In a few years, an estimated 20 percent of the U.S. population will be over the age of 65. This will be the first wave in an unparalleled shift in the country’s demographics from more young people to more elderly people, a change brought on by the aging of the nation’s baby boomers–those 77 million people born between 1946 and 1964. These boomers can expect to live to an average age of 83 due to advances in public health and medicine. Many boomers will continue to thrive well into their 90s.

Plenty of issues arise with this burgeoning of long-lived seniors. Stories frequently appear in the media about the aging American workforce, addressing the increasing urgency of Social Security, Medicare, and other health insurance-related matters, and end-of-life decisions. Now a new report, released by the HSPH—MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, opens up a fresh perspective on the aging boomer phenomenon. "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement" describes and explores an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize these millions as community volunteers.

Baby boomers, said the "Reinventing Aging" report, have the potential to create a social legacy of profound importance. Their advanced years of life give them the chance. Their experiences in life give them the capability. And their desire for integrity in their own lives gives them the psychological incentive.

But the Americans in this post—World War II generation, which shepherded the modern Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements, do not approach their parents’ generation in terms of civic involvement. Although many boomers volunteer in some capacity, they vote less, read newspapers less, and join civic organizations or churches less often than their parents.

To transform this lackluster activism, "We must change how people view aging," said Susan Moses, deputy director of the Center for Health Communication at HSPH and co-director of the Initiative. "We need to shift the focus from the frailty and dependency long associated with old age, to an image of active, productive aging that comes with improved health and longevity. And we need to do that without portraying elders as forever young, as some current media images do."

Like other Center for Health Communication projects, this Initiative will include an all-out media campaign. Television shows, movies, print media, and advertisements will be encouraged to portray older people as active and will demonstrate the health benefits of community life. The messages can be very subtle, said Moses. A television show has a scene in which an older character announces she’s off to volunteer as a designer for the town’s new art center. "You wouldn’t even have to show the activity," said Moses. "We just need to get across the idea that, as an older person, you’re still valued, and you have a lot to offer."

She added, "We embarked on this Initiative, in part, because there are true health benefits for individuals who remain socially connected and engaged as they grow older–research that was done by HSPH Professor Lisa Berkman."

Baby boomers are not the only ones with their work cut out for them. The groups that could use the help of volunteers need to prepare for when they come calling. "Agencies that use volunteers must think flexibly and creatively about what they offer to people," said Moses. "Many boomers may wish to use their professional skills, so agencies may need to adapt and create opportunities that meet both the organization’s needs as well as those of the volunteer."

The "Reinventing Aging" report is available at the web site http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/reinventingaging/index.html.

--EM