Age Wave: The Challenges and Opportunities of an Aging America

Dychtwald has two newer books on the same subject, but this early treatment does a very good job at outlining the basic elements of his vision. Briefly. He points to the fact that people are living longer than they ever have, that the baby-boomer generation is moving into its senior years, that this new generation of elderly people has a power and wealth that no other such generation has had, that with the birth- death there is a dramatically shifting proportion of the elderly in the general population, that this major demographic change is going to effect all aspects of our lives, including family and work. And that it is necessary to take action to prepare for the changes, and make better lives possible. Dychtwald is an interesting writer, and he certainly is on to a major social trend. I myself however believe he is a bit optimistic about the whole thing. I think our world will be much sadder if it has very few children in it. I think it will be much sadder if it has predominantly elderly people in it, however successful they all are at looking 'younger' than their biological years. I believe Mankind will make a major mistake if it allows the Elderly to overwhelm the younger generations. I also have quite a bit of skepticism in regarding to the whole ' cyclic ' life business. I suspect some of us do not want to have 'three or four families' but rather that the one we have is enough. I suspect too it is very optimistic to talk about going back and learning, and making new careers. How many eighty years old are going to do Mathematics? Youth has powers which are unique and tragically passing. They cannot be replaced simply by adding years on our lives. I will conclude with one small anecdote relating to my own grandmother, my Bubbe Zeibert of blessed memory. She was a very kind and wise women. When she became so ill that she could no longer be cared for at home my mother reluctantly had to have her admitted to an Old Age home . Once when we were visiting my mother asked her how the place is. She answered," Good, good. But only one problem. There are so many old people here" I am afraid if the vision outlined here comes true many of us are going to feel the same way.

Great book! Important - very important - issues, but dated. Read his new book _Age_Power_. Lots of good facts and lots of excellent suggestions. If you want to be in the know, read this book and write your congressional reps.

I first came across "Age Wave' as a footnote in an insurance flyer. Something made me want to read it. It had to be ordered it since it was hard to find, but I am so glad that I followed my gut instinct. I have read, reread, highligted, bookmarked and folded over corners in my at least seven times through it. The reality has become such an integral portion of my life that I left my position with an insurance agency to do what I really feel is important -- to educate people and TRY to make them understand the importance of long term care insurance to protect our parents, ourselves, and our children. I have never in my life been an activist (during Viet Nam I was in a "coma"), but after having read Age Wave, I have become an activist. I agree that this can be a more devastating situation than any in our age or any preceeding. Ken Dychtwald and his wife are Renaissance people in putting all of the inevitabilities of the modern technologies that we embrace in perspective. What they are trying to tell us, without a doubt, is that we have to cover our butts or "get out of Dodge." The wonderful world that our parents and we as "Boomers" have tried to to build will not last unless we get rid of the denial that people do age and need care and it is not always available. We cannot hide money any longer to qualify for Medicaid. We cannot expect the government to pay for it. The governmet has already told us that. We cannot expect our children and grandchildren to pay 50 to 60 % of their paychecks for entitlements so that we can ignore needed protection or hide money. We need to be responsible once again in our lives and accept the fact that we will age, and will develop chronic illnesses because of advanced age and we will need care. So we must protect our world and our heirs from the devastating effects. I can't wait to read the new book.

Age Wave is really a classic, well-written book that covers all kinds of subjects on aging. The graphics that show the changes in demographics in the U.S. may be worth the book's price alone. One section that talks about how we now play and rest more than we used to was clearly written before the downsizing trend began. But, for the most part, the comprehensive coverage of work, play and all the rest expected in retirement is presented in a consise, easy-to-read style. It is truly a classic, well-written book that should be a good read for anyone interested in retirement and aging issues.