Commentary: Are We Heading Toward Shangri-La or Geriassic Park?

Forbes contributors Ken Dychtwald and Bob Morison explain how to improve the health of older Americans and enable healthspan to close the gap with lifespan. Dychtwald and Morison state that ways must be found to motivate healthier behaviors among Americans of all ages. Their recent research found older Americans close to unanimous in saying that it's never too late to improve your health. "Yet barely half say they maintain a healthy diet (55 percent) or exercise regularly (52 percent)," Dychtwald and Morison write. "It's great when people take the opportunity to improve their health in retirement. Better still if they enter retirement already in shape because they've been taking good care of themselves as a life-long pursuit." The co-authors of "What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life's Third Age" urge that basic health care to be more accessible and user-friendly in the years to come. Americans 65 and over have the safety net of Medicare, they add, but it's hardly a complete package. "Care must be available locally or, increasingly, remotely. The rapid rise in telehealth services precipitated by the pandemic represents real progress on this front. Care must also be affordable," they conclude.