“The Silver Tsunami” is upon us. And there’s no better evidence of that than the recent wave of older people on the social networking site Facebook. At a recent roundtable discussion at Stanford University titled “Generation Ageless: Longevity and the Boomers,” panelists including Stanford President John Hennessy, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, AARP CEO Barry Rand and moderator Tom Brokaw, discussed the health, economic and social importance of focusing on the nation’s aging population. Also on the panel was Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, seemingly ironic considering the topic of discussion.
On the contrary, the fastest growing group on the social networking site are people over 65. And in fact, over 50 percent of Baby Boomers have a social networking profile. According to Sandberg, Facebook is focusing its business model on aging generations, as it is helping to share and connect, which becomes more and more important as we grow older.
It’s true: technology can help redefine what it means to age, and innovations that improve privacy to help meet the needs of skeptics, like Justice O’Connor, who has resisted joining Facebook, just might be able to keep us more nimble and engaged in life as we grow older. While this type of technology might not be for everyone, it just might be able to improve the way we age, stay connected and live fulfilling lives. If in the process it facilitates a different and more flexible learning process, keeping those in the new middle age, 55 -75, “young at heart” it can transform this cohort from a dependent group to a productive economic contributor.
It’s a tool that will ultimately improve care in multiple other ways as well: The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) has recently posted a blog about Redstone Highlands Senior Living Communities, a continuing care retirement community, connecting families, raising money and ultimately marketing itself through Facebook. This type of sharing and connecting will change how we select assisted living facilities for our parents and for ourselves in the future. I commend companies like Facebook who are catering new technologies to improving how the aging population lives on a daily basis. It’s a smart move and simply good business.
