RASCAL REPORT
An Eye on Baby Boomers Since 2022
A knitwear sensation: How Delia Barry, who knitted Colin Farrell’s cozy “Banshees of Inisherin” sweaters, became an internet star.
Ms. Barry received a shout-out in the film’s credits, for knitwear, and her story has since gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, where teenagers and 20-somethings have shown off their attempts to recreate her designs. On an average week, Ms. Barry rises at 6 a.m. and knits until 8:30 a.m. She always knits in the same spot — on her sofa, with the light from the window behind her. She has never owned a car and has walked everywhere her whole life. (She has also never used email.)
E-Trikes are coming to rescue the aging suburbs
The main pitch is “transportation freedom” — reclaiming the ability to go anywhere, with little effort, to riders who want extra stability and hauling capacity. The vehicles that are explicitly aimed at providing personal transportation for older adults, like power wheelchairs or mobility scooters, may come with a stigma of infirmity and old age. The e-trike doesn’t carry that baggage. They’re the rage in places like Seattle.
Now two different types of boomers: Early and Gen Jones (“Keeping Up With the Joneses”)
Early Boomers and Generation Jones are typically lumped under the big "Baby Boomer" umbrella, and in many ways it makes sense. Early Boomers and Gen Jones were both part of an unheard of booming birth rate, born into a post-war time of plenty, and embodied a "stick it to the man" attitude that embraced youth culture. But understanding the why behind the optimism of the Early Boomers and the competitive drive of the Gen Jonesers is the key to forming a truly robust picture of the Baby Boomer generation.
Queer and trans elders face housing discrimination, poor health outcomes
According to SAGE, a national advocacy organization for LGBTQIA+ elders, there are an estimated 3 million LGBTQIA+ adults over the age of 50 in the U.S., and that number is expected to double by 2030. These adults face more discrimination and experience poorer health outcomes, such as chronic illness, hypertension, and depression, than any other sector of the overall aging population, and those with overlapping marginalizations face even more dire consequences.
Disability rates are plunging and that’s good news
The prevalence of disabilities among American adults aged 65 and older is much lower than it was for the same age group a decade earlier, according to a nationally representative study published online in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
The decline in disability among older Americans was substantial. The odds of experiencing limitations in activities of daily living (such as dressing or bathing) and the odds of experiencing functional limitations (such as serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs) declining 18% and 13%, respectively, between 2008 and 2017.