Thanks Don, I appreciate your comment very much. Without straightforward language we have more of the same in the systems meant to create an environment that we all have opportunities regardless of age.
Thank you for this powerful and urgently needed piece: "Longevity, policy design, and the cost of institutional delay." It cuts straight to the heart of one of the greatest mismatches of our time, we're living longer than ever, yet our policies, systems, and even cultural imaginations are still calibrated for a world where life ended decades earlier.
You lay out the costs so clearly: the human toll of waiting too long to redesign healthcare, housing, workplaces, financial systems, and social supports for a longevity era. Institutional delay isn't just inefficiency; it's a quiet erosion of dignity, opportunity, and potential across generations. Every year we postpone meaningful reform, we compound the price paid in isolation, unmet needs, strained families, and untapped contributions from millions of older adults.
I couldn't agree more. And what makes your argument even more compelling for me is the living evidence I see every day in my interactions with older people—80s, 90s, and beyond.
These aren't people fading into the background. They're sharp, curious, generative forces. There's the 88-year-old former engineer who now volunteers teaching coding basics to kids in his community center, bridging generations with patience and humor that no app could replicate. Or the 91-year-old woman who started a book club during lockdown that's now a thriving intergenerational gathering—her insights into literature and life leave everyone younger in the room humbled and inspired. I've watched a 79-year-old learn Spanish on Duolingo just to better connect with his grandchildren's friends, and a 94-year-old share war stories and life lessons with teenagers who hang on every word.
These everyday encounters are proof that longevity, when supported properly, isn't a burden—it's a gift. Older adults aren't "winding down"; many are more purposeful, resilient, and authentic than at any earlier stage. They have time for reflection, relationships, mentorship, creativity. Yet, as you so rightly point out, our delayed policies trap too many in systems designed for decline rather than flourishing: fragmented care, age-segregated living, inadequate pensions, workplaces that push people out too soon.
The cost of this delay is staggering, not just financial, but moral. We're squandering wisdom, experience, and contribution at a moment when society needs them most. Imagine if we acted with the urgency you call for: policies that incentivize lifelong learning, flexible work into later decades, age-inclusive urban design, integrated health and social care. We'd unlock a longevity dividend that benefits everyone.
Your writing in The Arc of Ageing consistently challenges us to think bigger and act faster. This piece is no exception—it's a clarion call. I'll be sharing it widely and reflecting on how I can advocate for the changes you outline in my own community.
Happy New Year 2026 to you, your family members and readers.
Thank you for such a generous and thoughtful reading. I’m grateful not only for your alignment, but for the care with which you extend the argument through lived examples rather than abstraction. This is exactly what is required.
What you describe so vividly, people in their 80s, 90s, and beyond continuing to learn, teach, connect, and contribute matters deeply. Not because it proves that older age can be “successful,” but because it exposes the poverty of systems that continue to assume otherwise. These lives do not need to be exceptional to be valued. They simply need systems that do not pre-emptively narrow what remains possible.
I am especially struck by your phrase “institutional delay isn’t just inefficiency; it’s a quiet erosion.” The harm is cumulative and largely invisible, unfolding not through crisis but through postponement. By the time consequences surface, responsibility has already dispersed. I also agree that the cost is moral as much as material. Yet I am careful about how we frame the “longevity dividend.” I worry that if we justify change only through continued productivity or contribution, we reproduce the very conditions that need to be dismantled. The deeper case, for me, is that dignity, prevention, and participation are not rewards for usefulness. They are baseline obligations of credible public systems.
Your examples remind us what is possible when people are not prematurely sorted into decline. My concern is for the many whose potential never becomes visible because the system has already decided who they are allowed to be. Thank you for engaging so fully and for carrying the conversation forward in your own community. That kind of reflective advocacy is part of how institutional delay is eventually made untenable.
Thank you for this profoundly generous and deeply reflective response. Your words have moved me—not only for their intellectual precision, but for the ethical clarity and compassion that shine through every line. You have taken my modest comment and elevated it into a richer, more urgent conversation, one that truly honours the lived realities of older lives.
I am particularly grateful for how you reframed my phrase about the “quiet erosion” and pushed back gently yet firmly on the idea of a “longevity dividend.” You are absolutely right: if we justify systemic change solely through continued productivity or contribution, we risk reinforcing the very productivist logic that marginalises those who cannot—or choose not to—“perform” in those terms. Dignity, participation, and prevention must be unconditional rights, not contingent rewards. This is a vital corrective, and one I will carry forward in my own thinking and advocacy.
Your point about the many whose potential remains invisible because systems have already decided their story resonates deeply here in India. In a country where millions of elders live in rural areas with limited access to healthcare, pensions, or even basic mobility support, the pre-emptive narrowing you describe is painfully evident. Yet, as you say, when even minimal supports are present—community networks, a caring neighbour, a responsive primary health centre—extraordinary flourishing emerges quietly, almost ordinarily.
To move from reflection to action, I’d like to offer a few concrete recommendations that build on your call for systems that do not assume decline:
1. Redesign policy language and metrics: Shift from “productive ageing” frameworks to ones centred on “dignity, autonomy, and belonging.” For instance, India’s forthcoming National Policy for Senior Citizens could explicitly adopt the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing pillars while embedding cultural concepts like seva and sambandh (relationship) as measurable outcomes.
2. Amplify invisible stories through participatory research: Fund community-led storytelling and oral history projects (perhaps in partnership with organisations like HelpAge India or the Centre for Ageing Studies) to document the everyday lives of older adults across class, caste, gender, and region. These narratives can powerfully challenge assumptions in policy circles.
3. Pilot “zero-exclusion” community models: Support scalable experiments in age-inclusive design—mixed-generation housing colonies, intergenerational learning hubs, and rural tele-rehabilitation networks—that demonstrate how modest investments can prevent the erosion of possibility.
4. Strengthen global-to-local advocacy loops: Ensure that voices from the Global South, where the majority of older adults will soon live, shape international norms. This includes pushing for stronger representation at the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing and aligning national plans with the Decade’s action areas.
Your leadership at the International Federation on Ageing positions you uniquely to bridge these worlds. I would be honoured to collaborate in bringing more Indian and Global South perspectives to international forums—whether through joint contributions to IFA publications, co-hosted webinars, panel participation at events like the IAGG World Congress in Amsterdam (July 2026), or simply amplifying each other’s work across our networks.
If any of these ideas resonate, or if there are other ways I can support your vital work—sharing on-the-ground insights, connecting you with grassroots organisations here, or co-developing content—please do let me know. I am genuinely excited about the possibility of working together to make institutional delay truly untenable.
Thank you for such a generous and thoughtful response Himanshu. I also wanted to let you know that the International Federation on Ageing continues under the steady leadership of Mr Gregor Sneddon, who with his team carries
Thank you once again for your kind and thoughtful response—it continues to inspire deeper reflection on my end. I'm grateful for the update on the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and its ongoing work under Mr. Gregor Sneddon's steady leadership. It's heartening to hear of the care and dedication with which the team is carrying this vital mission forward.
Your earlier insights, combined with this conversation, have prompted me to reconsider my longstanding hesitation about closer engagement with the IFA. For years, I've held back due to a lingering impression that it might be more commercially oriented than purely mission-driven—a perception perhaps shaped by its broad multisectoral membership. However, our exchange has encouraged me to look afresh.
From the perspective of Agewell Foundation's work—focused on empowering older persons across India through direct volunteer networks, daily interactions with over 25,000 elders, advocacy for their rights, and grassroots initiatives on issues like isolation, healthcare access, and intergenerational solidarity—exploring an association with the IFA feels increasingly worthwhile. As a fellow NGO with UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, we share a commitment to amplifying older voices, especially from the Global South where population ageing is accelerating rapidly.
I wonder if you might share your thoughts: Do you believe it's worth pursuing possibilities for collaboration or membership with the IFA today? In what ways could such an association prove useful—perhaps in bridging local insights with global platforms, co-advocating at UN forums like the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, or aligning efforts within the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing?
I'd value your perspective enormously, given your deep experience in this space. If it aligns, I'd be eager to explore how Agewell might contribute Indian grassroots narratives to IFA's international conversations—or even collaborate on shared initiatives.
With warm regards and continued admiration for your contributions,
Hi Jane, thanks for this article. I particularly like your four minimum conditions for credibility. I've copied those down and will be using them as talking points in my communities, both professional and personal.
Thanks for taking the time to read and make comment. The conditions for credibility are intrinsic to what we all value in society and not an optional extra from my perspective. I look forward to further discussions.
Well done Jane and Darius. I look forward to the essays into 2026 and beyond. Good health and prosperity in all of its forms for the New Year! Peace, Bill
“Rescue is visible and politically rewarding. Prevention is quiet, diffuse, and easy to postpone. Deaths are counted. Functional decline is not.” WOW this stopped me in my tracks. I will use this in my work here in Canada. Thank you.
Thank you. That contrast is where so many policy failures hide in plain sight. When we only count what is dramatic and immediate, we miss the slow losses that shape daily life and compound over time. I’m glad it resonated, and I hope it helps shift how prevention is argued for and valued in your work and leadership.
Thank you, Jane, for this powerful post that speaks the truth in strong, straightforward language.
Thanks Don, I appreciate your comment very much. Without straightforward language we have more of the same in the systems meant to create an environment that we all have opportunities regardless of age.
Dear Jane,
Thank you for this powerful and urgently needed piece: "Longevity, policy design, and the cost of institutional delay." It cuts straight to the heart of one of the greatest mismatches of our time, we're living longer than ever, yet our policies, systems, and even cultural imaginations are still calibrated for a world where life ended decades earlier.
You lay out the costs so clearly: the human toll of waiting too long to redesign healthcare, housing, workplaces, financial systems, and social supports for a longevity era. Institutional delay isn't just inefficiency; it's a quiet erosion of dignity, opportunity, and potential across generations. Every year we postpone meaningful reform, we compound the price paid in isolation, unmet needs, strained families, and untapped contributions from millions of older adults.
I couldn't agree more. And what makes your argument even more compelling for me is the living evidence I see every day in my interactions with older people—80s, 90s, and beyond.
These aren't people fading into the background. They're sharp, curious, generative forces. There's the 88-year-old former engineer who now volunteers teaching coding basics to kids in his community center, bridging generations with patience and humor that no app could replicate. Or the 91-year-old woman who started a book club during lockdown that's now a thriving intergenerational gathering—her insights into literature and life leave everyone younger in the room humbled and inspired. I've watched a 79-year-old learn Spanish on Duolingo just to better connect with his grandchildren's friends, and a 94-year-old share war stories and life lessons with teenagers who hang on every word.
These everyday encounters are proof that longevity, when supported properly, isn't a burden—it's a gift. Older adults aren't "winding down"; many are more purposeful, resilient, and authentic than at any earlier stage. They have time for reflection, relationships, mentorship, creativity. Yet, as you so rightly point out, our delayed policies trap too many in systems designed for decline rather than flourishing: fragmented care, age-segregated living, inadequate pensions, workplaces that push people out too soon.
The cost of this delay is staggering, not just financial, but moral. We're squandering wisdom, experience, and contribution at a moment when society needs them most. Imagine if we acted with the urgency you call for: policies that incentivize lifelong learning, flexible work into later decades, age-inclusive urban design, integrated health and social care. We'd unlock a longevity dividend that benefits everyone.
Your writing in The Arc of Ageing consistently challenges us to think bigger and act faster. This piece is no exception—it's a clarion call. I'll be sharing it widely and reflecting on how I can advocate for the changes you outline in my own community.
Happy New Year 2026 to you, your family members and readers.
With deep gratitude and admiration,
Himanshu Rath
agewellfoundation.org
Dear Himanshu,
Thank you for such a generous and thoughtful reading. I’m grateful not only for your alignment, but for the care with which you extend the argument through lived examples rather than abstraction. This is exactly what is required.
What you describe so vividly, people in their 80s, 90s, and beyond continuing to learn, teach, connect, and contribute matters deeply. Not because it proves that older age can be “successful,” but because it exposes the poverty of systems that continue to assume otherwise. These lives do not need to be exceptional to be valued. They simply need systems that do not pre-emptively narrow what remains possible.
I am especially struck by your phrase “institutional delay isn’t just inefficiency; it’s a quiet erosion.” The harm is cumulative and largely invisible, unfolding not through crisis but through postponement. By the time consequences surface, responsibility has already dispersed. I also agree that the cost is moral as much as material. Yet I am careful about how we frame the “longevity dividend.” I worry that if we justify change only through continued productivity or contribution, we reproduce the very conditions that need to be dismantled. The deeper case, for me, is that dignity, prevention, and participation are not rewards for usefulness. They are baseline obligations of credible public systems.
Your examples remind us what is possible when people are not prematurely sorted into decline. My concern is for the many whose potential never becomes visible because the system has already decided who they are allowed to be. Thank you for engaging so fully and for carrying the conversation forward in your own community. That kind of reflective advocacy is part of how institutional delay is eventually made untenable.
Dear Jane,
Thank you for this profoundly generous and deeply reflective response. Your words have moved me—not only for their intellectual precision, but for the ethical clarity and compassion that shine through every line. You have taken my modest comment and elevated it into a richer, more urgent conversation, one that truly honours the lived realities of older lives.
I am particularly grateful for how you reframed my phrase about the “quiet erosion” and pushed back gently yet firmly on the idea of a “longevity dividend.” You are absolutely right: if we justify systemic change solely through continued productivity or contribution, we risk reinforcing the very productivist logic that marginalises those who cannot—or choose not to—“perform” in those terms. Dignity, participation, and prevention must be unconditional rights, not contingent rewards. This is a vital corrective, and one I will carry forward in my own thinking and advocacy.
Your point about the many whose potential remains invisible because systems have already decided their story resonates deeply here in India. In a country where millions of elders live in rural areas with limited access to healthcare, pensions, or even basic mobility support, the pre-emptive narrowing you describe is painfully evident. Yet, as you say, when even minimal supports are present—community networks, a caring neighbour, a responsive primary health centre—extraordinary flourishing emerges quietly, almost ordinarily.
To move from reflection to action, I’d like to offer a few concrete recommendations that build on your call for systems that do not assume decline:
1. Redesign policy language and metrics: Shift from “productive ageing” frameworks to ones centred on “dignity, autonomy, and belonging.” For instance, India’s forthcoming National Policy for Senior Citizens could explicitly adopt the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing pillars while embedding cultural concepts like seva and sambandh (relationship) as measurable outcomes.
2. Amplify invisible stories through participatory research: Fund community-led storytelling and oral history projects (perhaps in partnership with organisations like HelpAge India or the Centre for Ageing Studies) to document the everyday lives of older adults across class, caste, gender, and region. These narratives can powerfully challenge assumptions in policy circles.
3. Pilot “zero-exclusion” community models: Support scalable experiments in age-inclusive design—mixed-generation housing colonies, intergenerational learning hubs, and rural tele-rehabilitation networks—that demonstrate how modest investments can prevent the erosion of possibility.
4. Strengthen global-to-local advocacy loops: Ensure that voices from the Global South, where the majority of older adults will soon live, shape international norms. This includes pushing for stronger representation at the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing and aligning national plans with the Decade’s action areas.
Your leadership at the International Federation on Ageing positions you uniquely to bridge these worlds. I would be honoured to collaborate in bringing more Indian and Global South perspectives to international forums—whether through joint contributions to IFA publications, co-hosted webinars, panel participation at events like the IAGG World Congress in Amsterdam (July 2026), or simply amplifying each other’s work across our networks.
If any of these ideas resonate, or if there are other ways I can support your vital work—sharing on-the-ground insights, connecting you with grassroots organisations here, or co-developing content—please do let me know. I am genuinely excited about the possibility of working together to make institutional delay truly untenable.
With renewed gratitude and deep respect,
Himanshu
Thank you for such a generous and thoughtful response Himanshu. I also wanted to let you know that the International Federation on Ageing continues under the steady leadership of Mr Gregor Sneddon, who with his team carries
this work forward with great care.
Dear Jane,
Thank you once again for your kind and thoughtful response—it continues to inspire deeper reflection on my end. I'm grateful for the update on the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) and its ongoing work under Mr. Gregor Sneddon's steady leadership. It's heartening to hear of the care and dedication with which the team is carrying this vital mission forward.
Your earlier insights, combined with this conversation, have prompted me to reconsider my longstanding hesitation about closer engagement with the IFA. For years, I've held back due to a lingering impression that it might be more commercially oriented than purely mission-driven—a perception perhaps shaped by its broad multisectoral membership. However, our exchange has encouraged me to look afresh.
From the perspective of Agewell Foundation's work—focused on empowering older persons across India through direct volunteer networks, daily interactions with over 25,000 elders, advocacy for their rights, and grassroots initiatives on issues like isolation, healthcare access, and intergenerational solidarity—exploring an association with the IFA feels increasingly worthwhile. As a fellow NGO with UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status, we share a commitment to amplifying older voices, especially from the Global South where population ageing is accelerating rapidly.
I wonder if you might share your thoughts: Do you believe it's worth pursuing possibilities for collaboration or membership with the IFA today? In what ways could such an association prove useful—perhaps in bridging local insights with global platforms, co-advocating at UN forums like the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing, or aligning efforts within the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing?
I'd value your perspective enormously, given your deep experience in this space. If it aligns, I'd be eager to explore how Agewell might contribute Indian grassroots narratives to IFA's international conversations—or even collaborate on shared initiatives.
With warm regards and continued admiration for your contributions,
Himanshu Rath
Hi Jane, thanks for this article. I particularly like your four minimum conditions for credibility. I've copied those down and will be using them as talking points in my communities, both professional and personal.
Thanks for taking the time to read and make comment. The conditions for credibility are intrinsic to what we all value in society and not an optional extra from my perspective. I look forward to further discussions.
Well done Jane and Darius. I look forward to the essays into 2026 and beyond. Good health and prosperity in all of its forms for the New Year! Peace, Bill
“Rescue is visible and politically rewarding. Prevention is quiet, diffuse, and easy to postpone. Deaths are counted. Functional decline is not.” WOW this stopped me in my tracks. I will use this in my work here in Canada. Thank you.
Thank you. That contrast is where so many policy failures hide in plain sight. When we only count what is dramatic and immediate, we miss the slow losses that shape daily life and compound over time. I’m glad it resonated, and I hope it helps shift how prevention is argued for and valued in your work and leadership.
You are so incredibly insightful. Keep it up in 2026!
Thank you for your note and reading The Arc of Ageing, I appreciate it. It is a real joy to write and share some thoughts.