admin November 27th, 2008
“House and Home” on Sunday evenings is always a favourite TV show of mine. But during the most recent show, it particularly piqued my interest because Lynda Reeves devoted the whole show to “What’s Grown-Up Now” for houses and homes of baby boomers.
Every life stage is different and it’s always my opinion that we should redecorate our homes every decade. Refreshing our home décor is like updating our wardrobes – new colours, new accents and new style.
After going through three very different homes of three baby boomers including the host’s, the TV program concluded that as boomers grow up or mature, their home décor reflects their bold confidence demonstrating they are willing to take gutsy risks. Boomers no longer have to prove anything to the friends they entertain, so it’s all about scale and luxury material; a sense of detailing; a juxtaposition of contrasts, for example, hanging a huge crystal chandelier next to a very contemporary ceiling fan. For those who like to entertain at home, foyers are very important since they are the centrepieces for cocktail parties. After travelling all over the world, baby boomers now demonstrate a strong sense of lifestyle quality and individuality in their homes. Whether they are antique sculptures collected during their travels to far, exotic places, or heirloom pieces handed down from their ancestors, decorating for boomer homes is all about understanding who you are and showing your confidence that comes with age!
admin November 17th, 2008
According to the Toronto Star over the weekend, Canada needs to put more funding and efforts into home care and community support for the aging boomer population when it enters the senior years. Whether it’s Alzheimer’s disease, or a stroke, or any other kind of health crisis, today’s boomers will bankrupt us all if we don’t change the way we fund elderly care.
The Star said the current healthcare system does not do justice to seniors and taxpayers. Seniors are forced into costly, and unpleasant, nursing homes. They are given medical care by doctors who have little specialized training and they are regularly medicated into oblivion. I agree that Ottawa should consider a national home care program and a national drug agency to monitor prescriptions.
Many boomers will live decades past retirement as we will be the healthiest and longest-living cohort to date. We’re also used to our independence. Society has to find ways to encourage boomers-turned-seniors to stay involved and to value the contributions they make.
Lina Ko November 10th, 2008
I read with interest that at long last a TV station has been launched, targeting specifically at boomer women. According to The Toronto Sun, the network known as Canadian Learning Television (CLT) is rebranded as Viva, programmed for women aged 40-64. Corus Entertainment, the owner, said that it’s less about specific ages and more about life stage.
Boomer women keep saying that even though they watch a lot of TV, they feel largely ignored. And the advertising messages are not for them. This TV station is all about them now. The bottom line is about boomer women having huge control over finances in the country. They have been demanding customized programming and advertisers have been asking about it as well.
The marquee program in Viva’s launch period is Lost in Austen, a British series making a Canadian debut. It’s about a modern-day woman who worships author Jane Austen and is suddenly transported back into the world of Sense and Sensibility. Boomer women should now vote with their remote control!
Lina Ko November 3rd, 2008
I’m surprised to read that of 37 global markets surveyed recently, Canada ranked No. 1 in adoption of online banking, with 67.1 percent of Canadian Internet users banking online in April 2008. According to The Toronto Star quoting comScore, Inc., other English-speaking countries has significantly lower penetration, including the U.K. (49.5 percent), U.S. (44.4 percent), and Australia (41.7 percent).
Canadians lead the world in online banking, with an average of eight usage days and 10.5 online banking visits per visitor. We spent an average on banking sites viewing approximately 121 pages per visitor. Of the nearly 24 million Canadian Internet users, 15.5 million visited a banking site this year. RBC Financial Group led the category with 4.6 million visitors, followed by TD Bank Financial Group with 4.5 million visitors and Bank of Montreal sites with 3 million visitors.
What’s most interesting to me is that while the percent of consumers using online banking services is generally higher among younger age segments, the frequency of usage is slightly higher among older-age segments.
As an age group that often confronts financial challenges, including retirement planning and paying for their kids’ university education, 45- to 54-year-old boomers represent a particularly important age segment for online banking. The segment shows both high penetration (73 percent) and the heaviest frequency in usage (12 visits and 157 pages per visitor per month). Who says boomers are not Internet- and computer-savvy?
Research has shown over and over again that Canadians trail behind the Americans in online shopping even though we are more Internet-savvy. I can only draw the conclusion that we must be trusting our financial institutions more than we trust online retailers in preventing Internet fraud and protecting our financial security!