By Jack Cumming
LeadingAge prides itself on being the trusted voice for aging. Full membership in the organization, however, is limited to provider organizations and corporate partners. There is also a class of associate members with limited benefits and organizational rights, but there is no direct membership for residents. Residents only have a semblance of membership derived from the provider member that houses them.
Grassroots Democracy
As an advocacy organization in a democratic society, one might think that an organization for aging would want to represent as many older people as possible. That grassroots thinking would suggest elevating residents to primary membership. LeadingAge, though, seems to be dedicated to the business interests of nonprofit senior housing enterprises.
Top-line, LeadingAge’s 2026 Policy Platform aims “to continually make America a better place to grow older.” Wouldn’t that start by empowering older people, particularly residents, to have the central voice? That’s where I stumble on the question, “Why not collaborate?”
Digging into the advocacy specifics reveals a reactive agenda calling for minor tweaks in the status quo. In an era when there is a need for a major overhaul of America’s healthcare system; when artificial intelligence and robotics present opportunities; and when affordability is becoming a critical public issue, one would expect big ideas to have a place at LeadingAge.
Instead, we find elements like “Protect Medicaid from further harm;” advocate for higher provider reimbursement; maintain tax exemption; and advance immigration as a solution to hiring challenges. That’s just a sample. Why not consider how to provide better health for Americans at lower cost; pay our fair share of taxes; and promote fair compensation to motivate care workers?
Finding Proactive Concepts
Opening LeadingAge to those older people who have the expertise, know-how, and wisdom to contribute seems obvious for an organization that seeks better aging. It could have avoided the fiasco that LeadingAge’s work on the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act became.
Making LeadingAge into a force that serves more than narrow business interests would require strong leadership. It’s not enough to try to find common opinion among people who care principally about what’s best for providers, what accords with industry money interests, and what might have the greatest plausibility with members. It requires rising above superficial thinking, hopes, wishes, and common opinion. An inclusive organization can perform better than one that is inward-directed.
Think of the Potential
Let’s look at this positively. Imagine the prestige that LeadingAge might attain if it considered the thinking of the best minds in the country, not just social scientists but people who think and write on the highest level. That would require leaders who can recognize that kind of thinking when it appears. It’s beyond superficiality.
By consigning residents to subordinate status, LeadingAge is overlooking one of its most valuable assets. An organization primarily of and for older Americans with a reputation for the most cogent thinking could bring grassroots power to policymaking. High-achievement residents can contribute positive energy and proven experience.
Let’s Restore the American Dream
LeadingAge’s not-for-profit focus has become an engine for reversing the American dream of homeownership. Homeowners are enticed to sell their homes to pay entrance fees. There’s no reason why senior housing can’t continue the dignity of ownership or, at least, provide voting membership in a not-for-profit. It makes little sense for an advocacy organization to be on the wrong side of the American Dream.
If we can transform LeadingAge from a we-they model to an inclusive empowerment model, we can transform the senior housing industry to one in which people are proud to be residents. The future is bright for those who envision it and who seize the opportunity to create a new reality. Sometimes, the people who seem to be the most difficult are the very people that it’s wisest to understand and heed. They can be the best advisors.
This is one in a series of articles exploring how providers, residents, and resident families might work together for better aging.
