Faith: The New Old Frontier

The New Aging Partnership has been evolving over the last few years. We recently experienced something of an epiphany regarding our efforts to remediate the caregiving crisis. We have alternately experienced hope, and frustration with the sclerotic nature of system change in public, private and nonprofit sectors. We should have known all along that innovation, collegial connections, inspiration and dedication are necessary, but not sufficient, factors in motivating reform.

We have only to look at our own history to see that most social welfare reform (without apology for the term) in this country has its roots in community advocacy. Medicare and Medicaid would have died on the vine without community support. Private health insurance received essential support from returning military following World War II.

New Aging Partnership is not unique in our experience. There seems to be a pattern of resistance that “innovators” have confronted in their efforts to “market” or even “give away” proposed strategies and solutions to improve outcomes for organizations as well as individuals and families. I suppose a lot has to do with the operating framework of our capitalistic approach to filling gaps and meeting needs - even creating demand. We have a survival of the fittest approach that condemns collaboration and cooperation to marginal status and influence. Competition rules!

We have no problem with free enterprise; only with the application of free market principles to the development and management of vital and rightful human service institutions, e.g., health care/caregiving. Health and many human services are necessary universally, but free market principles do not guarantee universal accessibility. In this country, we developed a two- tier system: Free enterprise and private health insurance for the general working population and government subsidized services for the indigent. Besides the fundamental wastefulness in advancing a fragmented, duplicative non-system of health care delivery, we neglected to consider that a large swath of the population falls between the cracks and is ineligible for any kind of support. Well, by now we are all aware of the fundamental problems, but we are yet to offer any alternatives. Patch, patch, patch.

So, is it any surprise that (almost) every innovator and prospective change agent is blocked from creating any real impact. Wouldn’t it be better if the care community constituencies (private as well as public) integrated their efforts and created the momentum for change. Wouldn’t it be great if we got out of our silos?

It’s not going to happen on the institutional level. This type of change happens on what my esteemed, co-founder, calls the “granular” level. And further, any change that occurs will be driven by something that transcends the solving of a problem. It will be driven by dedication to a spiritual search for meaning and connection to something larger than oneself. It will be driven by true leadership. It will be driven by the people.

That brings us to the current phase in the New Aging Partnership journey. We are joining with some of our resource consultants in advancing reform on the level of the community, and with the blessing, shall I say, of the faith community. The faith community has been at the vanguard of major social change. Historical movements for change include the Abolitionist Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Sanctuary movement that was established in the 1980s, and has re-emerged to challenge current immigration policies. We are going forward to a more traditional approach to helping ourselves.

The New Aging Partnership is being featured in Faith, the Magazine (SeanWrightMedia1.com) in the November edition, which will be published in recognition of Caregiving Month. We hope that you will continue to follow our progress.