The New Old

American Demographics, Dec, 1999 by Susan Mitchell

The woman in the mirror was too short and heavy. A quick adjustment of the controls produced a more suitable shape. Fortified by her idealized image, Debra Holman-Mason applied one last dab of wrinkle remover around her eyes (if they would only come up with a magic weight-loss pill!) and turned away from the mirror.

Debra's apartment was fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology. It was part of a "planned community" completed ten years ago to accommodate the growing number of aging baby boomers preparing to wage war against old age. There was no doubt that technology had made life easier for Debra, as it had for generations of women since the first electric wires were strung across the farmlands. Debra hadn't been inside a grocery store in ten years and she didn't miss it. The retail establishments left in her neighborhood were more for entertainment than for shopping.

She still worked part-time from her home office, but unlike many women her age (a youthful 75), she didn't need the income. Both she and her husband had been successful executives in the telecommunications industry. Their combined pensions and investments were substantial, so she was left financially secure when he died five years ago. Many of her friends had not been as fortunate, especially those who were divorced. With only their own meager retirement savings to live on, many were forced to continue working well into their 70s.

For a semi-retired woman, Debra was incredibly busy, consulting for a variety of community groups. Gun-control legislation enacted in the past 15 years was finally beginning to reduce violent crime, but new threats to the public's health and well-being had emerged. New viruses seemed to appear every few months and antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria had reversed many of the medical gains made in the 20th century.

If you could avoid getting bitten by one of those bugs, however, you stood a good chance of living well past the century mark. Debra's own mother had recently celebrated her 98th birthday and she was one of the younger residents of her assisted-living community. The Centenarian Club boasted 20 members, out of a population of about 100 residents.

Debra hoped she had another 30 years left. Her grandchildren were nearly grown and she couldn't think of anything she'd enjoy more than getting to know her great-great-grandchildren. But first, she had to get to work trying to ensure that these future generations would have a better world to grow up in.