Women and Aging 2010: America's Emerging Crisis
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On Tuesday, May 11, Volunteers of America hosted its second annual panel discussion in Washington D.C. on the future of care and services for older Americans. This year, our panel of nationally-recognized experts explored the urgent issues concerning women and aging that will affect our nation’s workplaces, public policy and economy for years to come. The discussion focused both on the older women receiving care, and the children, spouses or other loved ones who provide their care while balancing their own family, career and other responsibilities. View photos from the discussion, watch the video of the event and join the ongoing discussion online now.
In preparation for the needs of our nation’s rapidly growing senior population, Volunteers of America also worked with Lake Research Partners to conduct a poll to identify the most challenging issues facing older women and their caregivers. View our findings.
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 Norah O'Donnell is the Chief Washington Correspondent for NBC News' 24-hour cable channel, MSNBC. She serves as contributing correspondent for NBC's top-rated Today, is a regular news anchor for NBC’s Weekend Today and has co-anchored the 9 a.m. hour of Today. During her career at NBC News, O’Donnell covered the Pentagon, Congress and the White House. Her assignments took her around the globe, reporting from every continent, except Antarctica, with the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense.
Washingtonian magazine has included O’Donnell in its Washington’s 100 most powerful women. The magazine also called O’Donnell one of Washington’s most trusted anchors. A native of San Antonio, O’Donnell is a graduate of Georgetown University and received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. She also holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. O’Donnell is married to Geoff Tracy, a restaurateur, in Washington, D.C. They have three children.
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 Michelle Singletary writes the Washington Post column “The Color of Money,” which is syndicated in more than 120 newspapers across the country. She has appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, Nightline, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View and The Diane Rehm Show. She has also advised National Football League players on personal finance.
In a plainspoken, sassy, no-nonsense voice, Singletary provides answers to the financial issues that confront almost every household: how to teach children the value of money; how to address money issues in a relationship or marriage; household saving tips; getting the best loans; and much more. With humor and down-home financial wisdom, she offers practical and realistic advice that will help you live well with the money you have. Singletary is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has an MBA from the Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children who understand what it's like to live on a budget. Read Michelle's column concerning our panel discussion and her personal story of caring for her father-in-law.
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 Heather Boushey is senior economist at the Center for American Progress. Her research focuses on employment, social policy and family economic well-being. Much of her current work focuses on the Great Recession’s impact on workers and their families.
Boushey co-edited The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything. Her research has been published in academic journals and has been covered in The Washington Post, Newsweek and a variety of other media outlets, including The New York Times, where she was called one of the “most vibrant voices in the field.” Boushey received her Ph.D. in economics from the New School for Social Research and her B.A. from Hampshire College. She has held an economist position with the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and the Economic Policy Institute. She grew up in Mukilteo, Washington and now lives with her husband, Todd Tucker, in Washington, D.C.
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 Rosemarie Rae serves as executive vice president of strategy for Volunteers of America, where she guides the 114-year-old human service organization’s “Aging with Options™” initiative aimed at the needs of the nation’s rapidly-growing senior population. She works with Volunteers of America national and local leadership to integrate these new home and community-based senior service options into the organization’s existing and long-established array of programs.
Rae served as chief financial officer for Volunteers of America’s national organization before assuming her current position in 2008. In addition to financial expertise, she brought to the organization a wealth of experience in the fields of health care and senior services. Previously, she worked for Golden Living Centers – a provider of care and services to the elderly and disabled – where she was responsible for Medicare and Medicaid funding strategies. The Golden Living family of companies operates more than 300 centers in 22 states, including those providing nursing care and rehabilitation therapy, hospice care, home health services and temporary staffing services.
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| Moderator |
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 Dr. Bob Arnot is a physician and international humanitarian with a hunger for knowledge and a desire to introduce audiences to important issues and exotic locations around the world. He is one of the most recognized names in medical and health professions, having served as the former chief medical editor and special foreign correspondent for NBC News. He recent worked with Google to produce a series of educational videos on chronic illnesses that are viewable on YouTube.
A successful author, Arnot has published over ten books, including his most recent, Your Survival. He began his medical career as the founder and chief of the Lake Placid Medical Center, where he not only served as administrator, but also as the physician for the 1977-1980 U.S. Ski Team and the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Arnot received a Bachelor of Science degree from Dartmouth College in 1972 and a medical degree from McGill University.
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