Aging Gracefully: Emerging Issues for Public Policy and Consumer Welfare

Abstract

To be an aging consumer in a youth culture means facing several challenges, including maintaining self-esteem in the face of negative media portrayals, redefining the meaning of being sexually active, coping with vulnerability, planning for retirement and investing for the final years. Despite tremendous differences and contradictions among aging consumers, many policymakers take a narrow, singleminded approach to issues of consumer welfare and public policy, which fails to address the wide variation among members of this group.Few people know how to be old. -La Rochefoucauld (Stack 2005)

It Don't Come Easy: Overcoming Obstacles to Technology Use Within a Resistant Consumer Group

“…Physical and cognitive abilities may become impaired, jeopardizing the ability to live on one's own. The goal of many older adults is to remain in familiar surroundings (Perry and Wolburg 2011). From a cost‐effectiveness perspective, society also benefits when seniors remain in their own homes (Mynatt and Rogers 2002).…”

Exploring the impact of packaging interactions on quality of life among older consumers

“…entering retirement, becoming an empty-nester, or suffering bereavement) (Silvers, 1997;Sherman et al, 2001;Perry and Wolburg, 2011), this may increase their susceptibility for encountering consumer vulnerability when engaging with FMCG products. However, in his exploration of consumer vulnerability among older people, Clough (2015) describes how independence in later life is not absolute.…”

Envejecimiento, ciencia y publicidad de cosméticos. La eternidad en una gota de crema / Aging, science and cosmetics advertising. Eternity in a drop of cream

“…En la era del postcapitalismo, el nuevo paradigma de envejecimiento exitoso se basa en el control y en la libertad de elección de los individuos para dar forma, moldear, diseñar y elegir sus cuerpos (Giddens, 1994). Hacerse mayor con éxito hoy día es retardar, enlentecer, el proceso natural de decadencia física y mental, y el envejecimiento en nuestros días se trata como un problema patológico, como una enfermedad (Coupland, 2009, Mykytyn, 2008Vincent, 2006;Casalanti, 2005), y a los mayores se les culpa, e incluso se les hace avergonzarse y se les sanciona, por no envejecer bien obligándoles a adoptar una actitud juvenil ante la enorme presión que sobre ellos ejercen los medios (Perry & Wolburg, 2011). Y la promoción del envejecimiento exitoso y el no-envejecimiento como ideología (Binstock, 2004;Katz, 2000) conforma nuestras metáforas cotidianas en el seno de este nuevo discurso cultural contemporáneo resultante de la convergencia entre el conocimiento médico-científico y la tecnología con la publicidad y la comunicación pública de la ciencia, y la pseudociencia.…”