About Us

Inspired by highly-regarded institutes elsewhere – Aspen, Washington, D.C., Geneva and the Nobel Week Dialogues – the mission of the Institute for Advanced Thought on Aging is to bring to the fore pressing issues regarding a rapidly aging U.S. population that affect people, their communities, and our society at-large. With noted thought leaders discussing and proposing solutions to these issues, the biennial Institute can affect the quality of lives of those who live in the Monterey Bay Area, the U.S. and others worldwide.

The Institute operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the ACTION Council of Monterey County, a California nonprofit organization (http://www.actioncouncil.org/). A biennial, 2.5-day fall event in Carmel, California, the inaugural Institute’s overarching topic will focus on dementia caregiving – preparing to be a caregiver, preparing to be the recipient – for an ever-growing ethnically and economically diverse group of elders whose lives are dramatically changed by having one of the several dementias. The caregiving focus will cover the progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment where financial exploitation is a key risk factor to the stage where affected persons have little or no self-care capabilities. Our goal is to advance the 2020 California Master Plan on Aging’s goals pertaining to equity and caregiving.

Apart from the website of the ACTION Council of Monterey County, the Institute has its own site with a domain name of goodoldage.org. In addition to the website, other means of communicating activities and results of the Institutes will include such social media as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The initial annual budget is estimated to be $73,225 covering these five areas:

1. Travel and honoraria for four internationally renowned thought leaders -- $26,500
2. Hotel accommodations for 4 nights, meeting room & food (10 persons) -- $24,000
3. Opening reception and keynote address for 200 invitees -- $5,925
4. Staff – graduate student at Stanford or CSUMB to assist with coordination --$7,200
5. Proceedings – experienced medical editor, printing, and distribution -- $9,600

The foregoing expenses for the inaugural Institute in 2024 will be met from tax-deductible donations and other in-kind contributions; they include the direct costs above plus the indirect costs of eight percent covering all services provided by the ACTION Council of Monterey County, a California 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization serving its catchment area since 1994. None of the directors will be paid for their time.

Based on the recommendations and proceedings of the inaugural IATA in 2024, the directors, in consultation with other noted scholars and opinion leaders in the broad field of aging, will choose the issues and list of prospective thought leaders for the second Institute slated for fall 2025.

Signed on behalf of the directors,