Communicating with the elderly consumer: the growing health care challenge

By the year 2010, one quarter of the U.S. population will be at least 55 years old. Government and private programs help some elderly persons receive adequate health care, but more are needed. The programs offered must be communicated effectively to this burgeoning population segment. The authors examine research results of gerontologists and experimental psychologists that shed light on perceptual, learning, and memory changes that occur with aging. The effects of these age-related changes are discussed within the theoretical context of persuasive communications. Implications for communication programs targeted at older consumers are presented.