‘Elderly’ No More
By JUDITH GRAHAM
“Have you thought about changing the name of that blog you’re writing for?” Ann Fishman asked. “The boomers aren’t going to like it. They don’t ever want to get old.”
I’d called Ms. Fishman, president of Generational Targeted Marketing, a market research firm in New York, with a simple question. What language should we use in talking about people age 65 and older? Should we call them “seniors”? “The elderly”? “Older adults”? Something else?
“For heavens’ sake, don’t call them anything,” said Ms. Fishman. “Let’s talk about their interests and values.” Marketers, she noted, make it point to address potential customers’ “stage of life” and “lifestyle,” but never talk about their age.