The first aging think tank

At the end of May, I participated in the Philips Center for Health and Well-Being think tank focused (for the foreseeable future) on Active Aging. 

The attendees included Dr. Ilona Kickbusch from The Graduate Institute in Geneva; Dr. Jeff Sturchio, CEO of The Global Health Council; Rod Falcon, Director of Health Horizons from the Institute for the future; Nicola Bedlington, Director of the European Patient's Forum; Laurie Orlov, Principal, The Aging in Place Technology Watch; and, Pat Ford-Roegner from Strategic Consulting Services and formerly the Chair of the American Academy of Nursing. The group was facilitated by Dr. Len Marcus from the Harvard School of Public Health. Besides myself, Philips was represented by Walter van Kuijen.

The meeting delved into many contextual issues: Isolation; Economic uncertainty; Aging as a relative, dynamic process, not an arithmetic increase in one's years on planet Earth; Changing relationships with family and friends over time; Technology push or pull; Cultural differences in the perception of aging. The group will be meeting on a regular basis over the next two years to explore these as well as other topics, and hopefully, offer some valuable thought leadership regarding aging, health and the future.