Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab, speaks with Boston Globe reporter Kay Lazar about his recent study examining how Americans are preparing for their later years. “I’m hoping this is a kick-start moment, to start having people realize that it’s more than money,” says Coughlin. “It is more than my blood pressure and my cholesterol level, and that I need to start thinking about other dimensions.”
Writing for Forbes, Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab spotlights how researchers from the MIT AgeLab and John Hancock developed a new longevity index. The Index aims to change “how we measure, teach, discuss and think about the future of aging,” explains Coughlin. “The Index measures preparedness across eight critical domains that research shows are fundamental to quality of life in older age: health, finance, care, home, daily activities, social connection, community, and life transitions.
Fox Business reporters Daniella Genovese and Eric Revell spotlight a new longevity index developed by researchers from the MIT AgeLab and John Hancock that shows how “U.S. adults are largely underprepared to live well as they age.” Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab, explains that the findings “underscore that taking some small but intentional steps — such as planning for a new hobby, starting a fitness routine or having a conversation about care — can lead to a better future and make a big impact on how we spend our later years."
ABC News reporter Will Reeve spotlights the AGNES, a suit developed by MIT AgeLab researchers in an effort to help wearers experience the effects of aging on the body. “One of the greatest challenges that we’ve uncovered here at the AgeLab and elsewhere is that we really can’t envision our future self,” says Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab. “If everyone could wear AGNES, they would be in better touch with what their future self is, and what I would hope is they would invest in themselves physically [and] cognitively.”
WBZ NewsRadio reporter Emma Friedman visits the MIT AgeLab to get a firsthand look at the body suit AgeLab researchers developed to replicate what aging feels like. The Age Gain Now Empathy System or AGNES suit “mimics the visual capability, motor ability, and strength of people in their 70s and 80s,” Friedman explains. Graduate student Sophia Ashebir notes that “essentially what AGNES is, is a series of equipment that you can put on to gain empathy for and experience what an older version of yourself might be like.”
To get a better sense of the physical and cognitive experience of aging, Wall Street Journal reporter Amy Dockser Marcus donned the MIT AgeLab’s age-simulation suit, called the “Age Gain Now Empathy System” or Agnes for short, and embarked on a number of activities, including shopping at the grocery store, riding the subway, crossing a busy street, and cooking a meal. Dockser Marcus notes that research at the MIT AgeLab is focused on “finding ways to improve life for the elderly,” and noted that the Agnes suit provided a “greater insight into what it is really like to age—and what I could do to prepare.”
Writing for Forbes, Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, explores the role of technology in the lives of retirees. “The AgeTech revolution is real. The technology that is coming is astonishing. But it risks stalling not because the tech isn’t good, but because no one is there to plug it in, literally and figuratively,” writes Coughlin. “Because in retirement living, the real innovation isn’t a gadget or form of artificial intelligence. The next big thing is trusted, human-centered service.”
A study by researchers from the MIT AgeLab examines “how to reduce collisions between vehicles and pedestrians,” reports Ed Garsten for Forbes. The research looked at how vehicles and pedestrians “interact and communicate with each other, along with how automated systems and technology affect driver behavior.”
Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, speaks with Barron’s reporter Megan Leonhardt about the longevity economy, workforce trends, and why he sees opportunities for innovation and growth as the senior population in the U.S. increases. “The future isn’t just about living longer—it is about living better. This gap between traditional aging and modern aspirations creates a white space ripe for investment and innovation,” says Coughlin. “We need to look at what a 100-year life span does to our expectations and behaviors, and probably most important, how government and business are going to innovate around disruptive demographics that don’t fit the story line that has been in place for the past century.”
Boston Magazine reporter Wyndham Lewis spotlights the MIT AgeLab, where researchers are focused on making aging better by studying age-related issues so “products can be modified accordingly for older people, allowing them to do the things they’ve always done." AgeLab Director Joseph Coughlin explains: “MIT is about envisioning and inventing the future. I want the AgeLab to write a new narrative of a 100-year life.” He adds that it’s about “setting the agenda for what 100 good years could be.”
Writing for Fast Company, graduate student Sheng-Hung Lee and Devin Liddell of Teague highlight four types of AI technologies that could aid senior citizens in their homes. “To better understand how seniors want AIs and robots to help in their homes, we asked them,” they write. “We recruited seniors from the MIT AgeLab’s research cohort—each around 70 years old and in the early stages of retirement—and then engaged in wide-ranging conversations about their aspirations and fears about these technologies.”
A study by research specialist Samantha Bray analyzes “the career impact on 460 working women aged 50 to 60 who began caregiving for an aging parent or parent-in-law,” reports Michelle Travis for Forbes. “Parental caregiving may act as a shock to women’s financial health at a critical career stage,” says Brady. “Parental caregiving often begins at a time in an individual’s career when they are at their maximum earning potential.”
Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, speaks with Boston Magazine reporter Jaci Conry about research and initiatives underway in the greater Boston area that could make the region a “longevity hub.” Coughlin explains: “Few people are prepared for how long retirement will be. We want them to consider what their social portfolio might entail as they age, along with mobility and seeing their home as a service platform with sensors and devices that can help you age in place.”
Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, shares the importance of having conversations about intergenerational family wealth transfers to help avoid disputes in inheritances plans, report Anne Tergesen and Dalvin Brown for The Wall Street Journal. "The only way to avoid causing stress, surprise or anger to people is to have these discussions gradually over time," says Coughlin.
WCVB reporter Jessica Brown spotlights how researchers from the MIT AgeLab explored the most effective way to communicate with elderly individuals about driver retirement. The researchers found that “35% of older drivers are more likely to listen to a spouse who asks them to give up the keys,” explains Brown.