Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68008
IN 2006 THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTED THAT SPORTS-RELATED INJURIES ARE THE NO. 2 REASON BABY BOOMERS VISIT THEIR DOCTOR. THE COMMON COLD IS NO. 1. Spreading the word about empirical research promoting the medical benefits of massage will help give clients greater access to bodywork. and Alternative Medicine are major sponsors of expanded research. Spreading the word about empirical research promoting the medical benefits of massage will help give massage therapists and their booming clients greater access to bodywork. The upside is baby boomers are more affluent than any generation before or after them. According to AC Neilson, boomers have a median household income of $54,170—55 percent greater than post-boomers and 61 percent more than pre-boomers.9 Their generation alone is responsible for more than half of all consumer spending in the United States. As they age, financial responsibilities, like raising children and/or paying for their college, tend to dissipate. Many older adults downsize into smaller homes and reduce their living expenses. Additionally, a 2006 Merrill Lynch study found that 71 percent of adults plan to work past typical retirement age.10 All this allows boomers to prioritize their finances differently than the 18–44 demographic. When boomers' bodies starts aching and keeping them from participating in the activities they love, massage quickly becomes a priority. And massage therapists will gladly be there to help them get back on the road again. therapist and author. Contact her at lizprato@comcast.net. Liz Prato is an Oregon-based massage NOTES 1. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "Baby Boomer Sports Injuries," (April 2006), www.cpsc.gov/ LIBRARY/ boomer.pdf (accessed September 2008). 2. Jane E. Brody, "To Avoid 'Boomeritis' Exercise, Exercise, Exercise," The New York Times, December 19, 2006, 1. 3. U.S. Census Bureau, "Population Projections: U.S. Interim Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 2000-2050," www.census.gov/ipc/www/ usinterimproj (accessed September 2008). 4. National Academy of Sciences, "Health Care Work Force Too Small, Unprepared For Aging Baby Boomers," (April 2008), www8. nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem. aspx?RecordID=12089 (accessed September 2008). 5. American Massage Therapy Association, "2007 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet: Wellness Drives Americans' Growing Use of Massage Therapy," (2007), www.amtamassage. org/media/ consumersurvey_factsheet. html (accessed September 2008). 6. Nora Brunner, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, "Massage Makes Strides in Public Acceptance: Consumer Research Overview," (February 2007), www.massagetherapy.com/media/ metricsoverview.php (accessed September 2008). 7. Ibid. 8. Touch Research Institute, "Massage Therapy Research Abstracts: Adult Massage," www6.miami.edu/ touchresearch/adult.htm (accessed September 2008). 9. Doug Anderson and Laurel Kennedy, "Baby Boomer Segmentation: Eight Is Enough," (2006), http:// us.acnielsen.com/pubs/2006_q3_ci_babyboomer. shtml (accessed September 2008). 10. American Massage Therapy Association. visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 41