FAMILY POLICIES FOR AN AGING SOCIETY - MOVING TO THE 21ST-CENTURY

Most family policy implicitly or explicitly focuses on families with y oung children, but the revolution in longevity suggests the value of a life course focus, aimed at promoting the effectiveness of families a nd individuals at all ages and stages. Gerontologists can make a contr ibution by documenting and describing the gaps between needs and resou rces of families at all life stages, developing family indicators of s ocial change, and sensitizing both decision makers and the public to t he unintended consequences of existing or proposed policies.