As the leading edge of boomers advance into their early 60’s, boomers of all ages are bringing their considerable resources to bear in an attempt to gain increasing control over health-related concerns.
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While physicians and pharmacists remain the most important influence on healthcare decisions, boomers are increasingly doing their own research via word of mouth, insurance and pharmaceutical websites and ad-supported media. (AARP, 2007.) Boomers often arrive at the physicians’ office, armed with strong ideas about their diagnosis, preferred treatment and outcome as the relationship between provider and patient trends towards more of a partnership than the patriarchal authoritative model accepted by their parents. (“After Sixty” by Devereux/Chanowitz, 2006.) In fact, eight out of 10 boomers are online every day, and searches for disease-specific medical information at sites like WebMD, AARP, Eons.com and Revolution Health are their number one destination.
In keeping with this proactive stance, Boomers do not like to think of themselves as victims and do not identify with their diseases and ailments. Unlike their parents’ generation, there is a move away from feeling guilty or shamed by illness, and the desire to do whatever they can to handle the symptoms so that they can get on with their lives and do “what really matters.” Boomer women, in particular, often think of illness as spiritual initiation into deeper meaning in their lives. (“Boom: Marketing to The Baby Boomer Woman”, Brown/Orsborn, 2006.)
Their definition of health products and services increasingly blurs the boundaries between health and beauty. Over the past three years, U.S. sales of anti-aging products jumped 42% to reach almost $2 billion, according to NPD Group. (Source: The Wall Street Journal — December 19, 2007) In addition to disease-centered sites, health conscious boomers seek information on fitness, diet and nutrition and proactive wellness.
National health-club memberships among people 55 and older have jumped 16 percent, from 6.9 million in 2002 to 8 million in 2005, according to the association.
(Source: The Annapolis Capital — March 28, 2007) On the flipside of this coin, also led by baby boomers … sports injuries have become the No. 2 reason for visits to a doctor’s office nationwide, behind the common cold. (Source: The New York Times — April 16, 2007)
Carol Orsborn