The trend is your friend.
~ Martin Zweig
Aging in Place
I Had a conversation with my sister yesterday. She is a front-end boomer and I listen to her for trends in that demographic. She has this, let’s call it a “caravan” or tribe of women friends of similar age. They have never married, owned and sold businesses, worked hard, saved money, and for the most part did well.
They have a mutual support group (social capital) and during their white wine sessions the talk often turns to life issues confronting them at specific stages. From career, investments, menopause, aging parents, lack of suitable partners, all the big issues.
For example, my sister described her group discussing how once you reached a “certain age” the single men all dried up. The women found this both frustrating and encouraging at the same time. The good part was they found themselves at certain stages in their lives quite capable of doing things that traditionally the men in their lives would be. Fixing gutters, repairing plumbing, painting interiors and dealing with flat tires, all created a self-reliance they didn’t anticipate. The group were going to get T-Shirts that read:
“I’M BECOMING THE MAN I ALWAYS WANTED TO MARRY!!
Conversation Shifts
These days, she reports, the conversation topics have shifted. Two predominate themes now at this stage take up much of the discussion. The first is chronic polypathology (multiple physical infirmities) due to living life to the fullest physically.
These women were athletic in young adulthood, worked as physical labors in some cases, have been hikers, travelers, skiers, runners, and adventurers—this has an accumulative effect over time (the wear-and-tear theory of aging).
Secondly, being single and not having children, they have had access to disposable income. So, at this stage in life many are “over provisioned,” or have too much stuff. Downsizing is a new concern and living with less is important for these women.
These two Boomer trends provide opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking to solve problems for a segment of the population that will need help and be willing and able to pay for it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Summary
Female Boomer Trend Needs (for a segment of this demographic)
- Chronic PolyPathologies (physical challenges) = Homes requiring modifications
- Over Provisioned (too much stuff) = Downsizing requiring decluttering homes and lives
The post Aging Boomer Trends appeared first on Aging In Place.
