GBONEWS: SPECIAL EDITION–The Day After Trump? Past Head of U.S. Aging Admin Fernando Torres-Gil Says Face the Future Now and Imagine a Better Way. PLUS Leaked Memo on Sabotaging Social Security; Past Medicaid Advocates Hold Back; Menopause; Immigration Plans May Imperil Care Workforce; & MORE
GENERATIONS BEAT ONLINE NEWS
E-News of the Journalists Network on Generations.
March 19, 2025 — Volume 32, Number 5
EDITOR’S NOTE: GBONews, e-news of the Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), publishes alerts for journalists, producers and authors covering generational issues. If you have difficulty getting to the full issue of GBONews with the links provided below, simply go to www.gbonews.org to read the latest or past editions. Send your news of stories or books (by you and others), fellowships, awards or pertinent kvetches to GBO News Editor Paul Kleyman. [pfkleyman@gmail.com]. To subscribe to GBONews.org at no charge, simply send a request to Paul with your name, address, phone number and editorial affiliation or note that you freelance. For each issue, we’ll email the table of contents and links to the full issue at www.gbonews.org. GBONews does not provide its list to other entities.
In This Issue: Your Animal Instincts? Jackals, Monkeys—Any Owls Out There?
1. ON “THE DAY AFTER”: The Trump/MAGA Crisis, Reflections by Fernando Torres-Gil, PhD, former U.S. Assistant Secretary on Aging, on where civil society can go from here.
2. EYES ON THE PRIZE: *** 2 USC Health Journalism Fellowship Deadlines
3. THE DOPE ON DOGE:
*** “Memo details Trump plan to sabotage the Social Security Administration,” by Judd Legum, Popular Information; *** “Reorienting Dementia Research, Embracing Care,” by Mark Swartz, Aging in America News; *** “Nursing Homes and the AMA, Once Medicaid Defenders, Hang Back as GOP Mulls Big Cuts,” by Noam N. Levey, KFF Health News.
4. THE STORYBOARD:
*** “‘Grandpas United’ creates volunteer opportunities for the benefit of young and old,” by Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR News;
*** “Health and environmental inequality in the S. Bronx increases dementia risks,” by Taayoo Murray, Amsterdam News;
*** “Beyond The Hot Flash: Unveiling Menopause,” by Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, India Currents;
*** “The loneliness of remote work: Older adults most affected by the loss of social networks,” by Donna Alvarado, Bay City News;
*** “Trump’s immigration plans could imperil long-term care workforce,” by Jessie Hellmann, CQ Roll Call.
1. ON “THE DAY AFTER”: The Trump/MAGA Crisis
As Trump-Musk “flood the zone,” while the “loyal opposition” of Dems grasps for too few life vests, GBONews.org is continuing our ongoing series with tips for reporters from veteran journalists on the generations beat on where to find useful story angles. We’ve also solicited ideas from a few seasoned experts on the national scene in aging, about covering America’s political turmoil.
For this third installment, we were pleased to receive the following expansive perspective by Fernando Torres-Gil, PhD, who headed the U.S. Administration on Aging in the Clinton administration (1993-2001), and who has served in multiple presidential positions under both parties since then. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he directs the Center for Policy Research on Aging and is a professor of social welfare and public policy.
By Fernando Torres-Gil, PhD
Much has been written about the dramatic and existential actions of the Trump/MAGA administration in its first 100 days, which have resulted in drastic impacts that have sent shock waves throughout this republic.
A torrent of reaction, opinions and consternation swirl around what appears to be a deliberate move toward executive authoritarianism that is based on extreme notions of ideology, resentments, misinformation and a veiled attempt at populist politics.
What to say about all this that is not already being said? My personal anguish is about the cruel and demeaning treatment of public servants at the federal level with the administration’s unfocused, sledgehammer cutbacks minus any attempt at actual streamlining and efficiencies, as well as its gross exaggeration of “fraud, waste and abuse.”
Having built my career around serving the public good through a variety of political appointments in three presidential administrations and on Capitol Hill, I sit back in my retirement deeply distressed at what is occurring with the U.S. Civil Service — an institution created in 1871 to end the spoils system of the 19th century.
Are We Losing Our Civic Values?
I fear that we may have lost the values of the late John W. Gardner, who personified the epitome of civic values, transparency, integrity, compassion and service to the public good-and was my mentor. He launched Medicare as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, and later founded Common Cause. He also founded the White House Fellowship program, designed to promote excellence in public leadership (I was selected as a White House Fellow in the Carter administration), and which give individuals committed to a life time of public service, access to the highest levels of government.
From my perspective, I now think it useful to look ahead to the aftermath of this tumultuous and potentially destructive moment of American history. What may be the future consequences of what is occurring with this administration? What are the implications, not only for us aging baby boomers, but also for future cohorts of younger groups, who will live out their lives under the full weight of what happens in these next few years? How can we insure that the aspirational dream of John Gardner lives on in future citizens committed to public service?
Thus, for me, a gerontologist, who was honored to be nominated by President Bill Clinton (and confirmed by the US Senate) as the first U.S. Assistant Secretary on Aging, it is not about the impact on senior citizens today. They are largely protected (and privileged) in many ways, but about future elders and those who will come of age over the next 30-to-60 years.
These cohorts include members of Gen X, who are moving into their senior years; Millennials, now in the midst of their careers; Gen Z, who are finding their way and struggling with the high costs of education and housing; and the youngest, the “Alpha” children.
And what should these generations be concerned about in this current political crisis? Immigration and deportations? Principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social justice? Tariffs and the price of eggs? My opinion: These are lesser concerns.
For the long term, my view is about the structure and integrity of our political institutions and the dismantling of the safeguards that provide an element of protection against corruption, greed and extremism–as well as the preservation of a social safety net for all who face vulnerability and insecurities, including a large segment of those who voted for Trump. .
Examples abound, but the elimination of Inspectors Generals (IGs) ends any semblance of oversight and accountability. The decimation of the Civil Service and the politicization of any federal workers whose careers survive, ensure the collapse of services from the federal government.
The politicization of the military raises alarms about constitutional safeguards for the sector that has the nation’s highest public esteem. Alienating allies and befriending enemies risks our national security and global standings.
After Today’s Arbitrary, Lawless Actions
These are the priority concerns and where “the day after” the present flood of arbitrary and often lawless actions—if and when the pendulum swings back to moderation and civility–must focus on recreating, recovery, and rebuilding what has been damaged in our nation’s civic culture.
As I lecture to my students at UCLA in classes on public service and leadership, they rightly ask: “Professor, do all the good things you tell us about being honest, doing good and having integrity in our public lives really matter anymore? Are they not obsolete, given the types of political appointees in the Trump administration?”
I do not have good answers, but I am beginning to think of one useful approach: having students create an historical context by asking: How did we, this nation, get to this point? What led to this situation in terms of trends (economic, social, political, ideological, technological)? What role did liberals, progressives and the Democratic Party play in this outcome? More broadly, where did our public leadership and liberal democracy go wrong in the last half century, in allowing and enabling the circumstances that led to the deep divisions in American society?
Students, Journalists and Our Demographic Destiny
As the United States considers it demographic destiny as an intergenerational and multi-cultural nation, I encourage not just my students but all journalists to integrate this “day after” approach as a long-term perspective in understanding how we came to this day. And more importantly, how can we move beyond it.
Additionally, knowing that all things do pass, what do these young cohorts want for their future lives, and thus, what system will best fulfill those aspirations? This may well entail rethinking the role of a liberal democracy and how to rebuild a central government that truly creates a more efficient and nimble federal system.
Also, of course, how can we entice anyone to even think about working for the federal government after this punishment? So much must be dealt with by these young cohorts, not the least of which is to get beyond “politically correct” ideologies and trendy notions.
Can we, instead, bridge the gap between those left behind and who saw in Trump their savior and the understanding that we will, in fact, need foreign workers (whether refugees, immigrants or “illegals”) for our aging society to thrive across he generations.
I could say so much more about this, but for now, let me simply suggest that some of us aging baby boomers, who are concerned about what all this means for senior citizens today, should give thought to “the day after.” It is time to ask what that means for younger generations, who will live through the consequences of these times in their later years.
2. EYES ON THE PRIZE: 2 USC Health Journalism Fellowships
* “The Impact Fund for Reporting on Health Equity and Health Systems supports ambitious investigative or explanatory projects on systemic racism in public health, health care policy and the practice of medicine, including inequity in treatment, access to care, patient experience and health outcomes for Black people, Indigenous people and other people of color. Grantees receive a 2,000-$10,000 grant to help with reporting costs, five months of professional mentorship from a veteran journalist, monthly online development and brainstorming sessions with other reporters in their class and four webinars devoted to health equity in health systems.” Apply by March 26!
* USC’s National Fellowship “helps journalists and their newsrooms report deeply and authoritatively on the health, welfare and well-being of children, families and communities. The program prepares fellows to report a major enterprise health or social well-being reporting project in the months that follow our initial week of intensive learning in Los Angeles. Our Fellowship provides journalists a chance to step away from breaking news to take a deep look together at pervasive social and economic inequities in the United States, and the lasting health effects of systemic racism and exclusion on families and communities.” Apply by April 9!
Fellows receive: Reporting grants of $2,000-$10,000; five days of informative and stimulating discussions; Five months of professional mentorship, including skills-building workshops. Fellows also are eligible to apply for five months of professional mentorship in engaged journalism and $1,000-$2,000 to support those creative efforts.
3. THE DOPE ON DOGE
*** “Memo Details Trump Plan on Sabotaging Social Security Administration,” by Judd Legum, Popular Information (March 17, 2025):
The Lede: Judd Legum, founder of this widely cited winner of a 2020 Online Journalism Association Award, reports, “An internal Social Security Administration (SSA) memo, sent on March 13 and obtained by Popular Information, details proposed changes to the claims process that would debilitate the agency, cause significant processing delays, and prevent many Americans from applying for or receiving benefits.
“The memo, authored by Acting Deputy SSA Commissioner Doris Diaz, purports to be motivated by a desire to mitigate ‘fraud risks. . . . Elon Musk has pushed several false claims about the nature and scope of Social Security fraud, [such as] in a recent interview on Fox Business.”
What Memo Says: “The biggest change contemplated by Diaz’s memo is to require ‘internet identity proofing’ for ‘benefit claims… made over the phone.’ When an SSA customer is ‘unable to utilize the internet ID proofing, customers will be required to visit a field office to provide in-person identity documentation.’”
But the WaPo Exposé: Legum continues, ”On March 12, the day before the Diaz memo was sent, the Washington Postreported that the [Social Securing Administration, SSA] was considering a proposal to ‘end telephone service for claims processing.’ That move, the paper reported, ‘would disrupt Social Security’s internal operations and threaten its ability to serve the public, current and former officials warned.’ In response . . . SSA issued a press release saying that ‘reports in the media that Social Security plans to eliminate telephone services are inaccurate.’ Rather, the press release said, phone service would only be eliminated in cases where beneficiaries need to change their banking information.”
But Then: “The March 13 Diaz memo appears to be a way of implementing the original policy without technically ending telephone service for claims processing. Under the system described in the memo, customers can still use the phone to submit an application for a claim. The claim, however, would be considered ‘unverified’ until an ID was verified through the internet or in person.”
Fraud?: “Currently customers can make claims and verify their identity without using the internet or visiting a SSA office. Fraud is extremely rare because there are many safeguards in place. . . About 40% of all claims are currently processed over the phone. . . . The memo anticipates creating a huge surge in demand for in-person appointments as the SSA slashes staff and closes offices. Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek has announced that he will terminate 7,000 workers, about 12% of the workforce. Meanwhile, dozens of SSA offices are being shuttered.”
*** “Reorienting Dementia Research, Embracing Care,” by Mark Swartz, Aging in America News, (March 16, 2025): Swartz is founder of this recently launched news website focused on “reinventing care for older Americans, with an emphasis on celebrating the care workforce.”
The Lede: “The Trump administration’s chainsaw hasn’t spared dementia research. Dr. Kendall Van Keuren-Jensen, incoming director of the NIH’s Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias, was fired before she even started. Proposed funding restrictions would result in an annual loss of more than $150 million at University of California San Diego alone.”
A Quote: “According to Dr. Jim Brewer, professor and chair of UC San Diego’s Department of Neurosciences . . . , “To pull funding at this point would be to absolutely cut the knees out. . . If you’re on the cusp of curing or treating an illness with that degree of economic impact, you don’t cut funding to that program.”
What’s More: Swartz writes, “If and when we eventually rebuild from the Trump-Musk chainsaw massacre, the perspective of people with dementia and those caring for them should be taken into consideration.”
A Quote: Citing a 2019 interview by PBS Next Avenue, Swartz quotes Tia Powell, MD, director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics, in New York, ‘If we find a cure, it’s not going to be in time for the baby boomer generation. We will have millions and millions of people who need care. And although I think there are good people working on that, there has been pretty modest funding for thinking about what would good care look like? How can we pay for that? How can we make it accessible to people all across the country? What are the things that people with dementia and their caregivers really say they need and want?’”
Although the biomedical research for curing or delaying the onset of dementias promises enormous personal and social benefits, Powell’s book Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End expands on the related paucity of public support for continuing care.
Science With Caregiving: “‘Medicine,’ Powell writes, ‘sees itself as manly, offering heroic cures. But a great deal of what medicine offers patients is care — incremental, accommodating, feminine (if you stick with the outmoded metaphor). Yet medicine is too embarrassed to admit this.
“Care seems soft and unscientific; we’d prefer to hand out swashbuckling cure.’” She adds, ‘The more than $3 billion the U.S. has spent annually (until now) on finding an Alzheimer’s cure might be a sound investment, but if we get a redo, we would do well to recalculate the benefits and costs of the “incremental, accommodating” strategy of care.’”
*** “Nursing Homes and the AMA, Once Medicaid Defenders, Hang Back as GOP Mulls Big Cuts,” by Noam N. Levey, KFF Health News (March 11, 2025):
The Lede: “When congressional Republicans in 2017 pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid, dozens of physician groups, patient advocates, hospitals, and others rallied to defend the law and the safety-net program. Eight years later, two industry groups have been notably restrained as GOP lawmakers consider sweeping new Medicaid cuts: the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Health Care Association (AHCA), which represents [mostly for-profit] nursing homes. At the same time, the two groups are lobbying Republicans, seeking support on other priorities.”
“AMA is lobbying lawmakers to reverse a nearly 3% cut in Medicare’s fees for physicians. And the AHCA has pushed Congress to roll back regulations enacted under President Joe Biden that mandate better staffing ratios at nursing homes.”
A Stat: “Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care, covering more than 6 in 10 nursing home residents. . . Medicaid, a state-federal insurance plan that together with the related Children’s Health Insurance Program covers about 80 million Americans, is in the crosshairs as congressional Republicans seek to trim several trillion dollars in federal spending to offset the $4.5 trillion cost of extending tax cuts enacted in President Donald Trump’s first term.”
The Defense: In early March, “More than 400 pediatricians traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak to members of Congress about the importance of Medicaid. More than 100 leaders of safety-net hospitals that serve low-income patients around the country did the same. . . Patients’ advocates such as the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network have defended Medicaid. And . . . more than 750 members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are expected in Washington, where the group says they’ll be lobbying to preserve Medicaid funding.”
4. THE STORYBOARD
Following are recent stories from the current Journalists in Aging Fellows:
*** “‘Grandpas United’ creates volunteer opportunities for the benefit of young and old,” by Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR News “Morning Edition” (March 12, 2025, 3 min. audio with transcript): The Lede — “When Jim Isenberg of White Plains, NY, first became a grandfather, he wanted to meet other men at the same stage of life and do things together. So he went online. [He says,] ‘Trying to find any kind of organization with grandpas. There were a lot of things with grandmas, which we always say, God love grandmas.’” [Milne-Tyte adds,] ‘But nothing for grandfathers.’”
The Upshot: “Ultimately, Jim and his friend Frank Williams founded their own group. They called it Grandpas United. Jim and Frank wanted to bring retired men together socially and give them a continued sense of purpose. Here’s Frank. ‘A lot of guys don’t play golf. What do you do? You can give back. You can serve.’” [Milne-Tyte]: “So he and Jim started popping up at local farmers markets and recruiting older men to join them as mentors. Grandpas United works with boys and young men.”
* Also see Milne-Tyte’s first of these two stories — “Men die younger than women. Is it time for a focus on men’s health?” by Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR News (Feb. 19, 2025): The Lede – “Life expectancy for an American man is almost 76, versus 81 for a woman. But it’s not just older men dying sooner: those numbers are influenced by other deaths that come earlier in the lifespan.”
*** “Health and environmental inequality in the S. Bronx increases dementia risks,” by Taayoo Murray, Amsterdam News (Feb. 27, 2025): The Dek — “Dementia study highlights Alzheimer’s disease care as a health equity issue.”
The Lede: “The South Bronx has been known to suffer from poor air quality and health inequality for decades, but now that scourge can be linked to another public health problem: Alzheimer’s disease. According to data from the Coalition of New York State Alzheimer’s Association Chapters, more than 426,500 New Yorkers aged 65 and older have the condition. New York is second among the five states with the highest projected prevalence of Alzheimer’s, at 12.7% — and at 16.6%, Bronx county has the highest prevalence in the state.”
New Research: “These statistics take on new meaning with the findings of a study released in November 2024, by the Dementia Risk Reduction Project showing that three of 12 risk factors that may influence dementia risk are smoking, air pollution, and diabetes. The Bronx has the second-highest percentage of adult smokers at 11.7%, slightly behind Staten Island at 12%. Research indicates that air quality in the South Bronx is poor because of factories, industry, and thousands of trucks moving through the community emitting nitrogen oxide. The Dementia Risk Reduction Project found that prolonged exposure to air pollution significantly raises dementia risk.”
*** “Beyond The Hot Flash: Unveiling Menopause,” by Anjana Nagarajan-Butaney, India Currents (Feb, 24, 2025): The Dek: “Leaving menopause out of medical school curriculums and residency programs has led to a lack of research and funding for the field.”
The Lede: “Menopause not taught in medical school — When Dr. Rajita Patil, an obstetrician-gynecologist at UCLA, was a resident, she remembers her OB/GYN program offered only one lecture on menopause. ‘There’s no curriculum,’ she explained. ‘We don’t get enough training in this field in residency programs.’”
In Fact: “A 2019 Mayo Clinic study found that 20.3% of respondents (doctors) reported not receiving any menopause lectures during their residency and only 6.8% felt prepared to manage women experiencing menopause. . . Menopause is a natural part of aging for all women. More than 1 million women in the United States experience menopause each year reports the NIH.”
A Remedy: “In August 2023, Dr. Patil launched the Comprehensive Menopause Care Center at UCLA to radically change the landscape of how women get the medical support they need during this phase of life. . . In many other cultures, menopause is a taboo topic because it is a part of reproductive health care, said Dr. Patil. In South Asian cultures, for example, families don’t talk about reproductive health. ‘The difference in our culture is that we didn’t grow up with our parents talking to us about that.’”
*** “The loneliness of remote work: Older adults most affected by the loss of social networks,” by Donna Alvarado, Bay City News, (Jan.18, 2025) — The Lede: “More than five years after the COVID pandemic forced many workers to abandon their offices and work remotely, a hidden cost is emerging: loneliness. The impact falls heaviest on those oldest. Studies are finding loneliness afflicts far more people over age 55 who are working remotely, compared to their younger coworkers. One survey found older employees were nearly twice as likely as workers aged 16 to 24 to say they felt the social loss of remote working.”
*** “Trump’s immigration plans could imperil long-term care workforce,” by Jessie Hellmann, CQ Roll Call (Jan. 9, 2025): The Dek: Demand for direct care workers will grow by 35 percent to 41 percent between 2022 and 2037, according to some projections.
The Lede: President Donald Trump’s “vowed crackdown on immigration could strain an already struggling eldercare workforce that relies on foreign-born workers in nursing homes and home health settings. Industry players and experts argue that increasing the long-term care workforce requires more immigration, and Trump’s plans could further undermine efforts to shore up the workforce as need for services increases with an aging population.”
In a Nutshell: “Home health aides, personal care aides and certified nursing assistants are considered the backbone of the long-term care workforce, helping people age in their homes and often making up the majority of staff in nursing homes and residential care facilities. There’s already a shortage of workers performing long-term care, and that shortage will worsen in the coming decades. People 65 and older are expected to make up more than 20 percent of the population by 2030; an estimated 75 percent will need some type of long-term care.”
* Earlier story in this series: “Nursing home staffing rule in limbo as Trump 2.0 approaches”, by Jessie Hellmann, CQ Roll Call (Dec. 4, 2024): The Crux: “Biden made improving long-term care one of his presidency’s top missions, announcing the staffing mandate in a State of the Union address in 2023. Access to high-quality long-term care is a pressing issue, with people 65 and older expected to make up more than 20 percent of the population by 2030.”
GBONews’ publisher, the Journalists Network on Generations, and our partner, The Gerontological Society of America, are grateful to this year’s nonprofit funders for supporting year 15 of the Journalists in Aging Fellows Program. They include the Silver Century Foundation, John A. Hartford Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund and the NIHCM Foundation, plus a generous contribution from Dr. John Migliaccio.
The Journalists Network on Generations (JNG), founded in 1993, publishes Generations Beat Online News (GBONews.org). JNG provides information and networking opportunities for journalists covering generational issues, but not those representing services, products or lobbying agendas. Copyright 2025 Paul Kleyman. For more information contact GBO Editor Paul Kleyman.
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