ABSTRACT
O lder Americans-once divided into categories of young-old, old, and old-old-now form one group differentiated not by age but by physical ability and mental agility. Consequently, the three groups are collapsed into one group called the third phase of life. Older Americans comprise the fastest growing segment of the population, unprecedented in the nation’s history. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control (2007a), in the year 2030 there will be 71 million older Americans. The first wave of the baby boomers will be 85 years old and the youngest boomers will be 65 (Wacker & Wacker, 2007). Aging baby boomers will double today’s population of those 65 years of age and older, accounting for 20% of the total U.S. population, and exerting tremendous influence on our collective future.
