A new look at 'old age': what used to be considered "over the hill" has become a time of vigor, vitality and great expectations

OLD AGE ain't what it used to be. The face of aging in the United States is rapidly and dramatically changing--it's youthful, vigorous, active and employed well past typical retirement age, sometimes in second careers.

It's the season of the silver foxes and the satin dolls. Composer and music legend Quincy Jones, 73, told one writer, "When you're over the hill, that's when you pick up speed." And the over-the-hill gang is doing just that, picking up new passengers along the way. According to U.S. Census data, by 2030, 1 of 5 Americans will be 65 or olden The older population is projected to double from 36 million in 2003 to 72 million in 2030, and to increase from 12 percent to 20 percent of the population in the same time frame. By 2050, the older population is projected to number 86.7 million.

This year, for example, the first members of the post-World War II Baby Boom generation (born between 1946 and 1964) turn 60, including people like celebrities Al Green, Ben Vereen, Reggie Jackson and Greg Gumbel, and many observers expect this group and their sheer numbers to have a heavy influence on the process of aging. They expect this activist group to challenge the status quo on aging as it has challenged every other point in their lives.

Sociologists expect that the baby boomers are likely to extend midlife well into what used to be considered "old age." They will continue to work longer, and responsibilities such as paying for college or having children at home already are extending to older ages. They also are likely to enjoy better health and remain "actively engaged" longer than previous generations. The seniors of the senior class, the group 85 and older, is currently the fastest-growing segment of the entire population, with expected growth from 4 million people today to 19 million by 2050.

With such a large presence, negative stereotypes about aging are changing quickly, experts say. "I think one misperception is that once you reach a certain age, maybe 60, you're no longer useful," says Marie Smith, immediate past president of AARP, whose organization is working hard to change negative images of aging. "This image of a sickly, useless individual has been prevalent as far back as I can remember, and we know that this is not true--we know this from our members." Smith cites an annual AARP-sponsored event, Life at 50-plus, which was held in Las Vegas last year, attracted 26,000 members. "We had exercise sessions, dancing ..., it was a beautiful sight and a very positive image of people as they age."

Perhaps the biggest change is the fact that aging no longer has to mean traditional retirement. Smith points out that many seniors are not only working past the stereotypical retirement age, but also getting involved in new careers and/or becoming entrepreneurs. And she uses her own life experience as a prime example of a typical pattern for the new seniors. "I worked for 25 years with the Social Security Administration in various managerial positions, and I retired from that very early and then went into real estate," Smith says. At the same time she also became an entrepreneur as she and her late husband developed a tropical garden at their home in Maui, and rented it out for weddings and events.

As more people continue to live longer, more productive lives, two large issues continue to impact the aging process for everyone--finances and health. Economic inequalities are likely to become more important as society ages. The least well-off may face higher risks of unemployment and worse health at a time when policy changes are encouraging them to remain at work longer. Low wages and job instability also may mean less savings than previous generations.

Smith advises all individuals to assume greater control now over their financial planning for retirement. "I think more and more of the financial responsibility for retirement is falling on the individual," she says. "The defined benefit pensions are declining--those are fast disappearing--since 1980 the number of people with those plans has dropped from 40 percent to 20 percent." That disproportionately affects African-Americans employed in the manufacturing sector.

By 2030 it is estimated that 10 percent of older Americans will be Black, 72 percent non-Hispanic White, 11 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent Asian. An increase in an older population will place a demand for a high level of health care for the senior segment of society, and many will turn to a relatively new field, geriatrics, and its specialist, the geriatrician, for advice and treatment.

"We should live to be 100, a healthy 100," says Geriatrician Dr. June M. McKoy, assistant professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "What we are seeing in our seniors is not only should they expect to live longer, we expect them to live more active and involved lives," she says. Geriatrics is a relatively new field, she adds, and more geriatricians are needed. As of 2005, there were approximately 7,600 certified geriatricians in the nation. The Alliance for Aging Research estimates that 36,000 trained geriatricians will be needed to meet the health care needs of the elderly in 2030. "Geriatricians are trained to distinguish between a true abnormal problem and a problem that is the consequence of the natural aging process," Dr. McKoy says. For example, she says memory loss is not a normal part of the aging process. "We tell our patients that they may be slow to retrieve the information, but not completely forget it."