The Rise of the Silver Economy銀發經濟蓬勃興起

索娜·帕伊/文　盧俊宇/譯

Were not getting any younger. In fact， we are all getting older—living longer， working longer， and transforming the consumer landscape.

我們無法逆轉年齡增長。事實上，我們都在變老——活得更長、工作得更長，同時還在改變消費市場格局。

“The aging population is one of the most important trends in the world， and its a powerful force not just socially but economically，” says Bill Novelli， distinguished professor of the practice and founder of Georgetown Business for Impact at the McDonough School of Business.

“人口老齡化是全球一大顯著趨勢，無論在社會層面還是經濟層面上都是一股強大的力量。”喬治敦大學麥克多諾商學院商業影響中心創始人兼實踐教授比爾·諾韋利表示。

Novelli is the co-chair of the national Coalition to Transform Advanced Care， a national alliance focused on reforming advanced illness/end of life care in the U.S.， and former CEO of AARP1， a membership organization of 40 million people 50 and older. He is one of a growing number of business leaders heading up2 the charge to better understand and serve the distinct needs of adults as they age. Older adults represent a massive opportunity for nearly every industry： consumers with new challenges that businesses can help solve. By addressing those challenges， companies can build a new market for their products and services while creating social value. They can boost their own bottom lines3 while improving quality of life for people as they age.

諾韋利是全美高級護理轉型聯盟（美國一個專注于改進晚期疾病護理和臨終關懷的全美聯盟）的共同主席，曾任美國退休人員協會（4000萬會員的年齡都不小于50歲）的首席執行官。越來越多像他一樣的商業領袖帶頭致力于深入了解并滿足老年人的特定需求。老年群體為幾乎各行各業帶來了巨大的商機，企業可幫助解決這一類消費者面臨的新挑戰。通過應對這些挑戰，企業不僅能為自己的產品與服務開辟新的市場，同時也能創造社會價值，在改善老年人的生活質量之余提高自身盈利。

So far， three major areas have emerged in which businesses have enormous potential to innovate： accommodating an older workforce， enabling people to stay in their own homes as they age， and serving the needs of family caregivers.

目前，有三個主要領域顯現出企業巨大的創新潛力：容納老年勞動力，助力老人居家養老，以及滿足家庭照護者的需求。

Engaging the aging employee

讓老齡員工更有參與感

“Older employees can be incredibly valuable to companies，” says Melissa Gong Mitchell， executive director of the Global Coalition on Aging （GCOA）， a research and advocacy organization that advises businesses on how to maximize the opportunities of an aging population.

“老年員工可能對企業極具價值?！比蚶淆g化聯盟的執行董事梅利莎·龔·米切爾說道。全球老齡化聯盟是一家研究和倡議機構，為企業提供充分利用老齡人口機遇的建議。

Mitchell says older employees often are more loyal to their employers， they offer seasoned experience and institutional knowledge4， and they can mentor younger employees.

米切爾指出，老年員工往往對雇主更加忠誠，他們不僅具備豐富的經驗和內部運作知識，還能對年輕員工進行“傳幫帶”。

Novelli says a big challenge for employers is building a collegial5 environment between younger and older employees.

諾韋利認為，雇主面臨的一大挑戰是營造一個讓年輕和年長員工能夠友好相處的環境。

“Imagine youre a 70-year-old woman and youre sitting across the table from your 32-year-old supervisor who looks like your daughter，” he says. “Youre saying， ‘How can I report to this kid？ Meanwhile， the supervisor is looking at you wondering， ‘Is she trainable？ Will she be able to modernize her work habits？ The two of them have difficulty relating to each other because， unfortunately， ageism is still a prejudice in our society.”

“設想你是一位70歲的女士，坐在你32歲的上司對面，她看起來跟你女兒差不多大。”他說，“你心里在想，‘我怎么可能向這個小孩匯報工作呢？而這位上司面對著你，也在思考，‘她能接受我的訓導嗎？工作習慣能與時俱進嗎？不幸的是，由于我們的社會仍然存在年齡歧視，他們之間很難相互理解?！?/p>

Mitchell says combating that ageism is one way businesses can help not only older workers but also workers who will one day be older. She says businesses have an important role to play in nudging6 younger employees to plan and save for the lives they want for their older selves.

米切爾表示，杜絕年齡歧視使企業不僅能幫助現有的老年員工，還能幫助遲早會步入老年的其他員工。企業在逐步引導年輕員工為自己的晚年生活進行規劃和儲蓄方面發揮著關鍵作用。

Upgrading the comforts of home

提高居家舒適度

In a study conducted by Georgetowns GSEI7 and Philips， a company with a focus on developing technology for the aging population， 91 percent of respondents （age 50–80） said they wanted to live in their own home rather than alternatives such as assisted living communities8. The trend is known as aging in place.

在喬治敦大學的全球社會企業倡議和菲利浦公司（一家專注于為老年人開發技術的公司）聯合開展的一項調查中，91%的受訪者（年齡在50至80歲之間）表示他們更愿意留在自己家中，而不是搬到輔助生活社區等替代場所。這一趨勢被稱為“居家養老”。

“People want to live where they are as they age—where theyre most comfortable and feel independent，” says Novelli. “But most homes just arent designed that way.”

“人們希望晚年能生活在自己熟悉的環境中，這既讓他們感到舒適又能覺得自立?！敝Z韋利說，“然而，大多數住宅并沒有按這種需求設計。”

Even active， healthy older adults experience changes in mobility， dexterity9， memory， and health care needs that the housing industry is starting to address with retrofitting10 design and smart technology. For example， lever-style door handles that work without the firm grasp a doorknob requires or smart stoves that automatically turn off if left on for too long.

就算是健康活躍的老年人也會面臨行動力、靈活度、記憶力以及健康護理需求的變化。為此，住房行業開始通過改造設計和智慧技術來解決這些問題。比如，設計不需要像球形門拉手那樣握緊才能擰開的杠桿式門把手，或者能在長時間未關的情況下自動關閉的智能爐灶。

For adults with deteriorating health or chronic disease， the desire to stay at home and maintain independence gets more complicated. Beyond technology to make their homes safer and easier to live in， they need regular health monitoring and rapid communication with health care providers and family members. New innovations in sensors， the internet of things， and communications technology can help， but actually putting them to use can present its own challenge.

對于那些健康狀況日益惡化或患有慢性疾病的人來說，留在家中維持獨立的愿望愈發難以實現。除了需要技術來讓住宅更安全、更便利以外，他們還需要定期接受健康監測，并能快速聯絡醫療服務提供者及家人。傳感器、物聯網和通信技術的新進展雖有助益，但將其付諸應用也面臨挑戰。

“Theres no shortage of technology development and creation， and theres no shortage of seniors in need，” says Robert Wray， a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral11 and founder of the in-home technology company BlueStar HonorCare. “The problem is connecting the innovation with the seniors who need it.”

“技術發展和創新從不缺少，需要這些技術的老年人也大有人在?！泵绹＼娡艘凵賹⒓熬蛹壹夹g公司藍星至尊護理公司創始人羅伯特·雷表示，“關鍵在于如何將這些創新技術與老年需求者連接起來。”

“Most technology isnt created for 80-year-olds， who have issues with things like hand-to-eye coordination， physical dexterity， and lack of moisture in their fingertips，” says Wray.

“大多數技術并非針對80歲的老人而設計，該群體面臨手眼協調和身體靈活性不足以及指尖干燥等問題。”雷表示。

Often， it is an older adults son or daughter who seeks out12 technology so they can ensure their parents safety and communicate easily from afar.

通常情況下，是老年人的子女為確保父母安全和讓遠程溝通更輕松而尋覓這些技術。

“We provide devices that send them a text or an email if their parents blood pressure gets too high or too low， help their parents manage their medication， and make it easy for them to communicate，” Wray says.

“我們提供的設備能在父母血壓異常升高或降低時，通過短信或郵件通知他們，幫助父母管理用藥，并簡化雙方溝通過程。”雷表示。

Beyond physical health， Wray says technology can be game-changing in maintaining and improving emotional health for people as they age. “About a third of all seniors live alone， and half of women over 75 live alone，” he says. “Being connected to family， even in simple ways， can be huge. If youve ever seen an 80-year-old look into a tablet screen and see their newly born great-grandchild 1，000 miles away， you know exactly what I mean.”

雷還指出，對于老年人而言，技術不僅有助于改善身體健康，還能在維護與提升情感健康方面起到革命性的作用。“整個老年群體中約有1/3獨居，75歲以上的女性中有一半獨居?！彼f?！澳呐率且院唵蔚姆绞脚c家人保持聯系，也尤為重要。如果你見過一個80歲的老人通過平板電腦屏幕看到千里之外剛出生的曾孫，你就能深刻理解我這句話的意義。”

Caring for caregivers

關注照護者的需求

As Wray points out， improving quality of life for an aging adult often requires going through a family member who has taken on the role of caregiver. These family caregivers—often aging baby boomers themselves—are stretched thin between work， caring for their own children， and finding solutions for their aging parents.

雷指出，提升老年人生活質量，往往依賴于那些擔負起照護者角色的家人。這些家庭照護者通常是同樣步入老年的嬰兒潮一代，他們在工作、照顧子女和為年邁的父母尋找解決方案之間分身乏術。

“If you dont have the caregiver on board， its very difficult to effect change，” says Liddy Manson， director of the AgingWell Hub， a key initiative of GSEI at Georgetown McDonough.

“如果照護者不參與其中，要實現任何改變都非常困難?！眴讨味卮髮W麥克多諾商學院安度晚年中心負責人利迪·曼森表示。安度晚年中心是全球社會企業倡議的一個主要項目。

Recently， the AgingWell Hub released its first proprietary product： a detailed map of the caregivers journey， revealing the decision points—and pain points13—caregivers deal with as they try to coordinate health care for family members with Alzheimers or other forms of dementia.

近期，安度晚年中心推出了其首款獨創產品：一份詳盡的照護者經歷圖譜。這份圖譜展示了照護者在為患有阿爾茨海默病或其他類型癡呆癥家人努力協調醫療服務的過程中遇到的決策難題和挑戰。

The journey map gives businesses and health care providers an opportunity to see the world from the caregivers perspective. Manson sees applications across health care， technology， financial services， and even retail.

這份經歷圖譜為企業和醫療服務提供商提供了從照護者視角理解世界的機會。曼森認為該圖譜在醫療、科技、金融服務乃至零售行業均有應用潛力。

“Major retailers are realizing that theyve been marketing to women in their 40s and 50s as though theyre shopping for themselves， when its more likely theyre shopping for someone else，” Manson says. “How can major retailers help a caregiver who walks into a store looking for a new medical product for a parent？ Theyre realizing they need to be having a completely different dialogue with these consumers.”

“大型零售商已經認識到，他們過去面向四五十歲女性營銷時假定她們在為自己購物，而實際上她們很可能是在為別人購物?！甭f，“一位照護者走進店內尋找適合父母的新型醫療產品，大型零售商該如何提供幫助？他們意識到，需要與這類消費者展開一種全新的對話?！?/p>

1 = American Association of Retired Persons美國退休人員協會。? 2 head sth up 領導，主管（某部門或機構分支等）。

3 bottom line商業術語，通常指公司的凈收入或利潤。? 4 institutional knowledge指員工對其工作單位或組織內部的運作、文化和流程等的了解。? 5 collegial同事間氣氛融洽的。

6 nudge漸漸推動。? 7 = Global Social Enterprise Initiative，全球社會企業倡議。? 8 assisted living community輔助生活社區，指為老年人提供日常生活輔助服務（如保潔、洗衣、服藥管理、用餐服務等）的社區。

9 dexterity（手）靈巧，熟練；（思維）敏捷，靈活。? 10 retrofit升級改造。? 11 rear admiral海軍少將。

12 seek sth out（尤指費時地）找出，尋找。

13 pain point痛點，在經濟和商業領域是指用戶在使用產品和服務過程中遇到的困難、令他們感到不便或不滿的情況。文中pain point也泛指難以解決的問題。