Article March 4, 2013 Issue

Baby boomers redefine aging

Ingrid Peschke

This is adapted from an article that originally appeared in two parts on MassHealthBlog.com, December 3 and 4, 2012.

By 2020, the population of Americans age 55 to 64 will have grown an unprecedented 73 percent since 2000. But as the population ages, the possibilities and potential for their value is also growing with the passage of time.

People are proving that a trip around the sun doesn’t limit their ability to continue to add value to their community and families. Instead, they’re breaking physical barriers and defying time’s ticking.

Ken Dychtwald, president and CEO of the consulting firm AgeWave, moderated the Aging in America Conference last April. In a recent HuffingtonPost.com article, Dychtwald said: “Today a new model of life is emerging. People want to distribute the longevity bonus. They are going back to school at 40 and coming back from illness to run a marathon at 80. They are beginning as late bloomers and hitting their stride in later years.” And his best line: “We are thinking of people as beginners again and again.”

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Sparing the wildflowers