Who are you calling old? With 104 being the new 80, graying doesn't lead to grazing in some pasture

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The Rocky Mountain News this weekend reminded me that, these days, the retirement age of 65 may seem both old-fashioned and silly. 70 is the new 50 is a concept with merit. In "Working over time" we read . .

About 6.4 percent of Americans 75 and older, or slightly more than 1 million, went to work last year. That's up from 4.7 percent,or 634,000, a decade earlier, according to the U.S. Departmentof Labor.

I am betting those numbers will continue to rise in the workforce—and in the legal profession. The article carries the stories of people in their 70s, 80s, and a man in his 90s who are still working. One was 89-year-old lawyer Brooke Wunnicke of Hall & Evans. Included in the article were these words . . .

In our search to find seven individuals for our Labor Day package, we asked readers to submit names of workers 75 and older. The responses poured in, giving us fits trying to pick several to focus on.

The times, they are a-changin'. Several factors will affect (and effect) the change. Boomers will recreate retirement just as they have changed so much else.  From "As baby boomers age, they retool retirement" . . .

Baby boomers . . . are a varied lot. And while they once helped the nation compete to win the Space Race and struggled against upcoming but lower-paid Generation X-ers, now they are again reinventing themselves as they hit retirement age.

. . . [B]aby boomers are putting a new spin on retirement as some take the company gold watch and walk away to new careers, become business owners or take on volunteer work. Still, others are remaining in the work force to extend their longtime careers or are morphing into part-time employees in related positions or new lines of work.

Both the demographics and older people's ability to enjoy life are shifting. In the US, the age group growing most quickly is the 100-and-older. The quality of life will likely improve for those who are living longer. A geriatrician is quoted in the article "100-And-Older Is Nation's Fastest Growing Age Group": "They may be 104, but they'll be more like an 80-year-old today," said [Kevin] O'Neil, of Sarasota. Thus, 104 may be the new 80.

Thanks to neuroscience, we now have new ways of looking at the aging brain. Take a look at an optimistic article "Ten Important Truths About Aging" (by Alvaro Fernandez and Elkhonon Goldberg of SharpBrains) from the edition of The Complete Lawyer focused on the graying of lawyers.

With all these factors, to make many predictions or pronouncements or prohibitions today about aging or retirement seems unwise.  We need to watch and see how this new world unfolds for all, including lawyers, their firms, and their clients.

Last week a friend of mine had a birthday. He is in his mid-fifties and is beginning to think of himself as old. He might be old in the old way of seeing things. (Although it must have been a very long time ago that 56 was considered old.) I hope he learns to use new eyes soon. Calling himself old is probably not good for his health.

Photo credit: christiangoddess620 at Photobucket

Note (added September 4, 2007, 8:45 PM Mountain): A couple of posts about aging lawyers: Tom Collins's Marcus Speaks Out On Mandatory Retirement for Lawyers and Bruce Marcus's THEY LABORED LIKE LIONS AND PRODUCED A MOUSE.

Note (added September 7, 2007, 11:40 AM Mountain):

Are you telling yourself you are too old to pursue a dream? Our world history abounds with stories of people who have victoriously followed their dream at all ages.

Note (added March 27, 2008, 2:10 PM): Nice story at The Mixonian about the active life of a grandmother who recently turned 90.