You can call me a baby boomer; you can call me a retiree; you can even call me late for dinner, but don’t call me old. That’s the word from a poll commissioned by the Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com conducted in June of this year.
The generation of baby boomers who once proclaimed that: “we’re never going to get old,” are holding fast to that way of thinking. While younger adults call 60 the beginning of old age, about half of boomers are pushing the number back to 70, and almost a quarter of them don’t think you’re old until you’ve reached 80. As they march into their early sixties, many are finding out it’s not so bad, and they feel upbeat about their futures.
A decided majority of baby boomers are actually enthusiastic about aging and all its fringe benefits like watching children and grandchildren grow up, spending more time with family and friends, and having time for favorite activities. “I still think I’ve got years to go to do things,” says Robert Bechtel, 64, of Virginia Beach, VA. He retired last year and now has less stress and more time to do as he pleases.
About half of the baby boomers predict a better quality of life for themselves than their parents experienced as they aged. “I have no intentions of sitting around the house,” said Lynn Brown, 64, of Apache Junction, AZ. “I’m enjoying being a senior citizen more than my parents did.”
Almost all of the boomers – 90 percent – are making a conscious effort to eat better to improve their health, and more than half have taken up a regular program of physical exercises as well as mental exercises to stay sharp. Loretta Davis, 64, of Salem, W.VA, reads, plays games on her computer and takes walks. “I wish I had been more conscious of what I was eating earlier in life,” said Davis. But she said getting older doesn’t bother her: “I’m just glad to be here.”
Oops, gotta go know, I’m late for the gym….
(Cross-posted at Senior Security)
The Reverse Mortgage Gazette 