Kathleen Casey prepares to become first 65-year-old baby boomer

Kathleen Casey-Kirschling was born one second after midnight on January 1, 1946, making her the first baby boomer in the U.S. to reach retirement age. She will is the first of the 76 million people in America born between 1945 and 1964 to enter retirement living years.


Casey was born in Pennsylvania, but now lives in New Jersey near her daughters and grandchildren.

Though she and many of her peers are active living seniors, many companies and industries are preparing for the needs of an aging population.


A steady supply of assisted living facilities and caregivers are just some of the demands that are likely to arise as boomers grow older. Many technology companies are also developing products that may prove useful to older people, such as delivery services and alert systems.


Many aging seniors are worried about the state of healthcare and may be looking to assisted living facilities as a way to cope with aging. According to a recent Associated Press-GfK poll, 43 percent of U.S. citizens born between 1946 and 1964 are skeptical that they will be able to rely on Medicare forever.


The majority of Americans would prefer to have their taxes raised rather than cut Medicare benefits, the poll suggests. 


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