Boomer Bust: From Greatest Generation to Crisis Generation
Boomer Bust: From Greatest Generation to Crisis Generation
A Provocative Panel Discussion on the Future of Care for Older Americans Hosted by Volunteers of America
On June 8, Volunteers of America hosted a panel discussion at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on the future of senior care in America. Volunteers of America National President Charles W. Gould was joined on the panel by two of the nation's leading health care reform advocates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, as well as cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson. The discussion, moderated by Donna Brazile, explored the health care and other service needs our nation faces as baby boomers grow older in record numbers. The panel also focused on many of the issues included as part of the current health care reform debate in Congress.
View Video Clips of the Event
Panelists
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Mary Catherine Bateson, a renowned author and cultural anthropologist focusing on trends affecting older Americans, is the president of the Institute for Intercultural Studies, founded by her parents Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. She is the author of several books, including Willing to Learn: Passages of Personal Discovery, Composing a Life and With a Daughter’s Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. |
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Health care reform advocate and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle was the only Senate Democratic leader in history to serve twice as both Majority and Minority Leader. He is an advisor to the law firm of Alston & Bird where he provides strategic advice on public policy issues. Sen. Daschle is the best-selling author of the books Like No Other Time and Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis. |
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Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is the founder of The Gingrich Group and the Center for Health Transformation, a collaboration of public and private sector leaders dedicated to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System that saves lives and money. As Speaker, he helped save Medicare from bankruptcy, prompted FDA reform to help the seriously ill and initiated a new focus on research, prevention and wellness. A prolific author, his most recent book is 5 Principals for a Successful Life, which he co-wrote with his daughter Jackie. |
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Charles W. (Chuck) Gould serves as national president of Volunteers of America and provides leadership to one of America’s largest and most comprehensive charities. Before his selection as national president in 1995, Gould was president of the organization’s Health Services division, which provides skilled nursing care and other health services. Previously he was an attorney with Arnold & Porter law firm in Washington, D.C. Read a follow-up conversation with Chuck Gould about the future of health care and services for seniors. |
Moderator
Panel moderator Donna Brazile is a veteran Democratic political strategist who has worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she served as presidential campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore. She serves as a contributor on CNN, consultant to ABC News with regular appearances on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and frequent contributor to NPR’s News and Notes. In 2005, she authored Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, which documents her political career.