The baby boomers start turning 60 this year, and by year 2030 the generation is expected to reach retirement peak. According to a study led by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the number of people age 65 and older will reach 71.5 million in 2030, double the number in 2000.

“The face of aging has changed with the coming of the baby boomers. With the relatively privileged lifestyles much of that generation has experienced to date, not only do they have no intention of being institutionalized in their later years, but they are aging much differently than even their parents before them,” says Edie Morgan, who is spearheading The Mustard Seed Project, an effort to make the Key Peninsula an elder-friendly community. “As this demographic group’s needs increase, it will insist on services and programs that meet those needs.”

Jeanette Franks, PhD, a Bainbridge Island gerontologist, University if Washington professor, and consultant on aging, believes her baby boomer generation is less willing to sacrifice quality of life compared to their parents. Franks visited more than 200 independent and assisted living communities in the state as part of research for a book, and finds that older people “don’t want to be a burden to their children” and want to be independent, but not everyone likes the idea of “age-segregated housing” such as assisted living.

“For the business community, I predict a wide range of new options (in the future), things we haven’t even thought of,” Franks says. “There are already new services, like dentists with mobile (clinics). In Kitsap County, it’s amazing how many home delivery services there are. It’s a booming business.”

Linda Navage, a Bainbridge Island certified professional guardian, social worker and counselor, says there has been an influx around the county of new home health care agencies and assisted living facilities. “Before, people struggled in their homes; we didn’t have assisted living, only hospital care and nursing homes,” she says. “Now we are seeing that people can stay in their homes. It gives them choices they didn’t have before… I believe it’s a positive shift for consumers because there are more options.”

Randy Hardin, director and owner of Abiding HomeCare in Silverdale, has seen growth of 300 percent at his business, which provides personal home care services. The biggest demand is on assistance with daily living, non-medical activities such as cooking, shopping, driving, grooming and light housekeeping. He says the baby boomer generation is a creating a big bubble that puts increasing pressure on institutions, so “the solution is to improve the capability of people to age in place.”

“(The demand) is driven by people wanting to stay at home for the rest of their lives, if that’s possible… I think the aging baby boomers will look for a way for services to be provided to them,” he says, noting that Kitsap County residents are “fortunate” because there are already many resources here.

Hardin also believes there are many aging in place service ideas and technology on the horizon that no one has thought of yet, and technology will continue to improve, making things like electronic dispensing machines and remote data collectors common and affordable. “It’s a rapidly changing industry,” he says.

Already, medical equipment for home use has seen major improvements. Mike Lott, general manager for Ferrell’s Home Health Centers that offers pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, says when he first started in the field more than 20 years ago, the oxygen machines were the size of an old television console. The machines were big, heavy and noisy, requiring frequent service. Now, portable machines are available that weigh under 10 pounds, are operated by batteries, and are the size of a loaf of bread.

“Everything had an institutional look, and over the years they’ve made the equipment more pleasing to the eye and ergonomic,” he says.

Lott notes a changing trend in the use of medical equipment and devices. In the past, people used the equipment for providing comfort only at the end of life. “Baby boomers are retiring earlier, have the money, and want a comfortable retirement, therefore they are looking at this equipment as a measure of comfort, not as a necessity,” he says. “They have also been involved in their own parents’ care and are aware of the availability of the equipment.”

Builders, too, are offering many new options to make a home senior-friendly, from aesthetically pleasing grab bars, power-assisted remote-control door openers (similar to those in commercial buildings) and stair lifts, to design concepts such as more accessible sink cabinets, ramps and roll-out shelves. Charlie Mackall, a superintendent with JAFA Enterprises in Bremerton, says the demand for aging in place design is still subtle, but he believes it will become a movement similar to “green building.” Mackall is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), a professional designation certified by the National Association of Home Builders. He says when the CAPS program was first offered in 2002, it had 53 graduates nationwide. In 2005, it had 284.

“There is a demand from the consumers (for aging in place design), and builders and remodelers are looking to stay ahead of the demand and be prepared,” he says.

Franks believes the notion of universal design should be more widely considered by communities, but it would require a culture change because America is a youth-oriented society where prejudice about disability and aging still lingers. She thinks businesses will start paying more attention to these issues as the baby boomers come of age.

“An elder-friendly community is a livable community for everyone,” she says.

Morgan, whose Key Peninsula project is in its early stages, also feels that having an elder-friendly community impacts all generations, and affects the entire community as well as its future. While a trend toward aging in place will affect businesses and the economy, it will also have social implications.

“To have a true community means, among other things, a multigenerational blend of folks,” Morgan says. “Our communal life is not complete without elders in the mix. Our elders have lived through the stages of their lives during a particular phase of history. Theirs is a unique perspective. If we miss the opportunity to learn from them, we lose the wisdom that comes from reflecting back on a long life.”.