The Trends Research Institute’s Artful Aging trend line is strengthening.
In Artful Aging, boomers and seniors begin to understand their quality of life is less connected to medications, coping devices and traditional thinking about retirement; it’s much more about taking control of body, mind and spirit.
Smart entrepreneurs are beginning to see the bottom-line potential in targeting that emerging lifestyle preference. And they should: There’s a $3 trillion-plus market in the US alone waiting to be tapped.
One key area: longevity centers. Google “longevity centers” and you’ll largely find medical-based operations. But the institute is forecasting that business models will emerge that push beyond “products that target daily debilitating ailments, to products and services that enhance quality of life and feed the age-old need to engage creative energies late in life (December 2014 Trends Journal).” In a period of months to a couple of years, longevity centers will emerge, addressing quality of life from a multitude of holistic- and natural-healing approaches.
TRENDPOST: In communities across the US and many other Western Hemisphere countries, community and grassroots events, activities and programs showcasing the creative and spiritual dimensions of aging are taking shape. They’re concerts, symposiums, workshops and public gatherings — and they highlight the critical need to keep creating and contributing in later years. This is marketable. And the next generation of longevity centers will be the hub for blending different holistic disciplines into programs and activities that emphasize aging with grace.