Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity. (Photo: Courtesy of Stanford News Service)
Boomers are the new Seniors. And one of the questions on many boomers minds is, “How Can I Stay Active?” This is one of the most prolific traits about boomers. They were active for most of their lives and they want to stay active. The country’s population of older people is getting larger very quickly. That older population is made up of a lot of boomers and they are not going to retire like their parents did. Staying active and doing the things they’ve always done is one of their main goals. Boomer/Seniors flatly reject the idea that they’re going to decline as they age.
One of the biggest issues will be providing healthcare for this aging population of Boomer/Seniors. Chronic pain and long-term diseases have been identified as much more of a problem than before. Some of the main medical challenges will be diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and chronic pain.
Laura Carsten, the director of the Stanford Center on longevity believes that seniors are resource and not a problem.
What Role Will Seniors Play in an Aging America?
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As theUnited Statesgrows older – with 10,000 people turning 65 every day – and the number of people over 60 expected to surpass those under 15 within four years, common fears can play across the mind: dwindling Social Security, infirm elders, a smaller workforce and delayed retirement.
But that’s only part of the picture, said Laura Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity.
“The shame is that we’re only looking at the problems,” she said. “There are problems, but we’re not looking for opportunities.”
“It’s surprising to people when you say something like the number of older people in the world is the only natural resource that’s actually growing,” she said.
In a talk this morning inVancouverat the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Carstensen will discuss not only the need for social and scientific accommodations for an aging population, but also new roles for older people.
“This is a looming crisis,” said Carstensen. “We will suffer many negative consequences if we don’t apply science and technology to solve the problems of older people, rebuild the environments in which we live – physical, societal and social – and find ways to put this resource [older people] to use.”
One of the answers to the question of How Can I Stay Active are the Boomer/Seniors becoming mentors to the younger generation. This includes becoming volunteers and teachers aides to failing high school students. Millions of American children are illiterate and their parents are an educated or just unable to help them. This is where the wiser and older Senior/Boomers can stay active and relevant.
