Panel to Focus on Indicators of Well-Being for the Aging

Date: August 9, 2000

Contact: Public Information(202) 383-9005, ext. 320[email protected]

Embargoed until 6:00 Eastern Daylight Time, Monday August 14

PANEL TO FOCUS ON INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING FOR THE AGING

Washington, DC — A panel of experts will discuss policies relating to the well-being of the aging population at a session on August 15th at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Washington DC. Robyn Stone of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Beth Soldo of the University of Pennsylvania, Laurel Beedon of AARP, and Ted Totman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging will discuss the policy implications of key findings of a report entitled “Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being,” released last week by The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (the Forum).

Made up of nine federal agencies that produce or use statistics on aging, the Forum was established in the mid-1980s to encourage cooperation and collaboration among federal agencies for improving the quality and usefulness of data on the aging population.

Kristen N. Robinson of the National Center for Health Statistics organized the session, and Jane Ross of the Social Security Administration will preside.

The Forum Report says that the number of older people in the United States has grown dramatically over the past several decades, and the population aged 65 and older is expected to double by 2030. But while Americans are living longer and better, they are also faced with serious health, health care, and economic challenges. More than ever, the special needs of the aging population require initiatives based on sound data that provide a better picture of trends in society and the general health and well-being of older Americans.

The Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association is being held from August 12-16 at the Hilton Washington and Marriott Wardman Park Hotels in Washington DC. The American Sociological Association is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good. The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to meet the scholarly, teaching, training and practice needs of sociologists and social scientists at every career stage.