Maturing baby boomers, the 81 million people born between 1946 and 1964, will turn 65 at a rate of more than 8,000 per day over the next twenty years. Thanks to major medical advances and increases in active living and healthy eating, a person turning 65 today is expected to live on average another 18.7 years, six years longer than a person turning 65 in 1940. The aging of the boomer generation combined with increased longevity is ushering in a huge wave of older adults, a silver tsunami which will dramatically transform all of our nation’s social, economic, and political institutions. Major changes in both the person-centered and built environments will be required in order to accommodate an aging population. New ideas and innovations are urgently needed to help seniors age successfully both within their homes and their communities. Both the challenges and opportunities undergirding our nation’s impending silver tsunami will be discussed.
Spencer Miller
spencer_miller@kenan-flagler.unc.edu