Older Americans, Vital Communities: A Bold Vision for Societal Aging by W. Andrew Achenbaum (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005); hardback, 202 pages; $40.00.

Reviewed by Christina Butler

W. Andrew Achenbaum, author of Older Americans, Vital Communities

Older Americans, Vital Communities: A Bold Vision for Societal Aging invites those of us who daily provide necessary and enriching services for elders to consider the issues and possibilities that are writ large in the concept of societal aging.

From the perspective of the historian, author W. Andrew Achenbaum offers us an opportunity to review the evolution of age-based public policies and institutional structures. From the perspective of the advocate for vital contribution to society throughout the life course, he offers new and imaginative ways to meet the needs of an age-interdependent citizenry. And to make this bold vision happen, the author intentionally jolts us from our traditional modes of thinking about aging and productivity, challenges both younger adults and boomers to envision the quality they desire for their likely-to-be lengthened lives and encourages the activism required to realize this new vision.

Achenbaum accomplishes all of this in six well-documented chapters on topics that include production and consumption, reforming the U.S. healthcare system, spiritual practices for a new age and extending the civic engagement of older adults. LEARN members may be most interested in the 25-page chapter entitled “(Re)Creating Networks for Lifelong Learning and Sharing Talents,” which draws heavily from the writings of James Truslow Adams in Frontiers of American Culture: A Study of Adult Education in Democracy (New York City: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944) and of historian Joseph Kett in The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties: From Self-Improvement to Adult Education in America, 1750-1990 (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1994).

The chapter begins with a summary of adult education in the United States from Benjamin Franklin to John Dewey. As Achenbaum notes, a preoccupation with practical learning, along with ageist stereotyping of older adults’ cognitive capacity, resulted in few formal learning opportunities for elders until research after World War II began to demonstrate that continued intellectual growth is possible in later adulthood.

Universities Versus Public Libraries

While acknowledging the growth of elder-targeted programming during the past few decades -- Elderhostel, lifelong learning institutes, distance education for the computer savvy -- Achenbaum makes the valid point that higher education in general in the United States does not reach out to older citizens, largely due to budgetary constraints and internal resistance. On the plus side of the ledger, however, public libraries have recently emerged as providers of education to their older clientele.

Most of Achenbaum’s “(Re)Creating Networks” chapter focuses on learning opportunities for older adults, but the last section addresses volunteering and mentoring as ways that elders can apply lifelong learning and make significant contributions to society. Program examples abound, from Senior Corps and Experience Corps to various intergenerational and intragenerational activities. Creativity gets a brief mention, but without a nod to the work of Gene Cohen. The chapter ends with a reference to Lydia Bronte’s early-1990s study of 150 well-known people engaged in creative activity in late life, with an expression of hope that the baby boom generation will be at least as “inquisitive, altruistic and vital as the cohort that preceded it.”

The epilogue of Older Americans, Vital Communities portrays the dramatic experience of a couple born into an indigenous culture in British Columbia in the late 1800s; as elders, they were instrumental in sharing and revitalizing the artistry, wisdom and creativity of their forebears in a collaborative effort with higher education, the provincial government and local businesses. The story illustrates Achenbaum’s major themes:

• We have to take into account population aging as we plan for the future.



• We need to grow beyond societal ageism which pits age cohorts against each other.



• We need to make beneficial connections between a range of institutions and policies that are currently compartmentalized.



• We need to recognize that the outward manifestation of spiritual impulses often results in service to the community.

If the six main chapters alone were not enough to recommend this book, the 30-page reference list that wraps up the volume certainly would be. As textbook or professional reference, Older Americans, Vital Communities would be a worthy investment for LEARN members.

Christina Butler, a consultant in the design of educational activities for older adults, is owner of Over60Learning, located in Columbus, Ohio. Contact her at cbutler@over60learning.com. Visit her website at www.over60learning.com.

Photo: Courtesy W. Andrew Achenbaum

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.