The oldest baby boomers start turning 65 in January. For the next two decades, roughly 10,000 Americans will be getting their Medicare cards in the mail daily. The largest generation’s symbolic milepost has sparked predictable newspaper feature stories and polls about how boomers are feeling about the big six-five. Take your pick among the findings–boomers [...] [...more]
If you’re looking to book a learning travel experience this year, take note: the biggest player in the industry is undergoing its second re-branding in the past year. Elderhostel, the industry’s largest lifelong learning travel organization, will be using its existing Road Scholar brand name on all of its educational learning programs. Exploritas, the program [...] [...more]
The profession of geriatrics suffered a huge loss earlier this month when Dr. Gene Cohen died. Cohen, who died from metastatic prostate cancer at age 65, was a pioneer in geriatric psychiatry, and he played an enormous role in revolutionizing our thinking about aging. Cohen was especially well known for his research on the effects [...] [...more]
Memo to anyone trying to sell something to baby boomers: Keep the word “elder” out of your brand name. Most boomers are in a state of profound denial of aging, so the E word is a definite turnoff–even if you’ve got one of the most respected names in your industry. That was the problem confronting [...] [...more]
For journalists, the new year is a time for crystal ball gazing, despite our miserable track record as forecasters. Making predictions for 2009 is especially treacherous, considering the instability we’re living through. That hasn’t stopped me from assembling my forecast for this year’s top 10 retirement trends. However, hoping to improve my odds–or maybe just [...] [...more]
