Programming for baby boomers

It’s been eight years since the oldest baby boomers turned 65. The population of retired boomers is really exploding now. Many of them have headed straight to the gym, especially in the daytime, working out with personal trainers, using fitness equipment, taking group classes. Some gyms have used the opportunity to develop programs specifically for seniors. Boomers have also been flocking to lifelong learning programs. Ryerson’s Life Institute has grown from a small community of a few hundred in 1991 to a membership of over 2500 today, attending over 200 courses offered throughout the year. Some of the other lifelong learning programs have been so overwhelmed with demand that they have to run waiting lists. So where are baby boomers not going? Well, they’re not going to senior centres.

As they’ve done throughout their lives, baby boomers are putting their own stamp on the culture as they move into retirement. They want to be fit, active and healthy, live longer, stay independent, be in control. They are interested in community involvement, but also value individual choice. Boomers take their recreation very seriously. They want challenge and are passionate about education and culture. They want their recreation to be wide-ranging and high-quality, with opportunities for competition, education, fitness, socializing, relaxation, and aesthetics. And above all, they do not think of themselves as old.

Senior centres, eager to get in on the action, have stripped the words “senior” and “elderly” out of their names. They call themselves Active Living Centres now. But look beyond the rebranding and you see pretty much the same old programs. Senior centres traditionally have focussed on the older old: seniors who are fragile, immobile or socially isolated. They try to help them feel part of the community by providing some socialization and light recreation. Some centres also provide a range of support services, such as homemaking help, assisted transportation, snow shoveling and telephone security checks. This group of seniors will continue to need these programs. But it’s hard to imagine how these centres, burdened with the stigma of the frail, needy senior, and operating on a shoestring, could expand to appeal to baby boomers. I think the richer opportunities lie with stigma-free organizations like community centres, public libraries, lifelong learning organizations and gyms, which just need to expand what they already do. That would keep the boomers happy until they reach their mid-70s or so, when energy and health start to wane and they have to slow down. Let’s see what they’ll want then.