Milk for adults

One of my all-time favorite sayings asserts that “growing up is mandatory, but growing old is an option.” Notwithstanding its greeting-card tone, there’s quite a lot of wisdom in this statement. For those “young ones” who are now “young once,” our life encounters, past mistakes, the lessons we’ve learned, and the roads we’ve traveled all have immense value in shaping our identities and individual outlooks. Ideally, however, this collective experience should be used to propel us to our next great adventure, rather than be considered a burden that must be carried as it accumulates.

In countless books and movies, a recurring theme involves the aged, grizzled veteran mentoring the prodigiously-talented-yet-vastly-inexperienced hotshot. With the smallest amount of variation, this formula has been adapted to fit countless scenarios: police partners, shaolin monks, cowboys, golf players, boxers, and even stockbrokers. Nine times out of ten, the plot ends in the same manner. Armed with the battle-tested knowledge and vast expertise of his elderly guide, the young hotshot combines his youthful energy and dynamism in order to emerge triumphant. The old mentor - frail of body but sharp of mind - contentedly looks on, satisfied at the thought of passing the torch to a more physically-capable individual.

As appealing as this stereotypical plot may be, it may soon have to be modified. If fiction does indeed follow truth, the wizened elder may not need a young disciple to carry on his legacy anymore. Considering how active and vibrant many senior citizens are these days, they can resolve any and all conflicts within the storyline without any assistance at all. Who says older people can’t be the teacher and the hero at the same time?

Indeed, the paradigm is shifting, as we most often hear that “40 is the new 30; and 60 is the new 50.” In the Philippines, the number of “elderly people” (technically defined as those who are over 60 years old) has been steadily increasing in number. Based on the projections of the National Statistics Office, our 60-plus population will swell considerably in the next three decades. From 6.1 percent in 2005, the proportion of the elderly is expected to reach 13.8 percent by the year 2040. This variance of 7.7 percentage points becomes more apparent when you put it in terms of actual people: from 5.3 million in 2005 to 19.6 million by 2040. Wow.

Not surprisingly, mass media has responded to this changing demographic phenomenon. Among Hollywood stars and local celebrities, the age of denial is becoming a thing of the past - actors and actresses now reveal their age and wear it like a badge of honor. In fact, the current trend is to show the public just how age has not slowed them down, either in looks or abilities. Similarly, print and television advertisements are no longer that strict in terms of age cut-offs for their talents, precisely because the lines have become so blurry.

Without a doubt, scientific advances in medicine and nutrition have played a major role in this development. The latest breakthroughs in vitamins, antioxidants, supplements, and modern medication have not only given us more time, but the opportunity to fully enjoy that time. An entire industry has flourished specifically to address the health and well-being of the older set, and more and more companies are creating new lines to cater to this segment.

 If my memory serves me right, I believe it was Abbott Nutrition who first introduced the concept of a “milk for adults,” namely Ensure. At first, it was only doctors who recognized and appreciated the immense value of this nutritional supplement, and they began advising their middle-aged and elderly patients to take it on a daily basis. Before long, it became the number-one adult nutritional brand most recommended by doctors, and one of Abbott’s top brands in general. Nowadays, a lot of my friends regularly drink Ensure not because their doctor told them to, but because they realize its benefits. I myself have been drinking what I think is a “very helpful” drink. In a way, it was Abbott that first cast the light on us eager and dedicated consumers.

 Abbott seems to be keenly aware of the statistics I mentioned above. In a move that is quite interesting, they actually launched Ensure Gold, a variant of the original Ensure that is particularly tailor-made for people over 60. If you think about it from a purely commercial point of view, Abbott did not really need to do this, since most people over 60 who are looking for an adult nutritional supplement would likely drink Ensure anyway. But it appears that wasn’t the point - people over 60 do have special needs that people in their 40s or 50s do not have. The new formulation, for instance, has ingredients that specifically address elderly risks concerning immunity, digestion, bone and heart health. As it were, Ensure Gold further specialized an already special market.

 I feel it will only be a matter of time before other mainstream products geared towards the 60-plus crowd will start flooding the market. After all, at the rate things are going, these products will have repeat customers for a long, long time.