This book is an important addition to the literature on aging and work in America. It is written with an incredible warmth and understanding of the vast subjects of eldercare and caregiving in this country. It is impossible to read without relating some parts of it to your own experience, either as ...more
This book is a double call for action. It calls for fair treatment of caregivers, with a focus on those who take care of the elderly. And it calls for the creation of a Care Grid, by which our society can best care for the elderly. One of the goals is the dignity of both the caregiver and the cared- ...more
Anyone who has ageing parents should read this. With rising healthcare costs for the elderly and the homes for the elderly, both the ones with limited care as well as full care, are expensive. Once a patient checks in, the average duration of their stay is just under 3 years before death comes.
Full disclosure, I am working with Ai-jen and her team on using improvisation in care situations -both to bring to light the plight of caregivers as well as for use in caregiving situations. Having said that I found this book to be moving, hopeful, and an inspiring call to action. We are all involve ...more
3.5 stars. Interesting and once I realized it's really about the care workers more than the elders themselves, I found it easier to read. It made good and important points, but they were maybe a bit repetitive for such a short book. ...more
This book was recommended to me by someone who heard Ai-jen Poo on NPR and knew I would be interested. I love the title of her book "age of dignity" and her passion and commitment to do more for caregiving as a profession and as something families do for their own. She has a good mix of personal ane ...more
"If you make it to age seventy-five having survived the threat of cancer and organ failure, the likelihood is that you will make it to eighty-five,even ninety-five or beyond one hundred."
"Research shows that caring for aging parents shared among siblings often causes childhood family dynamics to rei ...more
Excellent book. Addresses everything regarding the increasing proportion of the American population that is aging and needs or will need services, from the demographics, to what is needed, to the "sandwich" generation, to the workers, to how to pay for it, to some solutions from other countries.
An interesting and important look at dealing with our growing aging populations. There were enlightening profiles of people who have made care-giving a career as well as people providing care for family members. There are a lot of things to think about and plan for both for individuals and for socie ...more
Ai-Jen Poo beautifully weaves her own personal narrative into a concise, dynamic analysis of the U.S. healthcare system. The deep compassion and love she holds for the people she works with (the National Domestic Workers Alliance, for example) can be strongly felt from within her prose. Ai-Jen Poo's ...more
Based on just the ideas, I would give this book five stars. She addresses one of the most urgent issues we face as a society -- and are currently failing. Ai-jen Poo offers a vision of what we need to do, if we only find the collective will to do it. Her vision is not pie in the sky; it is a realist ...more
This book provides a necessary introduction to issues we aren't but should be talking about. Our nation, like others, is experiencing a growth in the elder population, and we are immensely unprepared to deal with both the elders themselves and their grossly underpaid and undervalued caregivers.
According to the stats in this book, by 2035...not that long from now!...the number of Americans over the age of eighty five will more than double to 11.5 million. It is the fastest growing age group. As babyboomers are aging into retirement, Ai-jen Poo describes in this book the "Elder Boom" happen ...more
The subject of this book is universally important because everyone has some relationship to caregiving in their life whether they receive it or give it, pay for it or do it for love rather than money. Poo shares a compelling vision of a society and economy built around what societies are actually ab ...more
An important and well-written read about the coming elder-age boom but it is also about the intersection of immigrant labor, aging in home, and home care workers. We all want to die with dignity but how will that be possible without major changes to our healthcare system, shifting our paradigm about ...more
This book is so essential for advocating for the care that our elders are going to need! The reality is also really depressing... and I definitely had to take breaks when listening. I have way more empathy for my parents, in-laws, and others that have had to make such tough decisions.
Poo is a great story-teller. I don't usually like non-fiction (too dry, too pedantic -- give me a beautifully written, plot-driven novel please) but Poo weaves together her insights on aging and caregiving with a series of stories that really drew me in. I recommend this book to anyone caring for an ...more
4 stars for starting a conversation about this grossly neglected topic. We ALL need to evaluate our views on "aging with dignity". This society (USA) does not value elders or children. Such vital resources are wasted by not appreciating what value each time of life offers. Seniors are carriers of hi ...more
This book presents a positive and forward-looking approach to the "elder boom" facing America. I recommend it to anyone seeking solutions to the issues posed by the rapidly growing aging population in need of care to enable them to lead lives of fulfillment and dign ...more
An important book. With the Elder Boom approaching, it is really important that those of us who may someday need care help insure that caregivers are trained and fairly paid. Aging at home makes sense, but many will need help to do that. Unpaid family caregiving is important, but families need help ...more