The baby boomers are starting to turn 65. That's going to be a lot of seniors and though some are quick to say that means a whole lot of extra services, signs point to these new seniors as a gain -- and that's a gain in cash, everybody, not just wisdom.
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Oakland County is getting grayer, so it only makes sense to bolster services for the aging, rethink zoning and public transportation and market the county as a retirement destination.
After all, retirees pack a powerful economic punch -- $4 million for every 100 who stay or move into the county, a new report says. In "Preparing for the Silver Tsunami, A Wave of Opportunity," the Oakland County Senior Planning Coalition asks government bodies, service providers and residents to prepare for the generational shift under way.
Oakland County certainly isn't unique. Across the U.S., baby boomers -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- begin turning 65 next year, and several Michigan counties have started to assess how that will reshape social services, housing, transportation, the economy and taxes.
"There's a tendency to say, 'Oh no, they'll need all these services. ... It will bankrupt us,' " said Jim McGuire, research director at the Area Agency on Aging 1-B, which covers six counties.
Rather, he added, "they're a net gain to the community."
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