As we live longer, we’re changing society so many ways; Bonus Years

As I was preparing to write the 200th Bonus Years this week's column No. 200, I've been was thinking about what I've learned from the hundreds of people I have interviewed - more than 500 counting interviews for Bonus Years and those for my book, "Reboot: What to do when you career is over, but your life isn't."

There are many lessons, but the one lesson that stands out among all the others is the stunning and far-reaching influence of increasing longevity - ranked second only to electrification as the top achievement of the 20th century - and how that has changed our perspective across the board. The impact can be seen in:

Examples:

In public policy: The $100 trillion of unfunded liabilities in Social Security, Medicare and other entitlements. For example, if If we indexed the retirement age of 65, set in 1935, to longevity increases, the retirement age today would be 82. Longevity has contributed to insolvency in Social Security, Medicare and other social programs.- and no Social Security solvency problem.

New cultural practices: These include aging in place, three-generation families, more active grandparenting, and the rise of age-homogeneous communities such as Heritage Harbour and continuing care retirement communities such as Ginger Cove or Bay Woods.

Lifestyles: Dramatically new lifestyles for those entering later life. In fact, the The rich variety of lifestyles and changing perspectives that individuals and their families experience as they enter and live through their bonus years are unprecedented. That's a result of those 20 to 30 extra years, post age-60, that we now enjoy owing to the increase in longevity in the 20th century.

Longevity was a new experience for people - especially the 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964. It was also a new opportunity for business. After all, America's retiring boomer generation would be the wealthiest, healthiest and most educated generation in the history of the world.

Consequently, we find more businesses catering to the interests of boomers. First and foremost, the cruise ship industry and their floating palaces take taking young and old alike all over the world - but especially those in later life who join with others to see the world. In fact, a growing number actually retire to a cruise ship, which has many of the medical, fitness and nutrition services found in assisted living.

And what about all those senior discounts, like $10 Ten-dollar movies for seniors at Bow Tie Cinemas - and cut-rate popcorn? There are special senior prices at museums and restaurants. Every business, it seems, is trying to find a way to get into the back pockets of seniors who are now purchasing "experiences" rather than stuff, as they downsize and declutter.

And the movies themselves increasingly feature the lives of older Americans - beginning with "On Golden Pond," showing the reconciliation of a daughter (Jane Fonda) and her father (Henry Fonda), and continuing with Up, an animated film about an old man and young boy and keeping promises, and Quartet, a wonderful comedy/drama about a home for retired musicians that is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, a eternal diva and former wife of one of the residents - or more recently, with Our Souls at Night, a drama/romance about a widow (Jane Fonda) and widower (Robert Redford) who connect after years of living next to each other for years. The pair have almost no relationship, but all that changes when Addie, the widow, tries to make a connection with her neighbor.

But the biggest change is in the lives of those in their bonus years. Marylanders, like other Americans, are not generally using their bonus years to retire to years of endless leisure and amusement. That was the Golden Years scenario of the 1960s, and it's not satisfying to most today, especially in the face of 20 to 30 years of mostly healthy living.

Credit: Phil Burgess