New Seniors

Dreams, seeded with a dose of reality begrudgingly gained through life’s experiences, eventually lead to the establishment of goals that drove this man’s life throughout the years. Now, a few months away from my 75th birthday, I can step back and evaluate what I’ve accomplished and what is yet to be achieved.

The current administration continues its fight against childhood obesity through healthier diets by “asking” that advertising of certain products be restricted. The hope is to keep ads for foods with high sodium, fat and sugar from reaching those under 18. How will this change the things promoted on TV, what’s available in stores and restaurants as well as the items found in America’s home pantries?

A significant majority of all age groups believe that exercise is very or somewhat important, according to a recent Rasmussen poll. Younger people are less likely to agree with this statement. This age group, therefore, has nearly twice the number of non-exercisers than any other group. Is it because younger Americans are generally healthier, too busy or don’t care?

During the first half of the past century, having extended family members living in the same house was part of way life for many Americans. For a variety of reasons, this made emotional and economic sense. After WWII this way of life faded, but the extended family is making a comeback. And, the concept may have many built-in advantages for all involved.

Communications is moving faster than most people perceive, this is especially true with New Seniors. As television brought the Vietnam War into America’s living rooms and the Internet put worldwide news at our finger tips, social media is making all events personal. The recent revolution in Egypt and other Middle-East countries was fueled by reports and calls-to-action through Facebook and Twitter.

Old fashioned TVs, Yellow Pages, land-line telephones and film cameras are a few things that come to mind. Changes are happening faster than at any time in history, thanks to the age of technology. Businesses are looking for opportunities to cause a sea change in the products and services we use. Younger Americans embrace this progress, but older consumers feel they are losing old friends.

Americans have enjoyed motion pictures for more than a century. Movies have gone from a novelty to entertainment to an art form. They helped us forget our troubles during the Great Depression and our fears through the war years that followed. And, to this day, people can leave the real world outside while concentrating on what’s happening on the screen. The question is where do motion pictures fit in today’s lifestyles?

How many emails make their way around the Internet each day? How many do you get? How much of what in those emails is actually true? Most of these snippets of information come from friends and associates we know and trust, so we believe what we see. We often forward these messages to those in our computer address books because we want to share. However, communicating like this can cause the spread of misinformation.

Most of those over 65 are retired. Although some wish they were still bringing in a paycheck. Others chose to work part-time or are looking to do so. The younger New Seniors and the baby boomers turning 65 starting next year are not prepared to make the big jump into the retirement pool, at least not for a few more years.

People claim their early adulthood, 18 to 39, as the best years of their lives, according to a recent Rasmussen survey. When asked to rate their own life today, 61% say it is good to excellent, although this is seven percentage points lower than six month ago. Whatever the age group, from 18 to over 65, a solid majority of respondents agreed with this positive assessment. How would you describe your life?