Boomers don't plan to slow down

Survey: Many to work, volunteer during their 60s

Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 28, 2007 at midnight

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In the 1960s they changed the world. In their 60s, will they change it again?

That's a question posed by the Rose Community Foundation of Denver in a report titled "Boomers Leading Change," which surveyed baby boomers to learn how they view their futures.

The results released today suggest the answer to the question is yes.

The report concludes that half of the boomers surveyed plan to volunteer after retirement because they have passion for a cause and want to help the community.

One-third of survey respondents said they were most interested in advocacy volunteer work. Top-ranked interests for volunteering also include neighborhood and children's issues.

Most also intend to continue working - many out of economic necessity.

Other planned pursuits: spending time with family and friends, traveling and taking classes for fun.

The foundation polled nearly 800 people, plus employers, nonprofit groups and educational institutions. It also collected insight from 14 focus groups and conducted in-depth interviews with more than 60 individuals.

The aim of the survey was to learn how to harness the experience, talent and energy of boomers. Roughly 78 million Americans were born between 1946 and 1964, the bookends of the boomer generation. The survey focused on a smaller group, people between 55 and 65 - those who are just about at retirement age or approaching it.

"I think this is the generation that harnessed its own power early on, whether it was around civil rights, women's equality, the war or other issues," said Sheila Bugdanowitz, president and CEO of the Rose Foundation.

"With the information we've gathered from this survey, we're trying to re-empower them around issues they care about," she said.

Results will be used to develop a volunteer clearinghouse, health care reform initiatives, leadership building and career retraining, among other programs.

The Rose Foundation was selected by New York-based Atlantic Philanthropies as one of 30 foundations to join a national effort to explore the potential for future civic engagement of older adults.

It's not surprising that Denver, as the nation's unofficial baby boom capital, was among the metropolitan areas chosen.

According to data compiled by the Rose Community Foundation, nearly one-third of metro Denver's residents are baby boomers, far surpassing the national average of 26.8 percent. Even higher percentages of boomers live in some of Colorado's non-urban counties.

As a retirement destination, the state is expected to receive even more boomers in years to come. Statewide, there were 560,658 residents 60 or older in 2000, according to the U.S. Census. By 2025, the number of Coloradans 60 and older is expected to reach more than 1 million.

Chief among the concerns of local boomers: health care.

"It's a big issue. People can't afford health insurance now, much less in their retirement years. Everyone is concerned about that," said Charlotte Gonzales, a 56-year-old Denver resident who runs a small insurance company.

Gonzales, a former activist who walked in the Poor Peoples March in Washington in 1968, said she sees health care reform as the next big cause.

"We won't be marching in the streets. What can we do as retired baby boomers? Go and harass the legislature," said Pierre Jimenez, 55, who works for a real estate investment company.

More than half of respondents said they plan to work part time or on a flexible schedule and pursue other interests. But the prospect of working more hours increased among those with lower incomes.

"I know most of my friends will still be working well into their 70s," Jimenez said.

A majority also plan to keep their minds young by taking courses and attending workshops and seminars.

"That's part of your quality of life," said Terry Nelson, a "sixtysomething" special collections manager for the Blair-Caldwell Library in Five Points.

"I'm not going to sit around and do nothing. I want to keep my mind sharp as long as I can."

The survey showed some differences in future plans based on race and ethnicity.

For example, a lower percentage of blacks than whites or Hispanics expect to be retired in 10 years. Nelson, who is black, said she is financially prepared for the future, but many of her peers are not.

"I made a concerted effort to plan for my financial security," she said. "But many in my age group will have to scramble for their retirement."

In focus groups, blacks discussed future plans through the lens of the civil rights movement.

"All those events molded who we are, what we think," Nelson said.

Black focus groups also discussed the importance of helping their communities and keeping families together.

Caring for elderly family members is a cultural tradition shared by Hispanics.

And many Hispanics said they didn't identify with the "baby boomer" term.

Lorenzo Ramirez, a 50-year-old artistic director for a Denver- based Mexican folkloric dance troupe, prefers the term elder to describe his generation.

"Because of my work in the community and my association with Aztec dance traditions, I am seen as an elder," said Ramirez, another focus group participant who has worked on HIV prevention efforts and other community issues on behalf of Hispanics and gays and lesbians.

"It's an honorable term. It's a term I embrace."

Denver's boomers (ages 55-64)

• Anglo 78 percent

• Hispanic 10.6 percent

• Black 4.7 percent

• Asian 2.5 percent

• Other 4.2 percent

Household incomes

• 22 percent earn less than $30,000

• 20 percent earn $30,000 to $49,999

• 35 percent earn $50,000 to $99,999

• 22 percent earn $100,000 or more

Currently, 63 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds are employed. In the next 10 years, nearly 40 percent plan to retire and not work.

Of those who will work

• 51 percent want part-time or flexible jobs.

• 27 percent want a major career change

• 23 percent want to start a business

Key concerns affecting future employment (scale 1-4)

• Health care (3.6)

• Involvement with others (3.5)

• Retirement benefits (3.4)

• Interesting/meaningful work (3.4)Sources: U.S. Census; Rose Community Foundation Research. Because Of Rounding, Some Survey Data Don'T Total 100 Percent.

quinterof@rockymountainnews.com or 303-954-5250

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