» Fiſty Plus
recently sought our advice on her pre- budget proposal for how older adults can remain in the work and contrib- ute to society. We have also been in- vited by the White House Conference on Aging to write a vision paper for the White House on what’s needed to help older adults remain healthy longer. The European Commission sought
our counsel on Europe’s plans for its older population, and the European Ministers of Sport asked ICAA to share its model for active aging. Then there was the Vancouver’s
Olympic Committee which sought to incorporate older adults as volunteers into the game. The National Institute on Aging also sought our advice on its Exercise and Physical Activity Guide Book. Some other governmental groups
that we have worked with are the U.S. Administration on Aging, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Canada’s Special Senate Committee on Aging, and the British Columbia ministries of Health, and Healthy Living and Sport. The second way to answer your
question about impact is the through the efforts of ICAA’s 9,200 members. These passionate organizations and individuals have helped improve the lives of millions of older adults world- wide by assisting their customers to maintain or improve their function- al abilities. Doing so has reduced falls and hospital days, as well as caregiving levels and healthcare costs. Our com- munity of members has also enabled more people to meet, providing op- portunities for friendship, support and collaboration.
FBC: What impact are you having on an international level?
CM: ICAA is now in 37 countries, including Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, China, India, South
Speaking in Washington , DC, at the launch for the National Institute's Go For Life Program
Africa and other nations in Africa and the Middle East. In less developed countries, we’ve made some inroads— for example, there are some retirement communities in Uganda—but the con- cept of “active aging” is not highlight- ed the way it is here. That said, in the next few years
most population aging will become ap- parent in less-developed countries. So going forward, we will be emphasiz- ing the active-aging message globally, stressing that it’s not just about fitness. Active aging starts the moment you’re born, and refers to all the dimensions we’re active in.
FBC: How has the fitness industry responded to the older adult market?
“An estimated 95% of all marketing dollars are spent on the under-35 age group, even though the age 65-plus market has 47 times more wealth than the younger population.”
28 Fitness Business Canada March/April 2013
CM: For the last 11 years, business- es, media outlets and individuals have asked me the same question: “How is the fitness industry responding to pop- ulation aging?” My response is always the same. “Not well.” That answer has always bothered me, as it doesn’t tell the story the way it needs to be told. So here’s a better one: So far, the response is like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights of a speeding car—fro- zen in place and unable to get out of the way, even though it knows it’s in trouble. Over the last few decades, many of
us have repeatedly heard the “pig in the python” analogy of the Boomers moving through the life course. This analogy has been beaten to death, yet governments, businesses, healthcare, communities, families and individu- als have barely budged in response. Here are a few numbers that support this view:
• Only 35% of Fortune 500 CEOs
have plans in place for the Boomer market. • An estimated 95% of all marketing
dollars are spent on the under-35 age group, even though the age 65-plus
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