Guest blogger: Dr. Brent Ridge

I wish I were older.

How often do you hear that from someone? (assuming, that is, that they’ve already reached the coveted “21” milestone.)

To be more precise, I wish I were a baby boomer.

During every stage of their life, the members of the boomer cohort have driven change in the way we all think, work, act, and play. No other generation so clearly defines the way we live.

Just think, without the constant pursuit of more productive, more efficient lives, would we even have mobile phones? Would “laptop computer”, “iPod”, and “Blackberry” be part of the vernacular? Would you even be reading something called a “blog” on something called “the internet”?

When I went to medical school and subsequently decided to specialize in the study of aging, it was precisely because I believed that this would be the most exciting area of medicine. I had no doubt that the baby boomers (and those behind them they reared and inspired) would mandate amazing changes in the way we approach personal health and wellness. In fact, many of the changes that are now right around the corner stem directly from the work of a large number of very smart people who first anticipated and then worked tirelessly to meet the demands of the boomers.

Much has been made about the “graying” of the American population. This is not a bad thing. Rather, it’s a time, unique in our history, when we will see clearly the power that comes from the confluence of politics, economics, technology, health, and consumer demand.

Already, almost ¾ of internet users have searched for health-related information online, and almost half do so at least once a month. Companies like Intel and their digital health group are rapidly making the frontiers of a digital home and telemedicine seem not so far off and with the help of others, I’m sure that the next revolutionary step in improving the health and well-being of all Americans will be an easily accessible and secure online electronic medical record.

More than anything, what is propelling this surge in activity is the fact that more people are realizing that being healthy has inherent value. Wellness and prevention pay off, no matter what age you are.

Over the next several years, I predict that we will see more and more American companies taking a proactive position on improving the health of the country. The incentives are too great. With this, we will see an even greater swell in interest in leading healthier lives. Ultimately, whether personal care or caregiving for a loved one is the motivating factor, we are all going to reach the point where adding a year to our life is worth more than anything else we could spend our money on.

American culture owes a lot to the baby boomers. That being said, I’m just wondering what I can do to qualify for an honorary membership.

About Dr. Brent Ridge: Dr. Ridge is a shareholder and board member of CareTALK, CareTALK blogger for the " Aging & Caregiving: Healthy Aging for a Lifetime" blog on Yahoo! Health, VP of Healthy Living at Martha Stewart Living, assistant professor in the geriatrics department at Mount Sinai Medical School of Medicine, Co-Founder of Auricle, Inc. (and I'm sure I'm missing 10 other things he is involved in...)