Living Healthier and Longer:
Making the Case for the Longevity Dividend

Healthy life expectancy around the world continues to increase, and emerging technologies promise even more radical longevity. But many policy makers see a crushing burden on medicine and social services from the shifting "old age dependency ratio" and health care costs as society ages. In this course we will review the factors that have contributed to longevity, and promise to do so in the future. We will review the relationship of aging to disease and disability, and approaches to retirement and senior care around the world. We will explore the idea of a "longevity dividend" to be gained from extended healthy longevity, which may balance out the additional burdens of sick and disabled seniors. We will explore trends in informatics, home care, implants, gene therapy and pharmaceuticals which may offer additional longevity. The goal of this course is to prepare students to articulate the longevity dividend argument to the public, journalists and policy makers. (Warning: this class may extend your life.)