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Jeffrey DeMure is an architect by profession and a passionate generationalist by vocation. The principal of a thriving practice in Northern California, Jeff works and speaks all over the country on the subject of reinventing the model for 55+ living.
Jeff is quick to remind us that, with Americans living on average 30 years longer than they did at the beginning of the last century, there is no longer one profile for the retired. Three different generations inhabit this general category, with very different needs—and even more, very different attitudes about themselves and aging.
America’s oldest retirees are those of The Greatest Generation—the people who grew up with the Great Depression and fought in World War II. That group—now in their mid eighties and up—represents the more traditional image of the senior citizen. The Silent Generation retirees, now in their late sixties to mid eighties, have been the first to rethink how they want to live in their retirement years—and some have chosen not to retire at all. Now that the Boomers, some 80 million strong, are entering into retirement age at a rate of 10,000 people turning 65 every day, there is more pressure than ever for a redefinition of active adult living.
Jeff tells us that the Boomer senior is less likely to move away from their home area, and more likely to put off aging as long as they can. As they recognize physical frailties, they are more likely to get a knee or a hip replaced than lose their mobility. He sees the differences in age and outlook as a sociological puzzle to be solved as much as an architectural opportunity.
Our conversation with Jeff will last for three more weeks, so be sure to tune in. You can download the entire series on iTunes or on Facebook.















