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M.T. Connolly
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The Measure of Our Age: Navigating Care, Safety, Money, and Meaning Later in Life Hardcover – July 18, 2023

by M.T. Connolly (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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An expert on elder justice maps the challenges of aging, how things go wrong, and presents powerful tools we can use to forge better long lives for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
 
As tens of millions of Americans are living longer lives, longevity is creating challenges that cut across race, class, and gender. Caregivers help older relatives for “free,” but with high costs to themselves in time, money, jobs, and health. Scammers target countless seniors. The institutions built to protect older people—like nursing homes and guardianship—too often harm them instead. And epidemics of isolation and loneliness make older people vulnerable to all sorts of harm.
 
In The Measure of Our Age, elder justice expert and MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, M.T. Connolly investigates the systems we count on to protect us as we age. Weaving first-person accounts, her own experience, and shocking investigative reporting, she exposes a reality that has long been hidden and sometimes actively covered up. But her investigation also reveals reasons for hope within everyone’s grasp.
 
Connolly’s strategies and action plans for navigating the many challenges of aging will appeal to a wide range of readers—adult children caring for aging parents; policymakers trying to do the right thing; and, should we be so lucky as to live to old age, all of us. This book transforms how we think about aging.
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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    PublicAffairs
  4. Publication date
    July 18, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1541702727
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1541702721
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

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kirkus
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A book that deserves wide attention and discussion among aging readers and those who care for them.” ―Kirkus

“This is a brilliant, urgent, and much-needed book that will occupy a special place on my bookshelves. In a rapidly aging country, the clear-eyed wisdom alone of The Measure of Our Age would make it exceptional, but M.T. Connolly also happens to be the rare expert who can write movingly and beautifully. I learned from this book, I loved it, and I’m sure I’ll be reaching for it again and again.”―David Finkel, Pulitzer Prize-winner, and author of Thank You for Your Service

“Our current systems are failing older people and their caregivers. This book reveals the new realities and challenges of aging today with invaluable insights to help us live both long and well. The Measure of Our Age is a humane and hopeful guide for anyone navigating the complexities of aging and care—who, in time, will include all of us.”―Ai-jen Poo, President of the National Domestic Workers Alliance & Executive Director of Caring Across Generations, author of The Age of Dignity

“With a lawyer’s understanding of complex systems, a caregiver’s heart, and an advocate’s passion, Connolly has written a book that individuals, organizations, and government leaders can use to make aging easier, better, and safer for all of us. An essential addition to this universal topic.”―Louise Aronson, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Elderhood, and Professor of Geriatrics, UCSF

“This book is a revelation. It invites us to change how we think about caring, about aging, and about how we spend our time. With deep knowledge, humor, and heart, The Measure of Our Age shows us how to grapple with the hard parts of aging as well as its unrealized potential. This profound life-enhancing invitation is one Connolly extends to us all."  ―Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, author of Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx

“M.T. Connolly is without doubt our nation’s preeminent to guide to aging well. The Measure of Our Age is a singular testament to the power of purpose, meaning, connection, interdependence, and, above all, love. All that, plus a roadmap to fixing the systemic problems that make aging so much harder than it should be. A compelling read, from start to finish.”―Marc Freedman, author, How to Live Forever, and Founder and CoCEO, CoGenerate

“How can we assure safety, dignity, and good care for people as they age? Building on her extraordinary career as a leading advocate for the rights and protection of older people, M. T. Connolly provides real answers to this question. The Measure of Our Age seamlessly blends compelling stories of unforgettable individuals with careful research and inspired policy analysis. If you are looking to unravel the complexities of aging today, Connolly is the person you want by your side. The Measure of Our Age is a unique combination of profound insight, fresh ideas, and lived experience that should be read by everyone negotiating life in an aging society – that is, all of us.”―Karl Pillemer, Bestselling author of 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans, and Professor of Human Development at Cornell University

About the Author

M. T. Connolly is widely recognized as a leading national expert on elder justice, for which she was honored with a MacArthur “Genius” award. She was the founding head of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative; the architect of the Elder Justice Act, the first comprehensive federal law to address the issue; and the lead author of the Elder Justice Roadmap that guides federal, state, and local priorities. She lives in Washington, DC.
 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs (July 18, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1541702727
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1541702721
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.33 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 39 ratings

About the author

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M.T. Connolly

M.T. Connolly

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MT Connolly, a leading national expert on elder justice, was awarded a MacArthur "genius" grant for her work shaping research, policy and practice. She was founding head of DOJ’s Elder Justice Initiative, architect of the federal Elder Justice Act, and lead author of the Elder Justice Roadmap, setting priorities for the field.

That work, and her research for "The Measure of Our Age: Navigating Care, Safety, Money and Meaning Later in Life," led her to co-design teams that provide more holistic, hopeful, and evidence-based services aimed to reduce trouble and enhance connection as we age, like the innovative "RISE" program. First pilot-tested in Maine, and now expanding elsewhere, RISE services are “person-centered” and can include support for caregivers and others.

MT grew up in Rochester, Minnesota and the Northwoods of Wisconsin, graduated from Stanford and Northeastern University School of Law, is adjunct faculty at USC's Davis School of Gerontology, and lives in Washington, DC.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
39 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
We all know people who need elder care. We may need it ourselves someday. This book discusses the shocking state of elder care in America and its many challenges. M.T. Connolly identifies the urgent need for change. One reviewer said the book was depressing. The truth about elder care in the U.S. is depressing. More MUST be done. This book will make you want to act and insist our lawmakers do so as well.

BUY and READ this book - it is an important step in informing ourselves so we can help make positive change happen.
One person found this helpful
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M.V.
5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all of us...
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
MT Connolly has done a real national service by writing The Measure of our Age. This is a book that belongs next to Atul Gawande's Being Mortal. It examines the challenges people face in their own lives as they age, as their parents age, as we as a society age. It is beautiful written, with amusing and insightful anecdotes about her own complex experiences with her brilliant parents as they grew old. Buy it, read it, and give it away to someone you love.
6 people found this helpful
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Joyce M.
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read but you have to have family
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
Family is emphasized everywhere in this book. Some people do not have family to help. I felt very left out in this book. Some people also have no close friends to help. What about the people with no one? What kind of help is available for these people? Why are we left out?
One person found this helpful
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Caitlin Barr
5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking, Inspiring, and Incredibly Important
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
I wish every policymaker in Congress and state legislatures would read this deeply researched and wonderfully readable book. I wish I’d had it at my side as my mother was growing old, and I will be sharing and discussing it with my own children as I set out to meet challenges and find beauty and meaning in my later years. Highly recommend!
One person found this helpful
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Carrie Rubenstein
5.0 out of 5 stars As a geriatrician, I think this book is important for older adults and all who love them❤️
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
The author’s perspective as a family member and as an elder justice lawyer positions her perfectly to write this important book. She weaves in incredibly complex issues of aging such as autonomy vs safety while sharing her personal and professional experience and suggestions. I am so grateful for her work and for this book!
5 people found this helpful
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Regina Ford
5.0 out of 5 stars Important revelations
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023
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The author astutely observes and details what we suspected about aging in America. Should be mandatory reading for all ages. If we are not older ourselves, we know someone who is. Excellent information.
One person found this helpful
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Mary L. Hayes
2.0 out of 5 stars Boring. Too many statistics.
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
The author was raised in a wealthy family. This book mostly journals the travels of her various occupations. I'm middle class & didn't see anything that would help me. We can't afford independent Aides, or nurses, or other help. What do you do when you aren't poor enough for Medicaid, but not wealthy enough to afford independent care?
9 people found this helpful
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Daystar
5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a senior citizen it is a must read horror story
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
Find out all the ways that family and strangers can defraud you in your old age.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mon
5.0 out of 5 stars Wondering about elder care? That's the book you want to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is probably the best non-fiction book I have read for a long time. It took me by surprise. This book touches in a very personal way many facets of ageing and elder care, in particular financial, judicial, psychological, and philosophical aspects. Its depth and research reveal a commitment and passion summarising a life's work and experience. If you are unprepared,- as we usually are-, confronted with the care of an elder person, or, if you are thinking about the ways to plan your own later years,- as we all really should-, this is the book you want and should read! In fact, all our politicians who are being entrusted with the shaping and reforming of our future Health and Social Care ought to read this book! Having lived in the US, England, and Switzerland I find the issues discussed based on the United States applicable for much of the Western World. It certainly has transformed my thinking and care about my aging parents in Switzerland and shaken up my planing about my own old age here in the UK. The book gives us a message for the future and a path to peace for questions that seemed scary and unanswerable.
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