It's Not About a Birthday

The May/June issue of The Journal on Active Aging carried my thoughts on why all the focus on Baby Boomers could cost companies market share. The article was published as a feature the publisher, ICAA, calls the Soapbox and was entitled, "Boomer factoids are barriers to business success". The message was that Boomer factoids were now replacing aging stereotypes and unfortunately perpetuating the youth culture of the past.

Immediately on publication, I received an email from Joe Newland, who was encourage a focus on successful aging long before it was a mainstream movement. Joe's comments follow:

Now that I'm pushing 70, I can say with authority that you've got it right. Born in 1937, I'm not a "boomer"; I think I'm a member of the "silent generation." (whatever that means) I've never understood stereotypes or being categorized as this or that. People are people; what has age got to do with anything? I'm the same Joe I've aways been, except maybe I'm a little wiser and have a better understanding of what makes folks tick.

While Joe is now retired from his role as a consultant to the senior living industry, he continues to work as a personal trainer and professional speaker. His talk, "Living Well Into The Future," is a wake up call to sedentary folks to become more physically active. If you live in the Midwest and seeking a speaker to motivate your members, give Joe a call at 614-833-3740. As both a motivator and role model, our industry owes innovators like Joe a big thank you for his early innovation.

Joe also is an example of why Boomers can't be given credit for "re-inventing retirement" as is often the case. There has been a growing revolution underway for over a decade lead by members of the Silent and Greatest Generations that is called Successful Aging. As the number of older adults continues to grow as the Baby Boomers join their ranks today's older adults, our nation will reach the tipping point and move the marketplace from the Youth Market focus of the past to the nation's first culture dominated by older adults.

Shortly after receiving Joe's email, another friend emailed to ask, "Why do all these financial companies think we all have fond memories of being hippies when most of us were never hippies in the first place." If only companies would realize what most leading edge boomers already know - It's not about a birthday. It is about later life values.To treat Boomers as somehow different than past generations of older adults from a values perspective is to subscribe to business suicide on the installment plan...and it would appear many are now subscribing.

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