Patrick Cullinane

For professionals in the field of aging, civic engagement has become the mantra of the day. Yet many ask, what does civic engagement involve? And how does it enhance the lives of elders? ASA’s director of special projects Patrick C. Cullinane recently published an in-depth article in The Journal on Active Aging that highlights the benefits of late-life civic engagement for older adults, their communities and society at large. In an interview with ASA Connection, Cullinane offers his perspectives on the increasing role of civic engagement in the field of aging.

What is late-life civic engagement for elders?

Civic engagement involves older adults participating in activities of personal and public concern that are both individually life enriching and socially beneficial. The actions have public consequences for communities and political life.

In your article for The Journal on Active Aging, you said that now is the right time for civic engagement as a strength-based approach. Why is that?

The time is right for a number of key reasons:

• With the first wave of baby boomers now turning 60, social capital to address community needs has greatly increased.


• Awareness of the positive impact of elders on community needs is increasing as a result of the work of The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Templeton Foundation, ASA and other organizations.


• ASA’s recent Leadership Summit on Civic Engagement has established a vision to optimize the positive effects of civic engagement by older adults and a commitment to implementing that vision.

How is ASA committed to promoting civic engagement?

In its current five-year strategic plan, ASA has adopted five major goals. One goal is to infuse a strength-based model of aging -- the model on which civic engagement efforts are based -- into its publications, conferences, member services and leadership development activities. ASA also is committed to enhancing the capacity and impact of resources at the local level by leveraging its experience and its national multidisciplinary and multisetting local provider networks.

Why is civic engagement a matter of concern for practitioners?

The aging-services community has not changed to meet the challenge of a new view of retirement as a time for redirection and remains largely focused on aging as a period of declining function and withdrawal from social engagement. Simultaneously, many organizations that serve elders have increasing unmet needs. They could respond effectively by engaging the social capital represented by the growing population of healthy, active older adults whose collective experience and expertise could be tapped to meet pressing social needs. In turn, these elders would stand to reap an array of benefits.

Where can readers go to find successful models for engaging older adults?

Providers can read about the latest and most effective strategies and approaches to successful engagement of elders in the winter 2006-2007 issue of ASA’s quarterly journal, Generations -- and they can visit ASA’s Civic Engagement Program website.

Photo: Valerie Jones/ASA

Copyright © 2007 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 833 Market St., Suite 511, San Francisco, CA 94103-1824; e-mail: permissions@asaging.org.