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2004 Study Outlines Baby Boomers' "Extra Years"
June 16, 2004, The Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)

By SUSAN WILLIAMS

With advances in health, people who were born between 1946 and 1964 may have "extra years" to live.

But how will they use those years, a Harvard School of Public Health study wonders?

People with The Harvard School of Public Health and the MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement released a study Tuesday titled, "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement."

The report notes "Baby boomers soon will have the opportunity to redefine the meaning and purpose of the older years."

When baby boomers come into their 60s, they can expect to live two more decades, possibly three.

"These extra years, unique in human history, can be said to constitute a new stage of life," the report's authors wrote.

"The question boomers will face is, 'What will I do with the rest of my life?'"

They could become a huge social resource, but the report's authors wonder if they will. According to the authors, baby boomers participated less in civic engagement when compared with their parents, the "Greatest Generation."

The authors wonder if a national effort could be launched to mobilize boomers into contributing time and efforts to address community problems.

They also wonder if boomers respond in large numbers, "Will civic organizations of various kinds be prepared to receive them?"

According to the report, "as a general rule, the percentage of people who volunteer reaches a peak in mid-life, not in retirement, and then gradually declines."

People with The Center for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health organized national events Tuesday to make the public aware of the report.

The Center has created a number of national campaigns to promote the adoption of healthy behaviors, including its Designated Driver campaign, to help combat drunken driving.

The center is hoping the publication of the report will stimulate a public dialogue on the topic of the meaning and purpose of one's later years.

"An organized effort could help boomers envision and plan for a life that achieves meaning in their later years by connecting in new ways to the larger community around them," the report states.

To read the report in its entirety, find a link to the report at the Harvard School web site at www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc.

To contact staff writer Susan Williams, use e-mail or call 348-5112.