The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing will be powered by investment in the Silver Economy, now estimated at USD $17 trillion and is fostering innovation in biotech, health tech, fintech, and caregiving. In a global society where there are more old than young, overall economic growth is only possible with a robust, growing, and sustainable Silver Economy that will add jobs, create new innovative growth sectors, enhance productivity, and improve the lives of all across society.

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Working caregivers are perpetually struggling — financially, with their personal health, and in the workplace. Employers and other stakeholders have important roles to play to enhance the well-being of their caregiving employees. Panelists will discuss the challenges faced by caregiving employees and ways in which employers are stepping up to meet these needs with new benefits, programs and engagement strategies. Further, panelists will offer recommendations from a new report about how to accelerate working caregivers’ path from financial stress to financial well-being.

Former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter, Chair of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers said, “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, who are caregivers, who will be caregivers, and who will need caregivers." This discussion will bring to light some of the challenges faced by family caregivers, the incredible power of their stories, and the role of the media.

Innovations in biomedicine and technology in healthcare across the 20th century have brought us our unprecedented longevity — now a gift for our 21st century. But innovation cannot stop there; we must aspire to achieve healthier longevity for all, which requires continual investment, commitment and creative partnerships and collaborations to incentivize innovators to achieve the next great breakthrough. Panelists will discuss how the pursuit of equity in healthy aging, the complexities of multiple co-morbidities and the 5nuances of the market landscape are spurring how we should think about ensuring investments in health for the future.

Longevity is one of the most impactful forces shaping the global economy. As people over the age of 60 double their numbers in the coming decades, how can they stay financially resilient in an increasingly unpredictable world? Reforming retirement and pension systems to meet the needs of an aging population will take time — what are the simple and actionable solutions that people can employ today to support this longer life? This discussion will explore the crucial role the financial services industry can play in supporting this demographic transformation.

Japan is rapidly aging and the world’s first super-aging society. Japanese policymakers are increasingly taking action to make changes that can extend the health, activity and productivity of its citizens, with lessons for super-aging societies to follow.

Colorado has developed an aging workforce strategy to enhance participation of older citizens across society. Gov. Polis will share why and how they are implementing this strategy and seeing economic growth.

Employers large and small are facing the impacts of an aging society. Whether a local government or a global company, age-inclusiveness will become a key differentiator in the competition for talent, with implications on workplace culture, the ability to adapt to changing societal needs and overall productivity. This discussion will showcase age inclusive strategies underway around the world.

The near-perfect alignment of Alzheimer’s and other dementias to the aging mega-trend brings about urgency for innovation. Absent new innovations in effective therapies, diagnostics, caregiving and social framing, Alzheimer’s will continue to be a barrier to healthy aging and fiscal sustainability. However, even with great innovation, if care at the bedside is not transformed, patients will not benefit. Progress in this space will depend on value-based incentives and new paradigms for diagnosis, care and other supports. Programs like the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative are using implementation science tos tudy the impact of innovation in real-world settings. Panelists will describe efforts to reframe Alzheimer’s to help remove the stigma, prepare health systems, and spur innovation.