ZOOMERS

As the masters of reinvention, the Boomers are not about to stop reconstructing themselves just because they’re facing retirement age. In fact, retirement is their next project.

As they head toward old age (which soon will be considered post-80-years-old), their concerns are vastly different than those of their parents at the same age.

Executives at American firm Del Webb Corporation (the leading builder of retirement communities in the U.S.) have already coined a new term for this group of New Middle Age: “Zoomers.”

As Chief Executive LeRoy Hannerman explains, “We decided to celebrate the Baby Boomers” bold ideas about retirement by renaming these leading-edge, active, savvy Boomers.”

Healthier, wealthier and more active than previous generations of retirees, the Zoomers tend to define themselves through indulgence more than sacrifice, and rather than slowing down and getting away from the action, they want to be in the middle of it.

Soon there will no longer be a stigma attached to aging and the concept of retirement communities will have evolved… they’ll be called “active adult communities” and shuffleboard and dance classes will be replaced with high-tech gyms, computer labs with broadband connections, and educational facilities.

Retirement will be the fast lane to a more energetic, technologically clued-up beginning.

BOOMERS DRIVING CULURAL CHANGE
Our social and economic well-being is now in the hands of a single bunch of people. This powerful social group is the 40-50’s somethings who have always driven social, economic and culture change.

Their history is synonymous with change. Change is not their “friend”. Change is their soul. Change is their destiny. Boomers changed the world, not necessarily in the way they intended. They will change it again.
If the creative and media industries take note of their power, these people will soon be immersed in a huge social and creative experiment driven by advertisers.

The leap in communication will be as great as the leap between silent movies and talkies, from artistic realism to artistic modernism, from simple advertising messages to complex advertising messages.

We will see new consumer communications that are emotionally complex. They will deliver psychological richness to a group of people who need to stimulate their highly evolved emotional reflexes.

AGEISM, PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEING & SUCCESSFUL AGING
As a society we are not generous when it comes to welcoming a person’s passing years. This ingrained ageism tremendously affects our possibilities, as it limits our own perceptions of what we are capable of doing and being. To open the doors of perception Passionate Living will feature exciting new models of aging, individuals who remain physically virile, mentally agile, and passionately involved in their lives & communities.

A WAKE UP CALL – CHANGING SOCIAL POLICY
The median amount baby boomers have set aside for retirement is $30,000, an amount that would cover less than one year of nursing facility costs ($51,000/year) - their numbers will soon weigh heavily on social and health care facilities, and on the inadequacy of present day policies. The economic costs to society will be staggering.

The issues we will focus on are all findings based on sound scientific research. What scientists have discovered in regards to how our attitudes and perceptions affect our ongoing mental health; about how lifestyle choices affect our well-being at every age; and about how current policies and lack of foresight in financial planning could lead to economic disaster. How in short to convert scientifically based research into healthy personal and national choices. To arrive at an un-blinkered view of what really has to be change effectively both for ourselves individually and to the nation as a whole. It is the difference between a plummeting standard of living and a vibrant healthy society.