Slide 36 of 38
Notes:
How will aging Boomers find meaning in their lives and dignity in their deaths? Here are some points to start you thinking.
According to the limited evidence we have, boomers are as likely to volunteer and donate to worthy causes as the older generation. However, their approach to volunteer work may be different. As a very broad, general statement by marketing folks, boomers want new life experiences. They may be more likely to volunteer to fix a trail in a park than do office work for the senior center, if the office work is just doing something like their old job without the pay.
Education, cultural events, and recreational interests will probably differ. Will boomers want to pursue these things with their own generation as their parents have (Elderhostel, senior centers) or will they seek a more intergenerational experience? As “Never trust anyone over 30”, has changed to “Never trust anyone under 30,” boomers may want to maintain age segregation. On the other hand, boomers have had different kinds of relationships with their children. Will that foster more intergenerational cooperation?
As the technology increases, we will face more personal and ethical choices about the human and financial cost of preserving life, the rationing of scarce resources, and other tricky questions (for example, will we use fetal tissue to give a new lease on life to elders?)
