So, hurray! Intel to the rescue. That would be, specifically, Steve Agritelley, Director, Health Systems Research Lab of the Intel Health Group. Steve manages an interdisciplinary team of social science, hardware, software and interaction design researchers who collaborate with medical researchers in academia and industry. They think about things such as how emerging technologies can solve healthcare issues in the home, clinic and hospital. They think about these things not only in the US—but talk about a generational age range going to dots—the entire world.

So why hurray? Because Intel has managed to find some key universals that aging individuals share in common globally. They might not identify with the name “boomers” (in Australia, a boomer is a young male kangaroo…) but there are common needs/desires that can hold this population together globally. As FH Boom takes root around-the-world, these kinds of similarities can become as important to note as are the differences.

So here, paraphrased, are seven qualities Intel has found that all aging individuals want to have in their lives. These make intuitive sense—but may be so much the water we boomer marketers swim in—we forget that they can be named. Individuals aging around the world want:

1. To be physically safe
2. To be able to choose the environment in which to live (i.e. “aging-in-place”)
3. To be connected to others
4. To be useful in some way—to have meaning in their lives
5. To be able to get the help and care they need
6. To have healthcare in the home environment, whenever possible
7. To get the support they need to partake in physical activities

Carol Orsborn