| Fifty
million Baby Boomers will soon begin retirement and explode
the number of older Americans seeking support from their residential
environments and household products.
A swelling demand for products and environments that accommodate their changing needs will soon erupt.
The Swelling Senior Population
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In the United states today, there are more people aged 65 and older than the populations of New York, London, and Moscow — combined.
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Throughout the world today, there are more people aged 65 and older than the entire populations of Russia, Japan, France, Germany and Australia.
Not only is the age structure of our global population
changing, a dramatic change in the age structure within the
older population is also occurring. The fastest growing sub-group
among the elderly are the "old-old"—those 85
years or older. In the United States, this group alone will more than triple from
3+ million in 1990 to over 9 million by 2050.
Increased Life Expectancy
As life expectancy increases dramatically, not only are the numbers of older people
increasing, but they are also living longer. Two thousand years ago the average
Roman could expect to live 22 years. A person born in 1900
could only expect to live 47.3 years; in 1930, 59.7 years;
and in 1960, 69.7 years. Today, a newborn infant has a life
expectancy of 77.8 years.
Put in perspective, life expectancy at age 65 has increased more in the last 30 years than the entire 200-year period from 1750 to 1950. A person age 65 can expect to live another 18 years. A man of 75 has a 50-50 chance of reaching 84; a woman; 86. The longer you live, the longer you're likely to live.
Sex Ratio
As the population
gets older, it also becomes predominantly more female. The
sex ratio (the number of men per 100 women) changes over the
human life span. There are 106 male births for every 100 female
births. The numbers of men continue to exceed women until the
third decade (20-29).
From that age on, women increasingly
outnumber men. In the 65-74 age group, there are 82 males
for every 100 females. This number drops to 65 in the 75-84
age group. The changes for the old-old (85 and older)
group become even more pronounced. For this sub-group, the
sex ratio is an astounding 41 men to every 100 women – which
has very important implications! To design for an aging population
means to design for a predominantly older female population.
Transgenerational Accommodation
By 2012, more than 100 million Americans
will be age 50 or older. In 2004 alone, more than 3.5 million
boomers turned 55. Today's physically and intellectually active
younger generations suggest that tomorrow's elderly population
will be better educated, healthier, culturally literate and,
as individuals, more discerning consumers. Their increased
life expectancies and energetic life styles will allow most
of us to live 20 to 25 percent of our lives in active retirement.
Transgenerational
homes and products can help maintain those active lifestyles,
activities and independence. We can help you accommodate — and attract — their swelling purchasing power.
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