Boomers Worrying About Aging Are Heading To The Bookstore

Boomers Worrying About Aging Are Heading To The Bookstore
By KORKY VANN | SPECIAL TO THE COURANT
November 15, 2007
In 2008, more than 3 million members of the Forever Young generation officially begin the journey into their golden years and indications are it's going to be a bumpy ride.

While studies show 64 percent of baby boomers claim they feel an average of 11 years younger than their actual age; more than two out of three also admit they suffer from muscle or joint pain once a week or more.

Two out of three Baby Boomers believe they will be a caregiver for an elderly parent or family member in the future (and a majority plan to provide that care at home), yet research indicates Boomers expect to spend large blocks of time traveling in their retirement.

Only about a third of Boomers expect that they will have to scale back their lifestyle during retirement; yet a substantial number of baby-boomer households have so far failed to accumulate significant savings.

One thing is for certain, when leading-edge Boomers start turning 62 in January, they'll be faced with a myriad of new challenges, including retirement decisions, health problems, care-giving responsibilities and financial issues.

"Boomers are getting into their 60s and they're starting to panic as they see those unmistakable signs of aging," says Sarah Bedell, owner of the Bookworm bookstore in West Hartford. "They've controlled every part of their lives up to now and they want to be able to control, or even avoid, old age as well. So they're seeking out as much information as they can find to try to hold off the inevitable."

In other words, like W.C. Fields, a lifetime agnostic who reportedly was discovered reading a Bible on his deathbed, Boomers are looking for a loophole. To assist the over-50 crowd on that quest, publishers are filling store shelves with new guides on healthy aging, avoiding memory loss, retirement, downsizing and other aging-related topics.

One of the most popular, according to Bedell, is "You Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty," (Free Press, $26), by Drs. Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz. The pair, who wrote the best-selling "You: The Owner's Manual and "You: On a Diet,' are back with their top 10 secrets of staying young, ways to preserve mental acuity, ultimate longevity foods and even the "Seinfield approach" to anger management. (Do the opposite of what you immediately feel like doing, as George did in the sitcom when he wanted to turn is life around.)

"Carved in Sand: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades In Midlife," Harper Collins, $24.95), by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin, helps Boomers understand just what it is that's going on "upstairs," how to fight back against middle-aged mental fog and how to get the very best performance from older brains. "Ultralongevity" (Little, Brown, $25.99) by Dr. Mark Liponis, medical director of the posh Canyon Ranch Health Resorts, explores the idea that the key to living a long, healthy life free from all aging-related illness is a well-managed immune system. His seven-step program is designed to calm the immune system, prevent, or even reverse, the aging process through diet, exercise, rest and other healthy behaviors and habits.

"The Power of Experience: Great Writers Over 50 on the Quest for a Lifetime of Meaning," (AARP/Sterling Publishing, $19.95), with an introduction by Gail Sheehy, is a celebration of the wisdom and clarity of those in "the afternoon of life." Such writers as Amy Tan, Sherwin B. Nuland, Richard Russo, Anne Tyler and dozens of others share the fine art of growing up and the power of experience to transform your life.

"The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything," (Springboard, $25.99), by Richard Crocker, features insights from the Me Generation and those who studied them and explores how boomers have transformed and continue to transform American society at every stage of their lives. "Healthy at 100: How You Can At Any Age Dramatically Increase Your Life Span and Your Health Span," (Ballentine Books, $14.95), by John Robbins shares the secrets of some of the world's healthiest, oldest people, including exercise, nutrition and strong personal relationships can increase longevity and vigor.

"I expect that this is a trend that's going to continue for a long time," says Bedell. "There's a receptive audience and millions more coming. We're going to see increasing numbers of these books as boomers head on throughout every stage of their lives."

Contact Korky Vann at kvann@courant.com