What Makes You Tick: Recent Insights into Incentives and Behavior Change

Lots is going on right now in healthcare in terms of concerns with cost reduction. More is needed around appreciating what the customer (aka patient) really wants, and what will help them to achieve that as an equal collaborator in their care. Join us at Partners' Connected Health Symposium 2010 on Thurs., Oct. 21, Breakout Session #12, when a group of serious behavioral experts weigh in on what works and what doesn't!

Will Boomers downsize, and to where??

An interesting though brief article on where Boomers appear to be moving to, now that things have begun to "unfreeze" a bit. Evidently, urban, low maintenance and hip-intellectual (e.g., university towns) are in demand. What does this mean as they age for the traditional CCRC-like built environment??

Health 2.0 Developer Challenge

We just submitted a proposal to help communities engage their residents and improve overall health using an online game, social networking, and county-wide health ratings from the U.WI. Check us out!

Will the Boomers really be any different?

Interesting take on whether today's Boomers, as we age, will be any different from the older individuals of today. Some of the comments from readers think we'll be much worse!

Like a College, Minus the Kegs!

Check out this very well written article on how Boomers and older adults are now assessing their options for where they'll live next. Rather than simply giving up their homes, they're out shopping around for all kinds of options and, in the process, spending several nights in residence to really get a feel for what the new community or development might have to offer. Judging from the article, this is a marketing success: Any number of people changed their mind about an initial selection after spending some non-committed time at a site, and then went on to make a much better informed choice. What's good for business might be good for the customer too!

Toward the Healthy City....

UC Berkeley Prof. Jason Corburn has written a new and exciting book about the failed relationship between most American cities and the provision of healthy surroundings for residents. He cites the dire lack of planning between all types of agencies with input into the physical (and social) environment to align their efforts with the promotion of healthy living and healthy behaviors by constituents. The result: Sicker people and declining cities. The book is a call to arms that it is time to start planning collectively, across disciplines and institutions, to understand the social determinants of behavior and to make sure that we are all working in concert to promote better lifestyle and healthy behavior choices, regardless of one's status. I've written a comment on his blog. Check it all out.

Retrofitting Neighborhoods for the Rest of Your Life

I’ve just returned from Atlanta to kick off an exciting new assignment. I’ll be serving as the health and wellness advisor on a new project spearheaded by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), a renowned architectural and planning firm that specializes in pedestrian-friendly, neighborhood-based urban design. The team also includes Susan Brecht of Brecht Associates, who is a national leader in the senior housing industry and a market research expert. We will be taking a close look at the growing problems associated with suburban sprawl and working hard to help create compelling solutions by retrofitting existing communities to address a variety of pressing demographic and economic trends. By focusing on the natural benefits of walkable neighborhoods, we hope to transform particular suburban (and urban) areas into healthy, lifelong communities where people of all ages can prosper across the lifespan. Send us your comments and be sure to stay tuned for updates.