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Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old "Old age simply isn't what it used to be," writes Ken Dychtwald in his vatic book, Age Power. He means that the mature segment of the nation's population is, embarking on the twenty-first century, at once more numerous, more active and more powerful than it has ever been before. The over-40, over-50 and over-60 populations will be rich in disposable income and in reasons to spend it. Traditional concepts of "the elderly" hold little currency today, as the mature population is more and more composed of aging baby boomers, many of whom will not remotely conform to old stereotypes. Those now defined as middle aged are more self-confident, in control of their lives and engaged with learning as they age. This brand of mature consumer is flexible, willing to accept change and receptive to new products and services. They tend to be aware of political and social issues and seek out creative and personal challenges. Dychtwald is convinced that " 'Age Power' will rule the 21st century," and that "dramatic anti-aging breakthroughs" in supernutrition, hormone replacement, gene therapy, bionics, and organ cloning will be discovered in the near future, forever altering even the physical manifestations of aging. As exciting and hopeful as this may sound, Dychtwald fears we as a society are not at all ready for the aging of the boomers. He sounds a wake-up call to the five social "train wrecks" we need to prevent. For example, society will face epidemics of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's (14 million Americans will have it by the mid-21st century). Tens of millions will live their later years in poverty, even as they benefit from our wealthy society's increased life expectancy. Living longer is of little value, he contends, if the elderly spend their last decades doing little more than watching television (he cites statistics putting 40 million retirees' average TV per week at 43 hours). Age Power, then, is more than anything else a rallying call, urging mature adults to seize the reins of their destiny and companies to build business as well as opportunities by serving this market more attentively. Calling on more than 25 years of experience studying, writing and lecturing on the baby boomer market and mature adult issues, Dychtwald does not see dangers ahead simply to raise an alarm. Rather, he points to specific concerns and offers personal and social solutions for the problems he describes. "Many of the painful, punishing challenges of old age could be prevented if informed choices were made earlier in life," he writes. By heeding the message of his book, mature adults, business leaders and policy makers can do their part to realize and capitalize on the opportunity of this new era. Back To Mature Market News → Go To The GenerationTarget.com Mature Market Bookstore → |
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