David Dunkelman Email & Phone Number

Aging is the largest socio-economic and demographic challenge facing America. It’s no surprise that many try to avoid thinking or talking about it. Modern medical interventions have enabled more people to reach old age. However, as a country, we are ill-equipped to care successfully for our frail elderly. Approximately two-thirds of Baby Boomers (born from 1946-1964) do not have sufficient resources for their later, frail years. Our current health system is ineffective and costs more than we can afford. As the founding CEO of a 100-acre, multilevel campus for aging residents in Buffalo, NY, I spent decades addressing the needs of the oldest members of our society. I consulted with governments, think tanks and 25 aging communities across North America. But innovate as we tried, the models available were inadequate to meet the nature, scale and depth of the challenge.After years of studying this issue in-depth, I can see clearly that our industrial-era system’s specialized and segmented solutions miss the mark in our digital world. New network thinking, however, can empower problem solvers to address the needs of the elderly population successfully. State-of-the-art technology can support helpful interventions.New digital tools can set up supports and resources for a capable, reliable, decentralized workforce and enable large numbers of new individuals to become paid caregivers. These care revolutions will allow many more profoundly frail older people to remain safely in their homes and communities.There’s no time to waste; we must move away from our rigid institutional system to create an open-ended community experience for the elderly. My goal is to inspire conversations among change agents from many fields. Creating a vision of a new networked delivery system for frail older people will encourage transformation and motivate current stakeholders and new partners to design innovative solutions. This will bring together community, business, technology, education, government and healthcare leaders to implement the networked interventions that will ensure a new future for aging in America.