Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, is part of the baby boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964. Like Jagger, they enjoyed the fruits of the welfare state and went on to build their lives during long periods of economic growth that allowed them to live well and accumulate assets.
And like Jagger, they have no intention of stopping - which is a challenge and an opportunity for anyone who intends to provide services for them as they move into the next phase of life. Just don't call it retirement. Previous generations may have accepted whatever they were given, but not baby boomers. They don't have to. There are a lot of them, they have money to spend and they are used to getting what they want.
What they want is to live life to the full. The response to this can be seen in every advertisement for a retirement village. They depict healthy, active, people who are in charge of their lives. This is an enormous shift in the way older people have been represented.
It is a positive change that demands new approaches from those who work with older people. Those who make the change are not only doing what is right, they are also positioning their business for success. If this sounds hard, here is an easy test. Imagine that Mick Jagger is the client and the rest will be easy.
• Steve Maharey, Vice-Chancellor of Massey University
