What boomers want

Did you know 25% of baby boomers are living with one or both of their parents or children?

Judah Ronch, PhD, acting dean and professor of the Erickson School, presented on the impact of boomers on aging this week at the 44^th Annual ACHCA Convocation and Exposition in Philadelphia.

Boomers are classified as those born between 1946 and 1964. The group is characterized by not settling for the status quo and questioning authority, according to Ronch. “These people aren’t going to be sitting in their rocking chairs,” he says. “They’re going to be having rocking chair marathons.”

The five attributes Ronch says boomers possess are: They question authority (Watergate, Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, grassroots political reform); they are rebellious (suspect of the status quo); they live fully (“Be here now”); they believe in free expression; and they like the idea of revolution and social change (“We can change the world”).

Sixty three percent of boomers want to use their money to financially support their children, 59% want to cook less often, and 57% want to live healthier as they age.

“What the boomers want from long-term care is to have their needs met and then go play,” Ronch says. “Boomers are different because they perceive themselves as different.”

Ronch cautions the long-term care industry to get past boomer demographics. “It’s not one cohort,” he says. “You need to do niche marketing to be noticed.”

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