Aging in the time of COVID-19, part two: An ICAA interview with Age Wave's Ken Dychtwald by Colin Milner

In the 1980s, psychologist and gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, PhD, predicted a "demographic revolution" in the making. Demographic and cultural forces would converge, he believed, in an "absolutely predictable arrival, in our society and in our time," of an unprecedented demographic shift to an aging population. For this phenomenon, he coined the term age wave. And he signaled the need for society to prepare in his 1989 book Age Wave: The Challenges and Opportunities of an Aging America. Today, the renowned researcher, consultant and best-selling author of 17 books is considered one of North America's most original thinkers on the social, economic, healthcare, marketing and workforce implications of the age wave. As CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, I have long viewed Dr. Dychtwald as an early visionary whose work helped to lay the foundation for the active-aging industry and continues to this day to build it. Below is part two of an interview I conducted with Dychtwald earlier this year, in which he delves into topics ranging from challenges with healthcare, wellness and Alzheimer's, to COVID's senior living impact, to longevity, retirement and the "third age." He also ponders the question of legacy. Let's jump in.