| Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Gerontologist, psychologist, author, consultant, professional speaker |
| Spouse | Maddy Dychtwald |
Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. is a gerontologist, psychologist, educator, lecturer, consultant, entrepreneur, and author of over 16 books on aging-related issues. He is also the founder and CEO of Age Wave, a specialized firm which conducts benchmark research in the field and provides consulting services to business and non-profits worldwide on a broad range of issues relating to aging populations.[1]
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Ken Dychtwald grew up in Newark, NJ. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Union Graduate School. In 1973, at age 23, he became co-director of SAGE. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, SAGE investigated how newly popular mind/body disciplines, such as yoga, meditation, nutrition therapy, and biofeedback could improve the health and well-being of older adults. At age 27, he published his first book, Bodymind, based on his doctoral thesis. In 1982, Dychtwald joined a panel created by the Office of Technology Assessment, a think tank for the US Congress, to examine how population aging would impact America in the 21st century.
Dr. Dychtwald founded California Bay Area-based Age Wave, a consultancy to major corporations, helping them develop products, branding, marketing, and distribution strategies for the “mature market” in 1986.
Dr Dychtwald produced and hosted the 2007 two-hour PBS special, The Boomer Century: 1946-2046. His most recent PBS special “With Purpose” aired nationwide in 2009 to coincide with the book release of the same title.[2]
In 1996, Dr. Dychtwald received the American Society on Aging Award for outstanding national leadership in the field of aging.[3]
In 1983, Dychtwald married Maddy Kent Dychtwald, a professional lecturer, author and co-founder of Age Wave.[4] They have two children.
Ken Dychtwald developed the concept of the Age Wave, which refers specifically to a massive population and cultural shift caused by the converging global demographic forces of the baby boom of the middle twentieth century, increasing life expectancy, and the declining fertility rates of the later twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Dr. Dychtwald argues that as the boomer generation continues to mature, life’s second half will be further transformed and that, in the next several decades, this age wave will shift the epicenter of consumer activity from a focus on youth to the needs, challenges, and aspirations of maturing consumers. According to Dr. Dychtwald, the Age Wave will also put unprecedented pressure on families, communities and governments as multiplying numbers of older adults strain entitlements, eldercare, healthcare delivery and pensions.[5]
In 1988, Dr. Dychtwald began popularizing the term “middlescence" a theory which suggests that with the modern postponement of old age due to extended longevity, and the multiplying numbers of people who were reinventing themselves post-youth, a new middlescent lifestage was rising up between 45 and 65.