The way we care for seniors today cannot scale to meet the looming age wave, and before long we’ll face a fullblown national crisis. We have an obligation to our parents — indeed to the next generation of seniors — to ensure they get the best possible care and that they receive it in a place they want to call home. What we need is a national strategic plan — one that brings together leaders from industry, government, health care, research, and consumer advocacy — to prepare for the aging of our population.

New technology solutions offer great promise to improve quality of care while reducing health care costs. Technology already has transformed our lives — from email to MP3s and from online shopping to cell phones. It is time now for technology to transform the experience of aging. Fortunately, exciting new technologies coming in the next 5-10 years offer the potential to dramatically improve the quality of care we can provide. We can and must make it happen through vision, leadership, and national commitment to prepare for the demographic and economic changes that will inevitably transform our swiftly aging planet.