Major demographic shifts are happening around the world, with many countries experiencing rapidly aging populations. The countries who will thrive have already anticipated these changes, begun to reshape their policies to accommodate the health, social, and financial challenges and opportunities this shift brings.
Italy is home to Europe’s longest-living population and ranks second in the world for life expectancy, surpassed only by Japan. With life expectancy at 83.4 years—two and a half years above the European average, the country has seen one of the fastest aging processes in modern history. By 2050, more than one in three Italians will be over the age of 65.
Against this backdrop, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) led a study tour to Rome and Milan, September 10–17, to explore how Italy is responding to this unprecedented longevity. JHF’s delegation met with health professionals, nonprofit leaders, academics, and entrepreneurs who are advancing new care models and technologies for an aging society.
The group encountered recognition of and interesting responses to this societal transformation, marked as well by the recent Vatican Summit on Longevity. Like Japan, the most dramatic innovations are driven by the private sector, but unlike Japan, not by national policy.
Rome: Care Challenges and Ethical Frontiers
The tour began in Rome with conversations about senior housing and long-term care, hosted by Dr. Sebastiano Capurso, National President of Anaste, and Dr. Andrea Berti, a geriatrician specializing in dementia and psychiatric conditions in older adults. Both highlighted the strains on Italy’s system, including the rising demand, uneven regional resources, and workforce shortages, that complicate consistent, person-centered care.
Professor Claudio Pedone of Campus Biomedico University emphasized the promise of geriatric research and new clinical approaches, pointing to opportunities in multidimensional assessment and pharmacoepidemiology that could strengthen outcomes for older adults.
In another session, Father Alberto Carrara, President of the International Institute of Neurobioethics and organizer of the Vatican Longevity Summit, offered optimism about this new future with heavy support from new technologies. With a background spanning neuroscience, philosophy, and theology, Father Carrara did offer some ethical implications of the “frontiers” of scientific advancements, from epigenetics and neuro-organoids to robotics and artificial intelligence.
The study tour group visited Il Paese Ritrovato in Monza, a model in Alzheimer care.
Professor Claudio Pedone of Campus Biomedico University emphasized the promise of geriatric research and new clinical approaches, pointing to opportunities in multidimensional assessment and pharmacoepidemiology that could strengthen outcomes for older adults.
In another session, Father Alberto Carrara, President of the International Institute of Neurobioethics and organizer of the Vatican Longevity Summit, offered optimism about this new future with heavy support from new technologies. With a background spanning neuroscience, philosophy, and theology, Father Carrara did offer some ethical implications of the “frontiers” of scientific advancements, from epigenetics and neuro-organoids to robotics and artificial intelligence.
The group also met with Eleonora Selvi, President of the Longevitas Foundation and a popular journalist, who framed longevity as requiring a cultural shift, serious housing and architectural renovations and a recognition of the special burden on women. Selvi underscored the urgency of breaking down barriers related to older age and engaging in community.
“The meetings in Rome were illuminating, but in very different ways,” reflected JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD. “We saw weary clinicians struggling against systemic limits, futurists envisioning radical new possibilities, and societal leaders calling for cultural and structural change. The contrasts underscored just how complex the aging conversation is in Italy.”
Two visits left a lasting impression on the delegation: Il Villaggio Emanuele in Rome and Il Paese Ritrovato in Monza, both modeled on the Netherlands’ Hogeweyk dementia village. While these villages incorporated some of the principles that a 2023 study tour to Norway and a visit to Oslo’s Dementia Village revealed, they were less “high tech” and very high touch.
These communities reimagine memory care by replicating the feel of small towns, complete with squares, gardens, shops, and community spaces. Residents live in “pods” that reflect their backgrounds—whether urban, traditional, or cosmopolitan—while engaging in daily activities that emphasize autonomy, dignity, and hospitality.
“The dementia villages were exceptional,” said Debra Caplan, MPA, Executive-in-Residence at The Forbes Funds and past Board chair at JHF. “They showed us that it is possible to create joyful, person-centered environments for people with dementia. It was inspiring, and also sobering, because we have nothing like this yet in the U.S.”
Milan: Innovation in the Silver Economy
If Rome revealed the strains of Italy’s aging system, Milan showcased dynamic innovations.
At Over, a company pioneering integrated home care, the delegation was introduced to a comprehensive model that uses real-time monitoring and a network of nurses to support older adults in their homes. The frontier technology tracks individuals daily on a host of indicators and dispatches support proactively, an approach that blends efficiency with medical excellence.
“The technology at Over stretched our vision of what’s possible,” Jim Pieffer, CEO of Presbyterian Senior Care noted. “We saw a brighter future for home-based care, one that we must consider recreating in the U.S.” And Dr. Amanda Lenhard, Vice President of Care Coordination and Hospital Medicine at UPMC and Chief of the Department of Medicine at UPMC Shadyside agreed. “What I saw at Over was a massive step forward in care integration aided by superb technical expertise.”
Meetings with the Silver Economy Network demonstrated how Italy’s private sector is organizing around the needs of an older population, while a conversation with Emanuela Notari, co-founder of the Active Longevity Institute, underscored the need for better national vision and policy.
The study tour group discusses longevity medicine at SoLongevity Clinic.
Milan: Innovation in the Silver Economy
If Rome revealed the strains of Italy’s aging system, Milan showcased dynamic innovations.
At Over, a company pioneering integrated home care, the delegation was introduced to a comprehensive model that uses real-time monitoring and a network of nurses to support older adults in their homes. The frontier technology tracks individuals daily on a host of indicators and dispatches support proactively, an approach that blends efficiency with medical excellence.
“The technology at Over stretched our vision of what’s possible,” Jim Pieffer, CEO of Presbyterian Senior Care noted. “We saw a brighter future for home-based care, one that we must consider recreating in the U.S.” And Dr. Amanda Lenhard, Vice President of Care Coordination and Hospital Medicine at UPMC and Chief of the Department of Medicine at UPMC Shadyside agreed. “What I saw at Over was a massive step forward in care integration aided by superb technical expertise.”
Meetings with the Silver Economy Network demonstrated how Italy’s private sector is organizing around the needs of an older population, while a conversation with Emanuela Notari, co-founder of the Active Longevity Institute, underscored the need for better national vision and policy.
The tour included an in-depth visit to the SoLongevity Clinic, which applies the latest science in precision longevity medicine. Its Age360 Program™ uses advanced diagnostics to measure biological age, predict risks of organ decline, and design tailored interventions aimed at extending healthspan.
A highlight was a gathering with Marilena Citelli from BrainCircle Italia, founded under the auspices of Nobel Prize laureate Rita Levi Montalcini. The organization convenes international leaders in neuroscience and longevity, and the delegation was struck by the energy and global reach of Marilena, who works at the intersection of science, culture, and philanthropy. “Marilena demonstrated that volunteers, nonprofessionals with knowledge and passion, can build the momentum we need for critical policy and practice innovations”, said Nancy Zionts, organizer of the tour.
Reflections and Next Steps
Beginning in 2009, JHF has organized or participated in study tours to Australia, Canada, Finland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain, to meet key stakeholders in policy, health care, and delivery, including recipients of care, to see the models first-hand and extract lessons or enhancements to pre-existing systems of care in the United States.
Throughout the tour, Italian experts frequently pointed to Singapore as the global model for aging policy—a reminder that the challenges of longevity are international in scope and that solutions often require looking beyond one country or sector. The example of Singapore underscored a comment made by many during this tour: “it’s all about housing. Keeping seniors as healthy as possible in the community is as much about how we house them as it is about medical care.”
With a strategy grounded in housing, Singapore has dramatically expanded life expectancy for seniors whether rich or poor. This sparked conversation, harkening back to lessons learned in past study tours. JHF is fortunate that Dr. John Eu-Li Wong, one of the architects of Singapore’s globally recognized leadership in aging policies, will be our guest in Pittsburgh in mid-October.
For Pittsburgh, the lessons from Italy reinforced an emerging vision. It is clear that a national response to longevity (particularly expanding the healthspan of our older populations and extending their independent living in the community) is not only about health care; it encompasses business opportunities, research, clinical care, education, housing, technology, and policy. The momentum is global.
“With its medical, academic, and nonprofit assets, Pittsburgh has the right ingredients to enter this competition,” said Diana Bucco, president of the Buhl Foundation.”
JHF hopes to apply insights towards a Longevity Hub in Pittsburgh, a place where innovations are tested and scaled locally, with the potential to serve as a national model. Key elements include:
- Home care and community living: Supporting independence through neighborhood-based care models.
- Mobility and housing: Retrofitting affordable senior apartments and envisioning new approaches to accessible design.
- Technology and integration: Leveraging tools that support monitoring, coordination, real-time interventions and safety.
- Education and training: Partnering with universities and employers to prepare professionals and families for the realities of aging.
- Policy and financing: Exploring sustainable reimbursement models, insurance innovations, and protections for vulnerable populations.
Discussions on longevity, healthspan, and aging will continue at the Global Innovation Summit 2025: How AI is Shaping the Future of Health, an invitation-only event hosted by the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, October 19–21, supported in part by a JHF grant.
Panelists Seigo Izumo, MD, a consultant at Biomedical Services and former Senior Vice President, Global Head of Regenerative Medicine Unit, Head of Scientific Affairs Japan, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company; John Eu-Li Wong, MBBS, Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences and Executive Director, Center for Population Health at the National University of Singapore and Senior Advisor, National University Health System Singapore; Maria Zamora, MBA, CEO, Center for Elders’ Independence; and Aman Mahajan, MD, PhD, MBA, partner at Healthier Capital, USC Keck Health, and Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, and Pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will participate in a JHF-sponsored panel about the opportunities for AI innovations to enhance health and safety for aging populations.
Interested in learning more about these efforts? Contact JHF Chief Program and Strategy Officer Nancy Zionts, MBA.
