April showers us with euphemisms for aging

Our feature story this month aims to promote a good event: the 20th Anniversary of the Life Enrichment Expo. It's been a long ascent to the top for all of the event's organizers and backers, ever since the idea was first hatched in the early 1990's to better serve a certain demographic. What's also interesting is the different ways in which that group has been referred to throughout the years. Former event manager Nancy Posnick noted that it was once dubbed the "Senior Fair." The era certainly has changed, and that's true for this publication as well. We were once known as "Senior Prime Times." The word "senior" is of course now taboo, or at least it has fallen out of favor with people of retirement age. I guess this was better than the original off-limits word for people of a certain age: elders. That's verboten today. The trend nowadays is toward a variety of euphemistic titles referring to a demographic or current state of living. Our home improvement feature on page 24 contains three such titles in the common parlance: Baby Boomers, empty nesters and those who are "aging in place." As noted in the home improvement piece, "grab bars" are no longer acceptable terms for a well-known bath accessory. Rather, the Kohler company is calling them "belays" after a rock-climbing device. Call me crazy, but if I had just fallen in the tub, I'd want the strongest possible device to hoist myself back up again. I wouldn't care what the marketing folks at Kohler called it. On a similar note, a press release crossed the PRIME editorial desk this week from a hotel group, proclaiming "65 is the new 45." The press release says the hotel group is honoring "this iconic [Baby Boomer] generation, the first of whom turned 65 on Jan. 1." Whenever someone starts calling your generation "iconic," I say keep one hand on your wallet. Fortunately, there are still goods and services out there in the marketplace that are based on real innovations, not marketing hype. Products that don't pander to people based on preconceived notions about their age or generation. Many of them can be found at the Expo this month. Our complete coverage is spread throughout this month's magazine. Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention another worthwhile event: The Feline Friends Golf Tournament taking place May 30 at the Ranch Golf Club in Southwick. While it might seem premature in this edition, early bird signups are encouraged before April 30. The cost is $150 per person, or $35 for dinner only. The full ticket includes 18 holes of golf, use of a cart with GPS, lunch and dinner. A raffle and silent auction will also be held. If you don't already know about this charitable group, Feline Friends is a nonprofit organization that does not euthanize animals, and its goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and adopt cats needing new homes. For more information about becoming a sponsor, or to sign up for the event, please call Tonya Plante at (413) 364-1808. Until next month, we hope that you continue to enjoy PRIME Magazine and visit us on the Web at www.primeontheweb.com. Mike Briotta PRIME Editor mikeb@thereminder.com