IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

Imagine the Possibilities

BLOGGER:  LAURA TRAYNOR

Starting next year, the first wave of America’s 80 million baby boomers will turn 65.  Think about it, 80 million new customers for the field/industry of aging.  That’s a huge number!  And this is a major demographic revolution, not some fly by night trend.  Since there’s a big age range between the youngest and oldest baby boomers (19 years), this will be a period of sustained change.  If you like to be inventive or entrepreneurial (and I do), here’s an expansive field that is wide open!

I work in the field of aging and think it’s one of the most exiting places to be.  To me, aging is a new frontier – for the first time in our country’s history, more people are living longer than ever before.  Older people today are our pioneers – forging ahead into unchartered territories and creating a host of opportunities along the way.  I’m eager to forge ahead and excited to help shape the future of the industry, for with luck we shall all reach this demographic one day!

Think about it.  How will baby boomers live?  Where will they live?  What will they wear?  What will they consume?  What new products will they demand?  Will they have more time in the work force or more leisure?  One thing’s for sure – baby boomers will be a different generation of older adults, requiring new and different approaches to living out their extra years.  There will be a huge demand for new products and services.  New jobs that have yet to be imagined.  And new policies that address the challenges and opportunities brought about by a rapidly aging society. 

I’m currently working as a program manager for a growing non-profit organization that is looking at a big policy issue – how are we going to care for this growing population of older adults?  Right now, there’s a critical shortage of professional caregivers and families are fragmented and/or stretched to the max.  This project, developed by members of The Transition Network (www.thetransitionnetwork.org), taps into the human and social capital that resides within their community to help each other through temporary periods of illness and disability.  It increases the pool of caregivers by extending this role to informal communities – where networks and friendships are already in place.  

This is just one example of some of the exciting work that’s going on in aging.  Unfortunately, when it comes to aging, you’re likely to hear more gloom and doom than then its upside.  That’s why I got involved in ImagineAge.  To add a bit of imagination, sparkle and pizzazz to a field that has a bad rap.  If you have specific questions or topics you want covered, please let me know.  If you are in school and curious what options the field might hold for you, send me a note!  If your job on Wall Street disappeared before you even started it, I’d be happy to tell you about some of the exciting options in the field of aging.

In upcoming blogs, I’ll be sharing some fresh approaches, innovative ideas and interesting people that I hope will inspire you to imagine a new age!  Stay tuned……

In the meantime, if you have anything you’d like to share, leave a comment.  We’d love to know about ideas you have! 

 To find out more about Laura, click here to read her bio.

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