The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #63114

Edward jj Olson, MS, E jj Olson & Associates, 2266 North Prospect Avenue, Suite 312, Milwaukee, WI 53202, 414-271-3553, ejjolson@aol.com

Boomers and the Future, Moving Toward the Community of Tomorrow, is a paired-slide PowerPoint presentation that highlights the ways in which technology and Baby Boomer values will shape older adult living environments of the future. The presentation profiles the demographics and values of Matures (age 65+) and those of the Baby Boomer generation (age 38-55), changing health trends and advances in technology, the ways in which public policy is shifting the continuum of care, and presents a vision of older adult residential living environments of the future. Design principals and levels of comfort that were previously considered satisfactory will be inadequate based on the expectations of 70 million aging Baby Boomers. Boomers will reshape the older adult services market by demanding higher levels of care and comfort. Effective disease management techniques will result in increased longevity and a growing population in need of supportive services. Technology will increasingly supplement caregiving. Living environments will adapt to the needs of residents and monitor health through an array of integrated sensors. An overall shift away from institutions toward independence and home-like residential settings will take place. Individuals will live in their homes longer as technology assists them to remain independent. Aging services of all types will increasingly be brought to the consumer. Older adult living environments will provide warm, residential settings where technology will complement the role of caregivers. Facilities will be designed to be more highly adaptable and configurable to resident needs and to the needs of the institution.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
• Identify the trends that will shape the older adult services market in the future.
• Discuss the emerging role of technology in enhancing independence.
• Describe the design elements that comprise a vision of an older adult residential environment of the future.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.