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Editor's note

Our lives and lifestyles, reflected more clearly

By BOB JENKINS, LIFE TIMES EDITOR
Published October 31, 2006

Words often have power well beyond their dictionary definition. But gerontologist Janice Wassel has conducted research to prove what many of us only guessed: Many people, especially younger ones, see "old" as a pejorative.

Gone is the idea that having lived a long time provides wisdom - and therefore value - that comes from experience.

I don't buy that rejection of life's lessons. The words used to describe you should reflect what you have accomplished - and how you will continue on your personal journey. You are active and engaged, smart and talented. The St. Petersburg Times has retooled its publication for people 50 and older to reflect those characteristics.

Today, you are holding the inaugural edition of Life Times/Living Well After 50, the successor to the monthly magazine Seniority.

Even the change of names says a lot about our goals. Let's reconsider the power of words:

Referring to older people as "seniors" was probably an early 20th century sociological bit of shorthand.

Much before that time, there were not so many elderly people among us because we simply didn't live that long. An American infant born in 1900, for instance, had a life expectancy of just 47 years.

As recently as 1967, fewer than one in 10 Americans was at least 65.

But due to changes in work habits and medical advances, the people we call baby boomers can expect to live at least 30 years longer than their grandparents did.

And those boomers - born in 1946 through 1964 - also comprise the most numerous American generation ever, an estimated 78-million. That's about 25 percent of the country's population.

They started turning 60 this year, by the thousands every day.

Some folks we have interviewed for articles in the magazine said they didn't much want to be mentioned in a magazine called Seniority. Like many people already in their mid 50s, they took "senior" to mean someone no longer productive, or maybe unable to get around on his or her own.

But consider this statement from a foremost gerontologist:

Though perhaps half of the people age 85 are not able to be fully independent, for physical or mental reasons, the other half are able to enjoy a full life.

And along with the boomers, these tens of millions of people represent the healthiest, wealthiest, best-educated and best-traveled generations in our history.

Wealthiest? People over age 50 control an estimated 70 percent of America's money.

Best-traveled? People at least 50 travel three times as often, for pleasure, as those younger than 50.

A recent survey reports 71 percent of people ages 50 to 64 go online regularly, as do about 32 percent of those 65 and older.

And nearly 80 percent of all boomers own their own homes - the national average is 69 percent. About 25 percent of the boomers own real estate in addition to their home; 7 percent own a vacation home.

Those facts help explain why we changed our magazine's name to something more representative of the vibrant - and populous - segment of readers.

But the name was actually the last thing that we changed: We have been retooling the content for months, introducing new columnists and new features:

The Bookshelf - reviews usually keyed to the topic of our cover story, often including author interviews.

Things to do- interesting happenings ranging from headline performers to college speakers.

Financial Advice - Scott Burns, a business reporter/editor for more than a quarter-century, writes simply and pulls no punches.

Lifelong Health - written by Dr. David Lipschitz, a Ph.D. and physician who is a noted gerontologist.

Next Steps - The authors of this legal advice column are a lawyer specializing in elder law, and the editor of the Business and Economic Review of the University of South Carolina.

Travel - We will alternate between a column by longtime Miami Herald Travel editor Jay Clarke and articles from correspondents.

And we are increasing the range of articles about senior issues from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and other wire services.

By broadening the reach of the magazine, we will better reflect your interests. We expect that each issue will give you something to talk about with friends and family.

We will always feature our main story each month on the cover. Upcoming topics include:

Volunteering: Beyond the hometown outreach, we interview your neighbors who have worked overseas in the Peace Corps, in Habitat for Humanity and on church missions. We'll tell you how to get started.

Accessible housing: The fastest-growing class offered by the National Association of Homebuilders explains how to plan or retrofit a home for what one Tampa Bay area designer calls Life Span housing, to accommodate those with mobility and flexibility issues.

That's what we have in mind for you. Let us know how we're doing.

Robert N. Jenkins can be reached at 727 893-8496 or at bjenkins@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 30, 2006, 20:41:35]