{"id":682,"date":"2012-04-20T16:01:39","date_gmt":"2012-04-20T16:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=682"},"modified":"2012-04-29T21:18:11","modified_gmt":"2012-04-29T21:18:11","slug":"an-aging-population-means-new-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=682","title":{"rendered":"AN AGING POPULATION MEANS NEW JOBS"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Read Published Article<\/a><\/div>\n
Careers in aging are not the next big thing. They are the new big thing. In Warrenton, Virginia, Terry and Tina Ross, both in their mid-50s, run a
\nshop called\u00a0Simple Comforts<\/a>\u00a0that sells a panoply of products that cater to seniors. The shop sells literally thousands of items that promote healthy and active aging.<\/div>\n

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Puzzles and pruners.<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m talking everything from pill organizers to large print crossword puzzle books to ramps and rose pruners. \u201cThese products make everyday activities such as gardening, cooking, travel,
\ngolf, exercise and just plain gettin\u2019 around a little easier,\u201d Tina says. \u201cWe have items for boomers who might have an aching back and for their parents.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\"12see photos\u00a0<\/strong>Clarissa Leahy\/Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n
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Bingo\u2013a small business that caters to an aging population. The job site,\u00a0retiredbrains.com<\/a>, lists dozens of franchise opportunities that cater specifically to the aging
\npopulation. If you\u2019re interested, you\u2019ll have to do the vetting.<\/div>\n

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By 2050, according to\u00a0Pew Research Projections<\/a>, about one-in-five Americans will be over age 65, up
\nfrom some 39 million Americans, or 13% of the U.S. population now. And the
\nnumber of those 85 and older is expected to more than double to about 5% of this
\ncountry\u2019s population.<\/div>\n

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This demographic shift is already creating a wave of new fields and
\nopportunities for workers of all ages. It\u2019s just a tease of what\u2019s to come. To
\nget in, though, you might need to bolster your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 with new skills,
\npreferably added while continuing to work full-time in your first career.
\nTrue, some of the positions do require a full-degree program, say, an Associates
\nof Applied Sciences degree in gerontology. Professional certifications, however,
\nare becoming increasingly accepted by employers and clients in many arenas,
\nwhich is great for 50+ workers\u2013faster and cheaper.<\/div>\n

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Where are these jobs?<\/strong>\u00a0There\u2019s clearly high demand for health
\ncare workers across a wide gamut. Despite the tight job market, health-related
\njobs in hospitals; clinics; nursing and residential care facilities; and
\nhome-centered services are growing. Projections from The Department of Labor\u2019s
\nOccupational Outlook Handbook<\/a>\u00a0forecast 3.2
\nmillion new jobs within existing health care job classifications between 2008
\nand 2018. It lists a variety of home and personal care health care jobs as
\nfast-growing occupations.<\/div>\n

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You don\u2019t have to be a surgeon or ICU nurse:\u00a0<\/strong>there are
\nhundreds of areas of specialization, such as music therapists for Alzheimer\u2019s
\npatients, and occupational therapists for the elderly.<\/div>\n

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While my friend Carol was visiting her\u00a0 Uncle Bob in a New Jersey \u201cassisted
\nliving\u201d home this week,\u00a0 an instructor was leading a class\u00a0 in tap dancing for a
\ngroup of elderly women. The choice of music \u2013 \u201cStaying Alive.\u201d<\/div>\n

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Other positions include: registered nurses, mental health counselors, social
\nworkers, physical therapists, physician assistants, dental hygienists, and
\nfitness trainers and nutritionists.<\/div>\n
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\n
The American Medical Association\u2019s annual Health Professions Career and
\nEducation\u00a0Directory<\/a>
\nis a good resource for job seekers. Other helpful Web sites include\u00a0Health Professions Network<\/a>, which
\nfeatures different allied health professions, and\u00a0Health Care Workforce<\/a>, which has a
\nlong list of links to other job-listing sites in the field. As the stream of new
\nmedical technologies arrive, trained professionals will be called on to step
\ninto those areas as well.<\/div>\n
\u201cAs tens of millions of people live into their 80s and 90s, we\u2019ll need
\nmillions of others in their 50s and 60s and 70s to help care for them\u2013not just
\nwithin families, but through second careers,\u201d Marc Freedman, CEO of\u00a0Civic Ventures\u00a0<\/a>and author of\u00a0The
\nBig Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife<\/a>, says. \u201cThey\u2019ll be able
\nto fill millions of positions we will need to fill \u2014 as nurses, home health
\naides, health navigators, and roles we\u2019ve yet to even define.\u201d<\/div>\n
Last year, Civic Ventures in conjunction with
\nEncore.org<\/a>,\u00a0MetLife\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Partners in Care Foundation<\/a>\u00a0published
\nthe report:\u00a0How
\nBoomers Can Help Improve Health Care: Emerging Encore Career Opportunities In
\nHealth Care.<\/a><\/div>\n
It\u2019s good reading packed with deep research and forward thinking. It examines
\nsix new occupations identified by a panel of national experts in work force and
\nhealth care issues. The highlighted jobs are: community health worker, chronic
\nillness coach, medications coach, patient navigator\/advocate, home- and
\ncommunity-based service navigator\/advocate, and home modification
\nspecialist.<\/div>\n
I\u2019ve incorporated some of these into my own list (see slideshow above and
\nlist below) of potential jobs that will benefit from the aging society. Open
\nyour mind and consider the possibilities. There are many ways to get an angle
\ninto the needs of the growing geezer market beyond healthcare.<\/div>\n
In the Pew Research survey of 2,969 adults<\/strong><\/div>\n