Next month we start our community involvement with the Memory Walk for Alzheimer’s in San Francisco on Saturday, September 11, 2010. With 5.3 million people living with Alzheimer’s and it being the 7th largest cause of death, Alzheimer’s has had a personal effect on a few of the Crew members. Continuum Crew EVP, Amy LaGrant has said, “John LaGrant is my grandfather. I watched Alzheimer’s change my grandfather from a man who loved life, was always full of energy, was busy completing tasks and always fixing or creating something to a shell of a man who suffered from paranoia and never could settle his own mind. I miss the grandpa I had grown to love and admire. I walk in memory of him.” And CEO, Lori Bitter also had to deal with this debilitating issue, “My Grandma Mary was a vibrant, colorful lady. She loved to laugh and socialize. She was the kind of grandma who gave you little presents that mom didn’t quite approve of – like dangly earrings, red nail polish, and cute patterned hose – all with a fun&ndsah;loving wink and a smile.”

We will walk and fight to carry the legacy of those who’ve touched us in the past, and work to find answers for the future.

Please feel free to support this event and the fight against Alzheimer’s by safely and securely donating on the Memory Walk website.

The Age March will be the first time in history when people of all ages, races, genders, sexualities and economic walks of life join together to celebrate aging as a positive experience. The Age March’s intention is to raise age awareness and begin to break down the myths, stereotypes and social pressures causing age discrimination, shame and negative attitudes towards aging in our culture.

At a time when we are living longer lives than ever before we need to be free to SHINE ON at 50, 60, 70, 80, and beyond and not be limited by ourselves or others as we continue to seek new experiences and opportunities to make our contributions.

Don’t be ashamed of your age—be proud and celebrate it. Many younger people have missed out on the opportunity to spend quality time with grandparents and other older adults in their lives. There is a special connection between the young and old which needs to be nurtured and supported.

So much can be gained from the wisdom to be shared between generations.

If you are an entrepreneur, marketer or corporate strategists targeting the mature consumer, this is a must attend event. Produced by Mary Furlong & Associates, The Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and Business Plan Competition is taking place at Santa Clara University on Tuesday June 15 and Wednesday 16, 2010. The event brings together entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, industry analysts and business leaders in the field of aging to create a unique forum to explore business ideas, share trends and best practice information and design products and services that will serve the baby boomer market in the coming years.

Among the topics addressed by the gathered leaders about serving or investing in companies that will serve the boomer market are where and why venture capitalists are investing heavily in the boomer market and how key analysts segment the market and evaluate opportunities.

The Summit agenda is designed to deliver best practices in reaching the boomer consumer. Among the agenda’s sessions and boot camps are:

• ‘How to Finance Your Start-Up’ with Vijay Nadkarni, President and CEO of San Jose-based Wellcore and Randy Paynter, CEO, Care2.
• ‘Linking In and Connecting Around the World’ with James Datri, President and CEO of the American Advertising Federation.
• ‘How To Reach Boomers Through Print, Online, Radio And Social Media, Boomers are embracing new media while maintaining a connection with traditional media, making them accessible through a mix of marketing and advertising strategies. Learn how to maximize your impact by bringing the right strategies to the right media, with myself, Mark Gordon, President & CEO, firstSTREET, Stuart Rosenthal, Founder, Beacon Newspapers and Nancy Shonka Padberg, CEO, Navigate Boomer Media.
• ‘Women in Power’: A Discussion of the Influence of the Woman Boomer Consumer’, with Maddy Dychtwald, author of Influence: How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better.
• ‘The The Roadmap: Navigating AARP’ learn of all their resources available to empower businesses to better engage, serve and communicate with the 50+ market.
• ‘How to Accelerate Sales and Success in Your Organization: Large or Small’, with Joni Evans, CEO, wowOwow and others.
• ‘Gaming in the Social Space’, there lies a huge opportunity to connect not only with your boomer customer, but with their entire social network of like–minded boomers through gaming in social networks, with myself and Rajat Paharia, Founder, Bunchball.
• ‘Building Your Business Through Social Responsibility’–By broadening your long–term business perspective and incorporating public interest into your decision–making process, you can recruit and retain higher quality employees, establish a culture of honesty within the workplace and differentiate your business from the competition. Learn how your business can thrive by keeping an eye on the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit, with Brooks Kenny, Chief Marketing Officer, Lotsa Helping Hands, and moderated by Mary Furlong, CEO, Mary Furlong & Associates
• Spotlight with Gail Sheehy, Author of Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence. She’s one of the finest chroniclers of the boomer experience, providing a voice for a generation at key moments in life. Her newest book reflects on a new experience for millions of boomers: providing care for loved ones as they age, turning husbands, wives and adult children into full–time caregivers.

Also, don’t miss the Business Plan Competition, where five finalist entrepreneur groups will compete for the $10,000 grand prize by presenting their boomer business plans before a panel judges comprised of leaders in the field of aging and venture capital community. Finalists include devices for a targeted radiotherapy system that wherein tumors signal their location during treatment, providing more accurate treatments with fewer side effects; a non–invasive detect for obstructive sleep apnea; a medical device that dramatically reduces the muscular forces required to walk, enabling some wheelchair–users to be upright and mobile, and many more products and services that could soon dominate in the aging market.

Get the full agendas here: Day1-Boot Camp and Agenda-Day2

Register for the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit

Christine Crosby is founder of GRAND Media, LLC and Publisher of GRAND – The Online Magazine for GRANDparents, www.grandmagazine.com. In 1984, Crosby formed Currier Davis Publishing and published a powerful and controversial child abuse prevention book and it set her on course to be a child and family advocate. Her interest in supporting families led to the launch of Family Journal Publications, a chain of family magazines in the Florida market. Titles included Central Florida Family, Jacksonville Family, Tampa Bay Family, and Black Family Today. These monthly magazines emerged at the head of a national wave of regional parenting publications. In 1995, Crosby sold Family Journal Publications to The Tribune Company. In 2003, after eight–years of retirement, Crosby began research and development of a national magazine to serve the new generation of Boomer Grandparents. In 2004 GRAND Magazine and its website, www.grandmagazine.com was born. In July of 2008, GRAND – The Online Magazine for GRANDparents was launched and in October 2008, GRAND went totally “green” by replacing the print edition with the digital magazine.

1. Has the meaning and role of a grandparent changed?
   It may shock you with my answer, but it’s “no”. Today’s grandparents may look and act differently. They are healthier, wealthier than any previous generation of grands and some of us run around acting like we’re still in our thirties (and that’s OK as long as we’re being authentic). I think we’re the same as previous generations of grands, but now we’re going to be around longer doing it. We have more time to “get it right” and / or screw it up. First of all, just being the parent of your parent puts you on a pretty high pedestal to most children. The role of a grandparent has always been to love their grandchildren unconditionally (let the parents be disciplinarians; that’s their job) and just be there to listen and learn and help them fulfill their dreams. To be a gentle life guide and conveyer of family history, philosophy of life and instill the love of nature and family.

   Today, we have a huge population of grandparents raising their grandchildren full–time. This is an issue that impacts millions of children and deserves a whole blog just on this topic. Today’s grands are taking on these important issues and fighting for children’s rights and grandparent rights. Today’s grandparents are creating laws that will give them legal rights to be in the lives of their grandchildren, something previous generations were not able to accomplish.

2. What unique contributions do older Americans, specifically the sizeable group of grandparents, make to our country?
   A sense of history for starters. The world seems to be turning faster than ever with the digital revolution coming into bloom. Families are besieged from all sides. It used to be that TV was the culprit, but now every digital gadget out there competes for the time and attention of children (and their parents). I think grandparents can contribute a sense of time passing by and literally teach the next generation to stop and smell the roses…the real roses…not the ones on TV or on their computers. With parents working and busier than ever, grandparents can provide their grandchildren (the next generation) with their time and attention. Something that can’t be bought at Toys “R” Us or downloaded from the Internet.

3. What do you think will be the legacy of today’s older Americans/grandparents?
   I think it will be that they will change forever the image of grandparents.

4. What is your personal advice to living the theme ‘Age Strong? Live Long!’?
   I think we’ve all got the message about keeping our weight in control, eating right, keeping active with physical play – running, jumping, dancing, yoga, whatever it takes to move your body those 10,000 steps every day and enjoying it. Not abusing drugs/alcohol, staying involved, having a purpose and waking up every day knowing that you can make a difference if you take action. The most important element of Ageing Strong and Living Long is having a positive mental attitude, practicing forgiveness of others and yourself. In addition to taking care of our bodies, we must not neglect our minds, hearts and souls. We have the very important job of setting a good example for the next generations; a task not to be taken lightly.

View the current issue of GRAND magazine.

Dick Goldberg is Director of Coming of Age, a Philadelphia–based national initiative to promote age 50+ civic engagement. It is a partnership of the Intergenerational Center at Temple University, WHYY, AARP Pennsylvania and United Way of Southeastern PA.

1. What does it mean to be an ‘older American’? Has its meaning and role changed?
   That term now includes many more possibilities. As it says on the Coming of Age website, “It’s All about What People 50+ Can Do—Connect, Contribute, Give Back, Serve, Create and Dream.”
2. What is the special contribution older Americans, or those 50+, can and are making in our country?
   We’re now a source that is being transformed into a force for social good. There are so many of us; we have so many passions, talents, dreams, and skills; and many of us want to connect and contribute. And a lot of us are doing just that.



3. How does the Coming of Age initiative provide a way for older Americans to live the theme of ‘Age Strong! Live Long!’?
   We offer programs to help people 50+ consider next steps like our Explore Your Future sessions—and powerful ways to connect and contribute like our Make a BIG Difference Teams. The information about it all is very accessible via our website, comingofage.org, which The Wall Street Journal recently called “A wealth of resources!”
4. What are the benefits to organizations who create the capacity to utilize the skills, passions, and interests of people 50+ ?
   Quite simply, when organizations offer and promote compelling opportunities that speak to the passions, talents, dreams, and skills of people 50+, those organizations can realize more of their missions. That notion is at the heart of our 3–day, highly interactive “Capturing the Energy and Expertise of People Age 50+” Learning Lab that we have presented to almost 1,000 executive directors, program managers, and volunteer coordinators in over 25 communities across the country.
5. What do you think will be the legacy of today’s older Americans?
   Three things: 1) Stronger communities; 2) A new model for creative, productive, positive, and healthy aging; and 3) A substantive setback to that lethal form of prejudice known as ageism.




6. What is on the horizon for the Coming of Age initiative?
   More expansion. We just added out 6th community to the growing network of those that are replicating the initiative—Coming of Age: San Francisco Bay Area. In the last year, we fully replicated in 5 other communities and have several more places about to come on board. And, because of our array of training programs for building capacity, empowering people 50+ and promoting positive aging, which groups in all parts of the country are taking advantage of, we’re on target to be involved with at least 40 communities in the coming year.
7. What final thought would you like to leave us with?
   My personal motto: “Old is Good!”

This is a one-mile walk and will also feature exhibits, demonstrations, and other fun activities for walkers and non-walkers alike.

Continuum Crew is joining communities nationwide in celebrating this month with special activities:

• Special series of tweets encouraging followers to:
  • Share their “Age Strong! Live Long!” tips, and more
  • Links to stories profiling an older American who embodies the annual theme and is making great contributions to their community
• Multiple ‘Boomers in the Wild’ blog posts of Q&A interviews with outstanding older Americans who share their wisdom and how they live this year’s theme each and every day, and who can provide special insight into the contributions of older Americans
• Campaign logo placement on Continuum Crew website and outgoing email messages
• Continuum Crew 2010 Baby Boomer Outlook List

Inspired by the annual fall ‘Beloit College Mindset List’: an interesting and entertaining list designed with the intention to help college professors get a better understanding of their incoming freshmen students. With 10,000 Americans turning 60 each day, and already outnumbering teenagers in this country, a better understanding of these citizens is always valuable. Continuum Crew will develop a similar list to illuminate the richness of experience, and celebrate, older Americans. In what we hope will be both fascinating and fun, our sharing of this list with media will be done with the goal of generating attention about this treasured group and provoking discussion.

To learn more about May is Older Americans Month, visit: www.olderamericansmonth.org.

How will you be celebrating? Tell us on Facebook: Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumers > 40.

If you are local to Washington, DC, join in the Age Strong! Live Long! Walk on the National Mall on May 27th. You can learn more and register here.

Eight years ago I created a very compelling presentation for a major pharmaceutical company on caregiving. Their goal was to find a way to connect with consumers 40+ so they had a platform for talking about their brands. At that point in time web sites were new,”content” wasn’t part of our everyday conversation, and no one really identified with the moniker “caregiver.” In short the pharma company decided that caregiving didn’t have enough relevance with consumers. I truly believed the company who could crack the code on supporting caregivers and become their trusted source of information would own Boomer consumer loyalty for years to come. And I still do.

While still working for Age Wave Impact, we worked with two of the first caregiving web sites—one a support site for family caregivers, the other a resource site for adult children trying to find services for elderly parents. Both had great funding, strong entrepreneurial leadership, and of course, the guidance of a smart agency. Yet both failed. While some of this was blamed on the dot.com bust, I always believed these were solutions provided long before the problem was widely recognized. MetLife’s Mature Market Institute has done some of the most comprehensive studies on the issue of the family caregiver—from its impact on employers to the toll it takes on the family structure. (The MetLife Study of Working Caregivers and Employer Health Care Costs, October 2009). In the last nine months caregiving has emerged as a leading concern for Boomers. It is as though the economic downturn has amplified the issues for the adult children who are both providing care for their elderly parents, who may have limited financial options, and also taking their children back home because of the lack of jobs for new graduates. Our recent research revealed that more children are returning home than leaving the nest—for the first time in history. Today there are more than 65 million unpaid caregivers in the United States.

This pressure—like so many Boomer lifestages—creates ripe opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors in the caregiving space. And recently I am seeing a convergence of activity around the topic. During the recent American Society on Aging Conference and the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit, caregiving was the hot topic of presentations, workshops and new products showcased in the exhibit hall. Many are focused on tools to help caregivers get the resources they need to manage through the experience. Take a look at the new services offered by Silver Planet. Others seek to help organize the details of caring for loved one. Check out Strength for Caring, Caring.com, and the Caregiver Journal. Many are providing devices and services that help elderly people stay at home longer with a better quality of life while assuring caregivers of their safety and well–being. Look at GrandCARE and WellCore.

The time for supporting caregivers is NOW. Read Gail Sheehy’s provocative article in the May/June issue of AARP The Magazine (www.aarpmagazine.org) titled, “The Secret Caregivers.” The article talks about men who are providing care—more than 22 million—and who do so in secret. Gail, who led a generation of Boomers with her book Passages, has an exciting new book coming out in May titled Passages in Caregiving.

Stay tuned for details of the book’s launch from Mary Furlong and Associates.

In this webinar, Ed will discuss: AARP’s findings across the above–mentioned areas, aging trends, challenges seniors face, the hormone flip, the aging brain, myths about aging, and much more.

When I started managing the Boomer Summit for JWT BOOM, one of my first aging heroes was Dr. Gene Cohen. I read The Mature Mind and his bio. He was a thought leader in the aging of the brain. I don’t know what I expected when I met him the first time as he was keynoting our event. Perhaps an Ivy League scientist; a quasi politician / aging activist; an author selling a book. At any rate, he was not who I expected. He was so much more. With all due respect he was a cross between a brilliant scientist and Puck; smart, impish and impossibly hard to ignore. His body of knowledge on how the brain ages and what is possible in later life has been a rallying cry for seniors, business and technology.

I saw Harry (Rick) Moody’s presentation on creativity late in life at a presentation at Willow Valley Retirement Community and had long been fascinated with this notion of artistic self–actualization. I was able to review Gene’s book on late life creativity not long after this. I shared with Gene at our last conference that my Grandmother, now 96, began to draw in earnest in her 80’s. She entered her first art show and won the coveted Blue Ribbon in her late 80’s. He was delighted by her story.

What impresses me now, at his passing, is that Dr. Cohen lived his story. He was incredibly productive late in life—though his life was far too short. And, asserting his belief in “use it or lose it”, he started a company that created board games for people as they age. It defines his perspective and beliefs. Visit: www.genco-games.com.

The field of aging needs more heroes like Gene Cohen.