Gerontologist Coins New Term, ZOOMERS ... boomers with zip!

Dr. David J. Demko, copyright 1998, Library of Congress, ISSN 1088 5889, AgeVenture News Service 04-10-1998



There's a totally new a kind of Boomer. One who breaks with traditional notions about aging and retirement.



ZOOMERS are boomers who have adopted 9 longevity traits, most likely to extend life by 10 years or more.

These new boomers are coloring outside the lines, headed toward a bright new horizon chock-full of possibilities for reinventing retirement and redefining what it means to be a mature adult in the new millennium.



Are you a BOOMER?

You are if your birthday falls between 1946 and 1964. That birth period defines you as one America's the Post-World-War-II Baby Boomers. However, birth dates alone don't tell you much about how a person thinks or acts. Not all Boomers think or act alike. Some are breaking new ground, re-defining aging and re-inventing retirement. That's why I coined the term ZOOMER to identify this trend-setting group of Boomers, who have adopted life-extending traits.



Are you a ZOOMER?

The answer is "yes", if you have adopted the nine longevity lifestyle traits that can extend your life by ten years or more. Human life-span is estimated to be 120 years, but life-expectancy (CDC) is only 79 years. ZOOMER traits help close the gap between life-span and life-expectancy, a gain of 41 years.