technology.
We elevated the importance of brain health and made a significant contribution to the battle against Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. We promoted AARP’s role in global aging. And we tackled the tough issues related to the emerging five-generation workforce.
We changed not just the conversation about aging but also what it means to grow older.
Today, more people are embracing age as a period of continued growth and finding purpose in their lives. So we’re beginning to see a new type of experienced, accomplished workforce. We’re witnessing an exploding consumer market that is bolstering our economy. And instead of seeing a growing pool of dependents, we’re seeing the growth of intergenerational communities with new and different strengths.
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