Aging Out: An Exploration of Caregiving, Community, and How Americans Grow Old

by Lucy Schiller

A deeply personal investigation into the current state of eldercare and what it means to grow old in America

Unlike many other cultures, our collective stance toward older people in the United States has long been one of casual avoidance and neglect. This attitude became brutally clear during the height of the COVID pandemic, when too many people saw elderly deaths not as tragedies but as foregone conclusions.

Like many of us, Lucy Schiller experienced this callousness firsthand when her grandmother passed away during the pandemic. In the wake of this trauma, propelled by equal parts grief and curiosity about her own fear of aging, Schiller embarked on an investigative journey to understand why the prospect of aging is so frightening and how being “old” in America intersects with class, race, disability, and public policy.

From profit-driven networks of care facilities to systemic failures in economic support, the future of older Americans looks increasingly uncertain. In Aging Out, Schiller reports this crisis, sharing the human toll of inadequate housing, health care, and community, while simultaneously excavating her own complicated relationship with aging.

Combining the incisive reporting of Evicted with the beautifully rendered introspection of The Empathy Exams, Aging Out is an intimate and unflinching exploration of what it means to age in this country and why Americans—including Schiller herself—are so terrified of getting old.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aging Out: An Exploration of Caregiving, Community, and How Americans Grow Old by Lucy Schiller examines aging in the United States, focusing on caregiving systems, nursing homes versus assisted living, Medicare and Medicare Advantage, non-medical home care, and the role of lobbying and activism. The book combines personal narrative with broader discussion of how institutions and policies shape the experience of growing old, with most of the analysis centered on societal and structural issues rather than individual case studies.

I thought the strongest part of the book was the section on non-medical home care. That’s where the author actually includes interviews with older adults, and it felt more grounded and real. Outside of that, I didn’t enjoy the book. I felt like it stayed too broad and relied too much on the author’s perspective instead of showing how people actually experience these issues. The chapters were hard to follow, and the structure made it difficult to stay engaged.

I was also disappointed that the book spent so much time pointing out problems without offering solutions. I expected something more practical—like identifying issues and then showing what different communities, states, or organizations are doing to address them. Instead, it came across more like ongoing complaints without direction. By the end, I didn’t feel like I learned much beyond the basics, and it didn’t give me a clearer understanding of what could be done differently.

Overall, there is some useful information here, but the approach didn’t work for me. The lack of focus, limited real-world perspective, and absence of solutions made it frustrating to get through, and I had a hard time connecting with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing an advance copy.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC

This is important info and I think that it also needs a lot of editing.