Annie Gowen of The Washington Post wrote an interesting piece on Baby Boomers and the impact we are having on the major Washington, DC suburbs, as a microcosm of a transition underway across America. In these suburbs, policy leaders point to a "silver tsunami" which will be taking place over the next 20 years, when the percentage of the population 65 and over will double. These wealthy suburbs of Fairfax, Prince William and Loudon Counties in Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland are being transformed by Boomers who have a very different idea of what they want to do in their 60s than their parents did. The implications for communities, families and the economy are stunning.

Across America, “The suburbs used to be Ozzie and Harriet land – places with young families raising kids,” William Frey of the Brookings Institute said in the article. “Now those same households are empty nesters, aging boomers and seniors, making those places much greyer than they’ve ever been before.” And some counties are becoming real-time laboratories for how governments and businesses should respond to this demographic tidal wave. When you look at the growth in senior populations nationwide, it’s easy to understand why this silver tsunami touches everyone. The top 10 counties with the fastest growing senior populations are: Douglas, Colorado; Nye, Nevada; Prince William, Virginia; Collin, Texas; Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska; Rockwall, Texas; Douglas, Nevada; Loudoun, Virginia; Flagler, Florida; and Forsyth, Georgia.

In Maryland, Montgomery County is considering hiring a cabinet-level “senior czar.” Arlington County, Va., is looking at establishing a concierge service for apartment buildings with large numbers of retirees. Fairfax County, Va., will release a “50+ Action Plan” next month, which is meant to map a course for the county in dealing with the waves of grey who now call it home. The county also is looking at a “call-in transit information center, high tech health monitoring, boomer volunteer programs, English language classes for immigrant boomers and help for caregivers.” And like any responsive democracy, Springfield, Va., bowed to the outrage of its senior citizens and named the newest ‘senior’ center – an ‘active adult center.’ Some counties are changing building codes to require roll-in showers, wider doorways and elevators. The aging population is forcing many jurisdictions to rethink mass transit – buses, subways and even taxi services. Others are considering hiring specialists to teach Boomers how to retrofit their homes and continue to live in them – because 89% of seniors want to stay where they are, according to AARP.

These counties are leading the way in trying to anticipate the needs of the ‘active adults’ who are more likely to vote and be vocal than any generation before them. Just as the Baby Boomer generation is changing the way companies market and what products are produced, this silver tsunami is forcing governments to rethink their role among an aging/active population. These new models will be interesting to watch and also provide some important opportunities for businesses to seek out partnerships in the years to come.

- Lane Bailey, Worldwide Director, Public Affairs, Golin Harris