Monday, September 18, 2023
Aging advocates, community leaders, healthcare professionals, and many others gathered on August 23rd for the annual Aging Summit hosted by AgeGuide. This year’s Aging Summit focused on building equity in longevity by answering the question: “How might we make longevity more equitable for all?” The one-day summit kicked off with a keynote address by Raymond A. Jetson, Chief Executive Catalyst, Metromorphosis, A Baton-Rouge based social enterprise organization working on community transformation. In the Keynote address, Raymond discussed the role of race and discrimination in driving and exacerbating many of the inequities we see in the U.S., especially when looking at aging equity.
Ian Hartman-O’Connell, Director of Policy Integration at AARP, ignited a conversation about building equity in longevity. This session introduced the AARP report on the topic and outlined the complex web of factors that contribute to inequity and identified solutions to address those factors. Hartman explained how we might make longevity more equitable for all.
Another panel covered the topic of Addressing Equity through Social Connections. One of the most powerful drivers of physical and emotional well-being is social connection. This panel discussed how the strength and depth of relationships have a huge impact on day-to-day life and affect long-term health.
The conditions in which we are born, grow, work, live and age influence our longevity. In the session, Promoting Equity in Health, Finance and Community, the panelists explored innovative strategies to re-shape the unfair and avoidable differences in daily life that impact how long we live.
The day wrapped up with a lively discussion on Equity in Action as our panel of experts shared their thoughts on how we can all impact equity in longevity.
AgeGuide would like to thank our esteemed panelists, presenters and attendees who participated in the annual Aging Summit. The day was filled with meaningful conversations around age, longevity, and inclusive communities and how we can make longevity equitable for all. We hope we inspired people to take action to improve our communities and the lives of older adults now and into the future.
