The Rise of the Silver Economy银发经济蓬勃兴起

索娜·帕伊/文　卢俊宇/译

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

我们无法逆转年龄增长。事实上，我们都在变老——活得更长、工作得更长，同时还在改变消费市场格局。

“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.

“人口老龄化是全球一大显著趋势，无论在社会层面还是经济层面上都是一股强大的力量。”乔治敦大学麦克多诺商学院商业影响中心创始人兼实践教授比尔·诺韦利表示。

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.

诺韦利是全美高级护理转型联盟（美国一个专注于改进晚期疾病护理和临终关怀的全美联盟）的共同主席，曾任美国退休人员协会（4000万会员的年龄都不小于50岁）的首席执行官。越来越多像他一样的商业领袖带头致力于深入了解并滿足老年人的特定需求。老年群体为几乎各行各业带来了巨大的商机，企业可帮助解决这一类消费者面临的新挑战。通过应对这些挑战，企业不仅能为自己的产品与服务开辟新的市场，同时也能创造社会价值，在改善老年人的生活质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，有三个主要领域显现出企业巨大的创新潜力：容纳老年劳动力，助力老人居家养老，以及满足家庭照护者的需求。

Engaging the aging employee

让老龄员工更有参与感

“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.

“老年员工可能对企业极具价值。”全球老龄化联盟的执行董事梅利莎·龚·米切尔说道。全球老龄化联盟是一家研究和倡议机构，为企业提供充分利用老龄人口机遇的建议。

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

米切尔指出，老年员工往往对雇主更加忠诚，他们不仅具备丰富的经验和内部运作知识，还能对年轻员工进行“传帮带”。

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

諾韦利认为，雇主面临的一大挑战是营造一个让年轻和年长员工能够友好相处的环境。

“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.”

“设想你是一位70岁的女士，坐在你32岁的上司对面，她看起来跟你女儿差不多大。”他说，“你心里在想，‘我怎么可能向这个小孩汇报工作呢？而这位上司面对着你，也在思考，‘她能接受我的训导吗？工作习惯能与时俱进吗？不幸的是，由于我们的社会仍然存在年龄歧视，他们之间很难相互理解。”

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.

米切尔表示，杜绝年龄歧视使企业不仅能帮助现有的老年员工，还能帮助迟早会步入老年的其他员工。企业在逐步引导年轻员工为自己的晚年生活进行规划和储蓄方面发挥着关键作用。

Upgrading the comforts of home

提高居家舒适度

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.

在乔治敦大学的全球社会企业倡议和菲利浦公司（一家专注于为老年人开发技术的公司）联合开展的一项调查中，91%的受访者（年龄在50至80岁之间）表示他们更愿意留在自己家中，而不是搬到辅助生活社区等替代场所。这一趋势被称为“居家养老”。

“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.”

“人们希望晚年能生活在自己熟悉的环境中，这既让他们感到舒适又能觉得自立。”诺韦利说，“然而，大多数住宅并没有按这种需求设计。”

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.

就算是健康活跃的老年人也会面临行动力、灵活度、记忆力以及健康护理需求的变化。为此，住房行业开始通过改造设计和智慧技术来解决这些问题。比如，设计不需要像球形门拉手那样握紧才能拧开的杠杆式门把手，或者能在长时间未关的情况下自动关闭的智能炉灶。

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.

对于那些健康状况日益恶化或患有慢性疾病的人来说，留在家中维持独立的愿望愈发难以实现。除了需要技术来让住宅更安全、更便利以外，他们还需要定期接受健康监测，并能快速联络医疗服务提供者及家人。传感器、物联网和通信技术的新进展虽有助益，但将其付诸应用也面临挑战。

“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.”

“技术发展和创新从不缺少，需要这些技术的老年人也大有人在。”美国海军退役少将及居家技术公司蓝星至尊护理公司创始人罗伯特·雷表示，“关键在于如何将这些创新技术与老年需求者连接起来。”

“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.

“大多數技术并非针对80岁的老人而设计，该群体面临手眼协调和身体灵活性不足以及指尖干燥等问题。”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.

通常情况下，是老年人的子女为确保父母安全和让远程沟通更轻松而寻觅这些技术。

“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.

“我们提供的设备能在父母血压异常升高或降低时，通过短信或邮件通知他们，帮助父母管理用药，并简化双方沟通过程。”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.”

雷还指出，对于老年人而言，技术不仅有助于改善身体健康，还能在维护与提升情感健康方面起到革命性的作用。“整个老年群体中约有1/3独居，75岁以上的女性中有一半独居。”他说。“哪怕是以简单的方式与家人保持联系，也尤为重要。如果你见过一个80岁的老人通过平板电脑屏幕看到千里之外刚出生的曾孙，你就能深刻理解我这句话的意义。”

Caring for caregivers

关注照护者的需求

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，提升老年人生活质量，往往依赖于那些担负起照护者角色的家人。这些家庭照护者通常是同样步入老年的婴儿潮一代，他们在工作、照顾子女和为年迈的父母寻找解决方案之间分身乏术。

“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.

“如果照护者不参与其中，要实现任何改变都非常困难。”乔治敦大学麦克多诺商学院安度晚年中心负责人利迪·曼森表示。安度晚年中心是全球社会企业倡议的一个主要项目。

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独创产品：一份详尽的照护者经历图谱。这份图谱展示了照护者在为患有阿尔茨海默病或其他类型痴呆症家人努力协调医疗服务的过程中遇到的决策难题和挑战。

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.

這份经历图谱为企业和医疗服务提供商提供了从照护者视角理解世界的机会。曼森认为该图谱在医疗、科技、金融服务乃至零售行业均有应用潜力。

“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.”

“大型零售商已经认识到，他们过去面向四五十岁女性营销时假定她们在为自己购物，而实际上她们很可能是在为别人购物。”曼森说，“一位照护者走进店内寻找适合父母的新型医疗产品，大型零售商该如何提供帮助？他们意识到，需要与这类消费者展开一种全新的对话。”

1 = American Association of Retired Persons美国退休人员协会。  2 head sth up 领导，主管（某部门或机构分支等）。

3 bottom line商业术语，通常指公司的净收入或利润。  4 institutional knowledge指员工对其工作单位或组织内部的运作、文化和流程等的了解。  5 collegial同事间气氛融洽的。

6 nudge渐渐推动。  7 = Global Social Enterprise Initiative，全球社会企业倡议。  8 assisted living community辅助生活社区，指为老年人提供日常生活辅助服务（如保洁、洗衣、服药管理、用餐服务等）的社区。

9 dexterity（手）灵巧，熟练；（思维）敏捷，灵活。  10 retrofit升级改造。  11 rear admiral海军少将。

12 seek sth out（尤指费时地）找出，寻找。

13 pain point痛点，在经济和商业领域是指用户在使用产品和服务过程中遇到的困难、令他们感到不便或不满的情况。文中pain point也泛指难以解决的问题。