Author: Derek Dunham

The Rolling Stones prove that it can, by releasing their first studio album in 11 years on Friday. Want to hear some of it?

Click here for tracks and interviews in a CBS news article.

With an average age of 72, these rockers have proven that age is just a number by recording their latest album more than half a century after their first one. “Blue & Lonesome,” which takes the band back to its blues roots, was recorded in three days in London.

Playing music puts into practice many of the principles that can help us live longer, better — like keeping our minds active, moving naturally and having a strong social network. So we all might want to pick up an instrument, even if we don’t make millions doing it.

According to a 2016 Pew Research study, Baby Boomers and prior generations have cast the majority of votes in every presidential election since 1980.

However, the study also found that the political landscape is shifting, because younger voters matched Boomers and seniors in eligible votes in 2012 and are now estimated to outnumber them. Even with a lower turnout, voters 18-49 could still outvote Boomers and seniors in 2016.

Now that the election is over, we see that this prediction has come true. CNN exit polls show the vote’s makeup:  55% voters 18-49 and 45% voters 50 and up. So this is the year that Boomer and senior voting power begins to decline. Still, you’d never know it by the results of this election. Since the majority of older generations voted for Trump, (53% vs. 44-45% for Clinton) their votes propelled Trump to the White House. Stay tuned for 2020!

When kids are out trick-or-treating, they might want to hit up some houses over others.

84% of people 60 years and older give out candy on Halloween — more than any other age group, according to one study.  Seniors love answering the door to superheroes and pirates. But what if they live in a retirement community? There’s a simple answer: Welcome trick-or-treaters to your campus.

You can invite residents’ grandchildren, staffers’ children and even local neighborhood kids to trick-or-treat. The experience will not only benefit residents, but candy hunters as well — they won’t have to face the risks of crossing high-traffic streets at night in their black costumes. Residents can affix pumpkin- or bat-shaped signs to their doors to signal that they welcome trick-or-treaters.

So that residents unable to participate can still join in the fun, you can throw an all-age celebration with decorations, costumes and refreshments. Halloween is also the perfect time to invite prospective residents in for hot cider and pumpkin cookies.

Happy Halloween, all!

The number of older people who live alone at home continues to climb: 13 million in 2015. And, for women over 75, the numbers are even more shocking; 45% live alone, according to a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer that discusses the negative impact — both on parents and their children — of aging at home. Many seniors aren’t living safely yet refuse to move or even accept basic help. Their adult children essentially become their assisted living plan, putting emotional and physical strain on that caregiver.

One reason for the resistance to move: outdated perceptions about senior living. “Many older adults don’t like the idea of someone telling them when they’ll have their first cup of coffee or turn out the lights at night,” the article states. They don’t understand that senior living communities are not like the nursing home of old where they once visited their grandparents.

It’s up to us to assist adult children and to arm them with correct information and the key benefits of today’s senior living environment to prepare them for that difficult talk with mom and/or dad. One of the most common times for opening the dialogue is coming up: the holidays, when families get together and many times see a change in their parent’s abilities. We’ll offer advice for those tough family conversations in an upcoming blog.

At a time when Taylor Swift is having all kinds of aggravation with Kanye and Kim, here’s something that could cheer her up. Residents of the Julia Wallace Retirement Village in New Zealand, average age 82, have paid tribute to Taylor by recreating her video “Shake It Off.” The video, which took a week to film, already has over 100,000 views on You Tube. Enjoy!

Watch video.

Some popular retirement destinations didn’t make the cut, although Florida does rank in the top one-third. According to a recent Gallup report, Hawaii, Montana, South Dakota, Alaska and Iowa are the five states that ranked highest for total well-being in adults aged 55 or over.

The poll ranked each state on five elements of well-being: community, physical, purpose, financial and social — many of the same factors measured by the Blue Zones® study, which analyzes lifestyles in communities where people live significantly longer.

Not surprisingly, higher well-being aligns with a lower incidence of heart attack and other chronic diseases. Two of the states that made the top five for total well-being, Hawaii and Alaska, were also in the top five for fewest heart attacks. West Virginia, which ranked #50 for well-being, had the nation’s highest incidence of heart attack at 7.7%.

If you don’t happen to live in Hawaii or Alaska, there’s still good news. According to Gallup, well-being increases significantly as we age, in all fifty states.

Many senior communities pride themselves on welcoming new residents, but these days, they must roll out the red carpet for another group as well: the furry friends of those residents.

We’ve found through our own research that pets are extremely important to the next generation of retirees. As more and more Boomers turn 65, that trend is only expected to grow. Some communities already go beyond standard pet-friendly policies to offer added services catering to four-legged residents.

Pet-focused programs can also be offered in different forms at different care levels so that residents can continue to reap the important health benefits of interactions with animals as they age.

Here are ten pet-focused services communities may want to consider offering if they aren’t already:

1. Dog park
2. Yappy hour (residents bring pets to socialize during happy hour)
3. Pet-related merchandise in the community gift shop
4. Pet care program (walking, feeding, litter-changing, playful exercise, medication administration, etc.)
5. Pet salon or mobile grooming
6. Vet house calls
7. Day care or boarding for pets
8. Community dogs and cats
9. Pet therapy
10. Pet-oriented events like celebrations and adoption fairs

Marketing Insight:

As animal-loving Boomers enter the senior living market in droves, it’s time to fully capitalize on the health and financial benefits of providing their pets with creature comforts.

What should you call someone born between 1946 and 1964? The answer is surprisingly simple. Although mature market language can be a minefield, new research finds that the Boomer generation actually likes its nickname.

According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center, Boomers are more likely to embrace their generational label then any other age group. 79% of Boomers identify with their name, versus 18% of the Silent Generation, 58% of Generation Xers and 40% of Millennials.

Marketing insight: Although terms like “senior” don’t resonate with mature market consumers, the next generation of retirees may react more positively to “Boomer.”

How would you like to make life easier for elders, from folding clothes to taking meds? Just come to the Aging 2.0 30-event, 30-city, 30-day pitch tour, going on now through October 8. Start-ups in cities from Beijing to Boston are pitching tech inventions to panels of senior care providers. Winners will move on to the semi-finals, and finalists will present in San Francisco, November 19-20.

By partnering with one of these start-ups, communities can try out helpful new technology for their residents on a trial basis. A few of the innovations include:

• Reminder Rosie, a robot that helps elders remember medications and appointments
• A living time capsule from The History Project
• Telerehabilitation software from RespondWell
• The arc shelf, an easier way to fold clothes
• Vimty, a video-based advance directive platform

Just a reminder: Grandparents’ Day is this Sunday, September 13! Here are simple suggestions communities can use to make this Grandparents’ Day the grandest ever.

1. Bring a smile to a resident’s face, with a “Happy Grandparents’ Day!”

2. Post pictures of residents with their grandchildren on your community Facebook page.

3. Encourage your community book club to read a book that highlights the important role of a grandparent.

4. Feature a special story of a grandparent resident in your community newsletter.

5. Ask grandparents to share photos of their grandchildren at an afternoon coffee or tea.

6. Encourage grandparents to display photos of their grandchildren on the doors of their residences.

Find more grand ways to celebrate here.