Senior sway

A few days ago, we celebrated “Grandparent’s Day,” which, to my recollection, was never really given much hype until the late 1990s. Growing up, I was not even aware that such an occasion even existed, even though logic and sentiment certainly justify a special day for lolo and lola. In fact, during a less-than-profound moment, one of my friends even asked aloud: “Aren’t grandparents covered during Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? They’re the moms and dads of our moms and dads, right?”

It may be argued that this renewed interest in the elderly is one of the manifestations of how our society has matured. Indeed, the manner in which we treat those who are older than us speaks volumes about who we are as a people. A society that cares and nurtures for those who are past their prime is one that learns from history, and has enough foresight and pragmatism to plan for its own future.

On the other hand, there may be a simpler — and admittedly, more likely — reason why the senior set is getting so much attention these days. Numerous market studies, trend analyses, and consumer profile reports have unveiled a phenomenon known as the “senior sway.” Although the term may lead you to visualize a group of elderly individuals rocking from side to side, the “senior sway” is actually used to describe how men and women above 60 years old are becoming a major force in consumption spending, retail growth, product development — and yes — even electoral success. Whereas before, for instance, we would imagine how malls would push Grandparent’s Day in order to urge grandchildren to treat their lolos and lolas, the paradigm seems to have shifted. Malls definitely still promote Grandparents’ Day, but nowadays, it is lolo and lola treating the grandchildren out, fetching them in their brand new cars, and shopping for accessories and equipment that cater to their latest hobby.

Grandma is no longer sitting in her rocking chair while cross-stitching; she’s dressed in designer clothes (made specially for her age group) and ready to go ballroom dancing after an afternoon spa treatment. Grandpa isn’t languidly reading the paper at home, either; he’s all set to go to the country club to enjoy an activity-filled day.

Naturally, advertising and mass media have taken notice of this increasingly influential demographic. A good number of television commercials, print ads, and brochures now portray senior citizens as energetic and independent decision-makers. Just the other day, I saw an ad for Ensure Gold wherein a 62-year old Ronaldo Valdez outplays his son Janno Gibbs in a game of tennis. A couple of years back, it would have been highly unlikely that an actor past 60 would be able to secure a product endorsement, yet now we see just how good the “young once” can look and feel with the right nutritional supplement.

Looking at it from a chicken-and-egg standpoint, products such as Ensure Gold actually make the “senior sway” phenomenon turn full circle. Recognizing the importance of the older market, Abbott Nutrition (the makers of Ensure Gold) spent millions of dollars in order to come up with the most advanced nutritional supplement specifically tailored for those over 60. The company claims that upon taking the supplement and receiving optimal support for their bones, gut, heart, and immune system, these seniors become healthier, more vibrant, and productive — thus increasing their weight as a consumer group. This in turn encourages manufacturers to develop more breakthrough products like Ensure Gold to cater to their special needs.

Perhaps the great American Jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes summed it up best when he said that “to be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be 40 years old.” As our senior citizens become more and more empowered, they are given further opportunities to shape our collective future. Considering their vast experience and wisdom, we can all benefit from their outlook.

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This piece making older people feel good with health supplements reminds me of Sen. Loren Legarda’s appeal to owners of private hospitals not to increase their fees for hospital services, but “to show your compassion for the thousands of who seek hospitalization during this time of crisis and escalating poverty.”

Loren, who is the chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, issued the call after Dr. Rustico Jimenez, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAP), said that its members may have to increase their fees to recoup their losses from the 50 percent cut in the price of medicines resulting from the government’s maximum drug retail price policy.

Loren advised hospital owners to “seek the help of the Department of Health for possible solutions to prevent them from increasing their fees such as getting a rebate from the drug corporations from which they purchase their medicines affected by the government’s drug policy.”

Loren backed the stand of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III that private hospitals should first show that they are really losing from the government’s cut price policy for some drugs before they should increase their hospital fees.

“The hospital patients, most of whom come from the lower income groups, are already overburdened by the current high costs of hospital care and services, as well as the high cost of medicines, that to increase their fees would be cruel and unfeeling.”

According to Loren, “retailers also should not bear the brunt of the medicine price deduction decreed by the government since they only have marginal profits from their sales, while it is the big drug corporations that are making enormous profits from the wholesale price of drugs.”

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Perhaps, while recuperating from the long, tortuous bus ride, but, still dreaming of the glorious experience of being back in Sagada, I made errors in my Tuesday column. Mea culpa, Sagadians. Here are the corrections. Sagada was previously a municipality of Bontoc, now it is of Mt. Province, not Kalinga. It’s Rep. Manuel Agyao (not Aquino) who is the interim congressman of Mt. Province since Rep. Victor Dominguez passed away. I erroneously referred to woven products made and sold in Sagada as Ilocano; no, they are Igorot, and Sagadians, who are Igorots, are proud of their heritage, texted Nellie “Labanet” Abeya Pit-og. Nellie’s father’s name, by the way, is Ricarion, not Ricardo Abeya. It’s Ezra and Marie Arandaque who own the Sagada weaving store. Fely Capuyan Omengan is in charge of Rock Inn & Cafe. Lawyer Inglay Capuyan Fokno, my sister Jocelyn and I had dinner at Oh Mai Khan in Baguio City. –Domini M. Torrevillas (The Philippine Star)

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My e-mail address: dominimt2000 @yahoo.com