American Society on Aging Conference Building a Powerful Voice

Last week I attended the American Society on Aging’s (ASA) yearly conference and once again found people who are dedicated to serving older Americans. I attended my first ASA conference at the end of the last century and while I’ve missed some conferences over the years, I’ve seen changes and growth. Not only in size, it seems the numbers of attendees has grown, but also in ways that they support and advocate for those they serve. It is common in these types of conferences to have a theme . . . this year it was “The Power of Belonging.” From my point of view, it is always important to ascertain why they chose that theme and how it was presented but it’s also important, maybe even more important, to discover the underlying reasons.

Many of the sessions, round table discussions and main speeches focused on how important it was that the services for seniors were inclusive. They all seemed to be very aware that the last year had brought changes that often were counter to the idea of inclusion. I do have to say that last year’s conference was much more foreboding. While the fear of changes was still evident there was also a sense that some of the worst things had not happened and some of the proposed cuts and changes in policies had not been as bad as they had feared. There was, however, a strong feeling that there continues to be a focused attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

I’m sure this perceived reduction in DEI efforts spawned the more positive theme of “The Power of Belonging”. As you might imagine ageism and the lack of equity for older people was at the forefront of ASA’s fight for equity.

I noticed an underlying theme that popped up in many of the presentations, the thought that the fight to combat ageism should join forces with those advocating for those with disabilities. The fight for disability rights has been around longer than those fighting for DEI. As I listened to those discussing the value in this partnership, I wondered why it had taken so long to see its value. While those fighting for the rights of the disabled focused on barriers to access and the freedom of movement, it has always been a fact that those same barriers existed for older adults, and a higher percentage of seniors had one or more disabilities. In one discussion they pointed out that sometimes the disability rights advocates were hesitant to join forces with those fighting to eliminate ageism because the ageism problem was much more complicated. It was encouraging to see these discussions talk about all the areas that were common in both areas and how powerful they would be if they worked together.

This working together approach was also emphasized when it came to the LGBTQ+ community. I detected that one faction, or another, had fought separately for things that they thought were important and had been satisfied if their particular issues were favorably dealt with. This underlying working together theme was emphasized even more in reference to all of the providers and service entities that were government funded. The cuts, especially to Medicaid, have had an effect on many of the providers and I sensed that separate service areas had lobbied for favorable treatment to the determent of other areas. ASA is the ideal organization to bring these different areas together, to have them speak with one voice which would send a powerful message to those that would cut funding or implement harmful policies. I think it’s this message that gave birth to inserting the word Power into the conferences theme. I’m certainly a believer in this approach given I’ve seen the power it has given to the sponsor of Seniors Speak Out, the Healthcare Leadership Council, an organization representing the full spectrum of the U.S. healthcare industry. There are always differences to overcome but ASA has recognized that in these times of change presenting a united front sends a powerful message.

I do have one complaint, in the session titled, “DC Round-Up: What Aging Advocates Need to Know Now About Federal Policy”, again this year, a portion of the session focused on disparaging the Medicare Advantage choice in Medicare. It was especially concerning when the presenter stated that there was too much focus on eliminating fraud and abuse in traditional Medicare and Medicaid, but then immediately talked about all the fraud in Medicare Advantage and how the government should crack down on the insurers. It was very one-sided and, much to my dismay, there was no platform for rebuttal. I’m hoping that I will have the opportunity to offer some thoughts on this subject in the upcoming USAging conference.

As always, the ASA conference was informative and invigorating. I especially enjoy the Panel of Pundits as they discuss policy with few filters.

Best, Thair