The Promise of an Age-Friendly Ecosystem
Generations Journal, vol. 49, no. 1 (Spring 2025)
The articles in this issue were written prior to the sweeping changes made to federal and state health programs and reductions in the federal workforce. At time of publication, these programmatic changes are not complete, but the editors acknowledge that these significant changes may have a profound impact on the programs and services that serve older people, people with disabilities, caregivers, families, and communities across the country. Multi-sector collaborations and partnerships across the age-friendly ecosystem are now more important than ever.
Guest Editor: Karon L. Phillips, PhD
Guest Editor: Megan Wolfe, JD
The Impact of Latino Culture on the Experiences of Abuelitas (Grandmothers)
Abstract In order to create culturally appropriate interventions and supportive services for Latina grandmothers raising grandchildren, it is necessary to understand the impact of the Latino culture on these women's experiences and perspectives. Latino cultural values and beliefs such as familismo, machismo, and marianismo can influence how Latina...
A Case Study of Compound Caregiving by an African American Grandmother
Abstract Twenty-four percent of African American women are caring for more than two people—also known as compound caregiving. Such caregivers face elevated risks of invisibility, social isolation and loneliness, emotional distress, financial strain, and physical decline due to managing multiple roles, navigating daily multigenerational needs, and...
A Glimpse into the Lives of African American Grandmothers Caring on the Margins
Abstract This article details experiences of grandmothers from marginalized communities caring for grandchildren outside the formal kinship care system. It begins with my journey into the field of grandparent caregiving as a doctoral student, then details findings from a study of low-income, African American grandmothers who were sole providers of their...
The Power of Strength: A Tribute to My Grandmother and All Grandparents
Background: Setting the Stage According to the Oxford Dictionary, strength is the ability to withstand great force or pressure. When you turn on the news or talk to a family, friend, neighbor, or co-worker, it is evident that we all are living in a time of great volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, where we must summon our inner strength...
Advocating for Grandparents Who Step in to Parent
It has been an immense pleasure to work on this seminal issue of Generations about Grandparenthood, specifically as it relates to BIPOC grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation households. Guest Editor Wendy Lustbader, MSW, is a Clinical Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington and a longtime member and...
Another New York Story
What follows is an excerpt from Stacy Torres' just published book, At Home in the City: Growing Old in Urban America (University of California Press, January 14, 2025). “A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own...
Working Well Past Retirement
This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging's Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University's College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor Meghan E. Irons' Online Journalism class for graduate students. After retiring in 2018,...
The Fire Next Time
Around 850 older residents of The Terraces at Park Marino in Pasadena, Calif., were whisked away in office furniture, wheelchairs and other assisted mobility devices as orange embers flew by, pulled by strong winds. These early images of the Eaton Fire displayed not only the intense weather conditions at hand but the resilience and quick-thinking of the...
MPAs in Action: Incorporating Behavioral Health in Oklahoma
ASA is partnering with West Health and The John A. Hartford Foundation on a series of blog posts and On Aging programming to foster Multisector Plans for Aging across the country. In tandem with a growth in the population of older adults in the United States, a rise in mental health conditions across the age span is taking place. It is estimated that 1 in...
Catching a Moving Target
This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging's Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University's College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor Meghan E. Irons' Online Journalism class for graduate students. For some older adults,...
Stay Woke, My Friends
Editor's Note: The John A. Hartford Foundation is collaborating with ASA to advance equity in aging by supporting ASA RISE, a 20-week social justice and leadership program for rising leaders of color in aging, and via the development and dissemination of equity-related, partnership-based thought leadership through ASA's Generations platform. This blog post...
Collecting Wine and Memories
My father's basement holds the same items you would find in any other basement: mementos from college, unused dumbbells, wholesale packs of detergent and a few work-in-progress furniture projects. Amid the dust and fabric softener lies an anomaly—a growing collection of unopened wine bottles. “I have 62 bottles, if I count the sparkling and the Bordeaux,”...
Creating a Road Map for the Caregiving Journey
Caregiving was not an intentional life choice nor a chosen professional specialization for me, and it certainly was not something I had planned or prepared for. Like so many of the 53 million unpaid (mostly family) caregivers in the United States, the role of caregiver snuck up on me. And when it did, caring for older parents became a focus (and at times,...
Reimagining How Black Elders Could Age in America
Reimagining the experience of aging for Black elders has long been necessary and I believe is now more urgent than ever. The Aging While Black movement is rooted in a profound commitment to illuminate and address the unique experiences of Black elders in America—their triumphs, contributions and challenges. As a catalyst in this movement and author of the...
When the Personal Becomes Professional
I began serving people with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in 2007, a pivotal year marked by a personal crisis involving my mother, Deloris. At that time, she was battling uncontrolled diabetes, which had reached alarming levels. Her medical team warned us that she was at significant risk of needing an amputation due to painful ulcers on...
Listening to the Voices of Black Dementia Caregivers
Recently, we discovered a thoughtfully written article about Mr. Delphin, a skilled tailor who realized that his work benefited customers beyond providing well-fitted clothing. Tailoring helped build their confidence. Similar to the work of a tailor making intricate adjustments, our team of Black researchers, healthcare professionals and caregivers...
Caregiving and the Absolute Necessity for Radical Self-Care
Caregivers—whether family members, friends or young people—are the invisible backbone of our healthcare system. I know this firsthand, having spent decades immersed in the world of caregiving. We give our time, energy and love, often at the expense of our own well-being. As more people take on caregiving roles due to a growing older adult population and...
Wrapping Up the Aging While Black Series
As we draw to a close on this special series dedicated to exploring the rich, complex and multifaceted experiences of Black elders, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the authors of these insightful articles and to the American Society on Aging (ASA) for making this endeavor possible. The voices shared in these pages have but scratched the...
Keep Livin’: How Intergenerational Connections Shape Us
Growing up, I often heard the phrase “keep livin' ” from Black elders—a simple yet profound reminder that some of life's deepest lessons are best learned through experience. I remember finding it frustrating at times, hoping they'd just tell me exactly what I needed to know. But as I matured, I began to understand their approach; they knew that life would...
Older Americans Are Least Likely to Report Scams
This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging's Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University's College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor Meghan E. Irons' Online Journalism class for graduate students. Tech-savvy or not, 1 in...
Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Leanne Clark-Shirley, PhD
Senior Editor: Alison Biggar
Issue Contents
The Impact of Latino Culture on the Experiences of Abuelitas (Grandmothers)
Abstract In order to create culturally appropriate interventions and supportive services for Latina grandmothers raising grandchildren, it is necessary to understand the impact of the Latino culture on these women's experiences and perspectives. Latino cultural values...
A Case Study of Compound Caregiving by an African American Grandmother
Abstract Twenty-four percent of African American women are caring for more than two people—also known as compound caregiving. Such caregivers face elevated risks of invisibility, social isolation and loneliness, emotional distress, financial strain, and physical...
A Glimpse into the Lives of African American Grandmothers Caring on the Margins
Abstract This article details experiences of grandmothers from marginalized communities caring for grandchildren outside the formal kinship care system. It begins with my journey into the field of grandparent caregiving as a doctoral student, then details findings...
The Power of Strength: A Tribute to My Grandmother and All Grandparents
Background: Setting the Stage According to the Oxford Dictionary, strength is the ability to withstand great force or pressure. When you turn on the news or talk to a family, friend, neighbor, or co-worker, it is evident that we all are living in a time of great...
Advocating for Grandparents Who Step in to Parent
It has been an immense pleasure to work on this seminal issue of Generations about Grandparenthood, specifically as it relates to BIPOC grandparents raising grandchildren in skipped generation households. Guest Editor Wendy Lustbader, MSW, is a Clinical Professor in...
Another New York Story
What follows is an excerpt from Stacy Torres' just published book, At Home in the City: Growing Old in Urban America (University of California Press, January 14, 2025). “A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it...
Working Well Past Retirement
This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging's Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University's College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor...
The Fire Next Time
Around 850 older residents of The Terraces at Park Marino in Pasadena, Calif., were whisked away in office furniture, wheelchairs and other assisted mobility devices as orange embers flew by, pulled by strong winds. These early images of the Eaton Fire displayed not...
MPAs in Action: Incorporating Behavioral Health in Oklahoma
ASA is partnering with West Health and The John A. Hartford Foundation on a series of blog posts and On Aging programming to foster Multisector Plans for Aging across the country. In tandem with a growth in the population of older adults in the United States, a rise...
Catching a Moving Target
This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging's Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University's College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor...
Stay Woke, My Friends
Editor's Note: The John A. Hartford Foundation is collaborating with ASA to advance equity in aging by supporting ASA RISE, a 20-week social justice and leadership program for rising leaders of color in aging, and via the development and dissemination of...
Collecting Wine and Memories
My father's basement holds the same items you would find in any other basement: mementos from college, unused dumbbells, wholesale packs of detergent and a few work-in-progress furniture projects. Amid the dust and fabric softener lies an anomaly—a growing collection...
Creating a Road Map for the Caregiving Journey
Caregiving was not an intentional life choice nor a chosen professional specialization for me, and it certainly was not something I had planned or prepared for. Like so many of the 53 million unpaid (mostly family) caregivers in the United States, the role of...
Reimagining How Black Elders Could Age in America
Reimagining the experience of aging for Black elders has long been necessary and I believe is now more urgent than ever. The Aging While Black movement is rooted in a profound commitment to illuminate and address the unique experiences of Black elders in America—their...
When the Personal Becomes Professional
I began serving people with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in 2007, a pivotal year marked by a personal crisis involving my mother, Deloris. At that time, she was battling uncontrolled diabetes, which had reached alarming levels. Her medical team...
Listening to the Voices of Black Dementia Caregivers
Recently, we discovered a thoughtfully written article about Mr. Delphin, a skilled tailor who realized that his work benefited customers beyond providing well-fitted clothing. Tailoring helped build their confidence. Similar to the work of a tailor making intricate...
Caregiving and the Absolute Necessity for Radical Self-Care
Caregivers—whether family members, friends or young people—are the invisible backbone of our healthcare system. I know this firsthand, having spent decades immersed in the world of caregiving. We give our time, energy and love, often at the expense of our own...
Wrapping Up the Aging While Black Series
As we draw to a close on this special series dedicated to exploring the rich, complex and multifaceted experiences of Black elders, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the authors of these insightful articles and to the American Society on Aging (ASA) for...
Keep Livin’: How Intergenerational Connections Shape Us
Growing up, I often heard the phrase “keep livin' ” from Black elders—a simple yet profound reminder that some of life's deepest lessons are best learned through experience. I remember finding it frustrating at times, hoping they'd just tell me exactly what I needed...
Older Americans Are Least Likely to Report Scams
This article is one of a series of four published as part of a collaboration between the American Society on Aging's Generations Now blog and the Department of Journalism in Boston University's College of Communication. The student journalists are members of Professor...
Editorial Advisory Board
Ruth E. Katz, Chair
Wendy Lustbader, Immediate Past Chair
Tobi Abramson, PhD
Joe Angelelli, PhD
Orion Bell, MBA
Fayron Epps, PhD
Mary L. Flett, PhD
Sarah Galvan, JD
Robyn L. Golden, LCSW
Donna M. Lisi, PharmD
Heather Menne, PhD
Najja Orr, MBA, DBA
Winifred V. Quinn, PhD, FAANP, FAAN
Laura Trejo, PhD
ISSN 2694-5126
Suggested citation for articles in this issue: [Last Name(s), First Name(s)]. “Article Title.”
About Generations Journal
Generations Journal is the quarterly journal of the American Society on Aging. Each issue is devoted to bringing together the most useful and current knowledge about a specific topic in the field of aging, with emphasis on practice, research, and policy.