Aging in Place……are you ready?

We Boomers have always been a generation on the move. We went from childhood homes to college dorms; from first apartments, to starter homes, to family-size homes. Ultimately, some of us upgraded to even bigger homes. We’ve moved for jobs, to accommodate growing families, or changes in marital status; sometimes, we moved simply for a change of scenery. Compare this with our parents’ experience. Those members of “The Silent Generation” likely moved from their parents’ home to their first home as a married couple, put down roots and pretty much stayed there. I know this first hand: my 82-year-old mother, now a widow, has lived in the same house for 59 years—which isn’t too unusual among her circle of family and friends.

Recently, I attended a house party with 30 or so Boomer friends. To my surprise, the conversation strayed to a topic I never thought we Boomers would find ourselves discussing: retirement and downsizing. We talked about watching our parents struggle with living in homes that no longer suited them—whether it meant coping with stairs, dealing with getting into and out of bathtubs, or even having to get on ladders (or chairs!) to change light bulbs. When I mentioned “aging in place,” I found the term was not unfamiliar to my Boomer friends.  We all agreed: unlike our parents, we want to plan ahead and “age in place” in a home that’s convenient and suitable to our needs. We especially don’t want the physical challenges of a home to make us feel old. 

With the first wave of 78 million Boomers reaching 65 in 2011, helping Boomers adapt their existing homes or finding housing suitable for “aging in place” will become critical. Taking into consideration the uncertainty of retirement funds, Social Security, and healthcare costs, Boomers are realizing the importance of getting their “ducks in a row” now, in order to plan for an aging process that is seamless and carefree. With 89% of today’s seniors saying they want to “age in place” and live independently, you can bet it won’t be any different for Boomers, who have always prided themselves on their active, independent lifestyle. 

That means there will be a plethora of opportunities for companies that market and sell lifestyle-enhancing home products, as cited in Marilynn Mobley’s Blog, BABY BOOMER INSIGHTS. The challenges will be for marketers to position these products in such a way that doesn’t insult the Boomer audience. We don’t mind change, after all we’ve moved enough over the years; we just don’t want the change to remind us we’re aging. Whether we downsize, upsize, remodel, adapt, retrofit or whatever you want to call it, we’re going to think of it as enhancing our lifestyle.


– posted by Tom Gorski

Growing Up Without a Cell Phone

I received a pass-around e-mail last week targeted to the over-30 crowd, with some of those  "when I was a kid" comparisons. You know, the ones that go:
– Instead of the Internet, we had the library
– Instead of e-mail, we actually wrote letters

– Instead of MP3's or iTunes, we had record stores
– Instead of cell phones, we had to find a phone booth when we were away from home.
Since I could relate to all of these myself, it got me thinking about the myth that "Boomers are technologically challenged". I realized that while that may be how I seem to my nieces and nephew, they don't realize that I've actually grown up with technology. And though I've felt challenged a bit along the way, there were many times, including now, when I choose to embrace technology and it actually turns out to be quite fun and amazing.

There's so much that can be said about Boomers and technology, that this is probably the first of a series of posts on the subject. I would agree with the research that says Boomers prefer technology that's useful. And according to a recent article about the aging brain on NPR.org it's not only useful for the brain to learn new things (like blogging!); it actually helps new brain cells to grow throughout life. So jump in any time!

Even though Boomers think they’ll never grow old, there are things that inevitably will happen to us physically as we age, whether we like it or not.
As my sister and I’ve accompanied our aging parents and relatives through a variety of transitions, there have been so many times we’ve found ourselves searching for technological solutions to a variety of issues. For instance, since we ARE in the age of cell phones, which seem to be getting smaller and more complicated, we’ve wondered why there can’t be a cell phone with simpler functions and larger numbers. (I know my husband already has to use his glasses to see who's calling, though my arms are still long enough to read without them.) Sure, there’s the Jitterbug, which works for elders. But as I suspect that many of us Boomers will still want the bells and whistles we’ve grown accustomed to, there's lots of room for more innovation in this area alone.

At Gen-Sights, we came across a video awhile back that Ronni Bennet (Her Blog: http://www.timegoesby.net/) posted on YouTube. She talks about technological gadgets, computers, and the web and some of the physical challenges they pose for the aging population. She offers some insight into the kinds of issues that we Boomers are sure to face as we continue to age. In my last post,  I mentioned the MIT Age Lab, where researchers are looking for new ideas and creative technologies that offer practical solutions for "the quality of life of tomorrow". More companies really should be looking at their products this way and not just focusing on the teen-to-20-something set as they develop new technologies. There's huge opportunity with the largest segment of the population, the Boomers. The key is to make it useful, in order to make life better.

I also have to mention a cool company called MyWay Village that I’ve been very impressed with. They’ve developed a product called Connected Living, which enables seniors to keep in touch with family members and friends through a safe online community. By providing ambassadors to train the seniors, they’ve seen amazing results in how easily seniors take to the technology. In fact, the company has had so much success, they're now developing a special program for the memory impaired. What a great way to make it easy for Boomers to stay in touch with their elder parents or loved ones, and for children to connect with their grandparents. Again, something that’s not just useful, but life-enhancing.

Though we may have grown up without a cell phone, we certainly have them now and we'll continue to look for technologies to make our lives easier as we age. As I'm celebrating another birthday, I have to admit that yes, we'll age, whether we like it or not, and I want some great technology to go along for the ride.

– posted by Laura Willis

Wait! Don’t Shoot After All!

"Just shoot me!" In recent weeks, I've heard more than one person say this when, following a discussion of our parents coping with physical ailments like my 89-year-old dad with Parkinson's, we begin to contemplate our own aging. While Baby Boomers have grown up thinking they will be forever young, the fact is that some day, like it or not, most of us are going to find ourselves in our parents’ shoes.

This first hit me a couple of years ago. In the course of searching for the most appropriate living arrangements for our Dad after our Mom passed, my sister and I visited several facilities before narrowing down the choices for him to make. We couldn't help picturing ourselves in each facility, imagining if we would like it there. While all were wonderful places, with beautiful interior design and a staff committed to doing what they could to make it "feel like home", I couldn’t help but think that there had to be a better way.

Boomers have had an impact on the world at every stage of our lives, so it seems natural to assume that our later retirement years will be no different. I feel confident that there will be new types of living alternatives for us as we age. In fact, some interesting options are already starting to emerge. I've chatted with more than a few women who think the ideal arrangement would be to get a house with a number of friends and bring services in. Others are talking about the possibility of opening up their existing home to roommates.

In a recent blog entry on Disruptive Demographics, MIT Age Lab’s Director Joseph Coughlin writes that this aging-in-place mentality opens the door to opportunity for a wide range of businesses, including remodeling, modification, and maintenance companies, as well as home convenience and in-home care providers. There is even the potential for new and innovative financial services products. In addition, some of the concierge services popping up could turn into community cooperatives, which is already happening in some areas.

At the very least, existing facilities should consider updating their current offerings by adding a wider range of services. These could include everything from health and wellness programs like yoga, to alternative healing modalities, to accommodating the technologies that Boomers have grown accustomed to. I know of a few facilities that are starting to do this and I give them credit for their forward thinking, though I believe it will shift a lot more.

I can't help but laugh to myself a little when I'm sitting with my dad, listening to a performer at his facility singing the songs of his youth, and thinking that if I end up in a place like that, they're going to have to be playing rock music like Aerosmith! God willing, when I make it to Dad's age (he'll be 90 this month), there will be many options to choose from to suit my lifestyle and bring enough pleasure to my life, so you won't have to "just shoot me".

– Posted by Laura Willis

Boomers On The Move

Move over Florida. Make room, Carolinas. The Boomers are coming.  According to a 2010 Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Pulte/Del Webb (to be fully released in March 2010), Boomers are about to redefine retirement living, just as they have in every previous lifestage. Unlike their parents, Boomers are less attracted by the palm trees and golf courses of Florida, and more interested in the smaller urban areas of the Carolinas. While Florida and Arizona are in the top ten, other surprising retirement destinations include Tennessee and Virginia.

Here are some insights that we found particularly interesting concerning what amenities Boomers are looking for in their retirement communities: onsite healthcare and transportation; home maintenance and repair, outdoor activity areas, e.g., jogging paths and bicycle trails.  And, as we’ve learned from other studies, it wouldn’t hurt to have a college or university nearby. 

By redefining retirement living, boomers will open the door for many products and services that will serve to complement their lifestyle choices. Communities that are attracting large numbers of boomers will have opportunities to capitalize on their presence and benefit from their spending power. As we see it, this generation is looking for more than just a round of golf and lunch at the clubhouse; they’re looking for a full and satisfying lifestyle.

– Posted by Tom Gorski

Nostalgia Rules!

Imagine, a Super Bowl where the game was way better than the ads. We watched the game with a bunch of Boomers, and for the most part all agreed: lots of ads were seemingly targeted to (and probably created by) 28-year old guys. You’d think they would be a real niche audience, given that Nielson estimates 106.5 million people tuned into this year’s game.

Boomers respond to nostalgia, which is probably why our Boomer viewer sample loved the Flo TV ad that recapped the entire history of television in 30 seconds. We were also big fans of the Google Paris ad, which came in second to Doritos’ House Rules in the Nielson Ad Buzz poll. While we were all glad to see the Budweiser Clydesdales, the spot seemed a little derivative, like we’d seen it all before with a different animal. The Letterman/Leno/Winfrey ad was a real hoot – our first reaction was “Is this real?” (15-second spots go by a little fast for Boomer brains!)

There were some dubious coincidences: what’s with all the people preening about in their underwear? The research we’ve done at Gen-Sights shows that Boomers are not only turned off by the ads they find crude, but turn off to the sponsor, as well — while we suspect the marketing people at Dockers and Career Builders.com weren’t really trying to target Boomers anyway, they probably should, given that Boomers do wear pants and don’t seem inclined to completely abandon the workforce anytime soon.

And how funny was it that the over-hyped Focus on Family ad, which ended with the mother of University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow being tackled on-camera, was preceded by a Snickers spot where the very same thing happened to comedienne Betty White? (Both spots rated a thumbs down from us, though the Snickers ad scored the most votes in this year's Adbowl, an online voting contest.)

You have to admit, the half time show featuring The Who was a true trip down memory lane for Boomers. And who, except those from the Hoosier state, wasn’t happy to see the long-beleaguered Saints (Ain’ts no more!) finally go marching in?

- posted by Lynn Schweikart

Turning Boomer Trends into Business Opportunities

To reverse the metaphor, with the forest of Boomer trends out there, how do you find the tree of opportunity for your business? At Gen-Sights, we’ve starting using a technique called “blending” the trends.

According to Joseph Coughlin, Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, "blending is the ability to envision competing realities and see alternative futures that will drive product and service innovation.”

In a recent entry on his blog Disruptive Demographics, Coughlin demonstrates this how this works. He takes four trends that communications giant RIM, maker of Blackberry, sees as affecting the future of the smart phone:

1. Aging world: the median age on the planet in 2000 was 26, by mid-century it will be 36 and the number of people over 60 will triple -- to nearly two billion people; 



2. Connectivity: smart phones, other devices and wireless providers will blur activity, place, and push trends we already see in social media and interaction;
3. Empowered consumers: Consumers will continue to adopt tools that help them monitor and manage their relationship with companies, e.g., social media that advises on everything from restaurant choices, to financial services, to 'hey, where's my package?' 



4. 'Values' purchasing (e.g., green consumers): Values purchasing is not just for kids. Where there is a rise in 'color causes' (my phrase) -- buying green, supporting pink, and helping red -- aging baby boomers are increasingly interested in their social impact and legacy. That is, 'what am I contributing and what will I leave behind?

He then blends the trends, posing questions like:
What happens when older consumers are connected, empowered, and make purchase decisions on values beyond cost and quality?

What might wireless-enabled health or caregiving services in the pocket of an aging boomer look like?

Will ubiquitous computing power, social media, and value purchasing create virtual collaborative networks of service providers for sandwiched boomers today and frail boomers tomorrow?

To us, it’s very exciting to consider the possibilities you can generate when thinking about the Boomer audience this way. How will living arrangements, “green” technology, the travel industry, entertainment, and other consumer segments evolve as Boomers age? We suggest you take some time and think about the multiple trends that are affecting your business. How can you blend them to identify new ways that your business can tap into the growing Boomer market?
- posted by Lynn Schweikart/Laura Willis

Helping Companies Resonate with Boomers

Traditionally, marketers have looked at adults ages 18 to 49 as the demographic sweet spot. Those over 50? Why bother? They're too stuck in their ways to alter their buying habits. But that's all changing, and not surprisingly, it's Baby Boomers - with an estimated $2.2 trillion in spending power - who are doing it.

Gen-Sights is a collaborative marketing communications venture focused on helping companies position and brand themselves for success in the Boomer market. Being Boomers ourselves, along with a year's worth of research on the market, has given us many insights that will help businesses tap into this incredible booming audience.
- posted by Laura Willis/Tom Gorski/Lynn Schweikart