Jack Levine, founder of 4Generations Institute, is a communications and public policy consultant. He previously served as President of Voices for Florida’s Children for 25-years. Jack’s expertise is in developing and delivering messages to the media, public officials and a diverse network of advocates on the value of preventive investments in children, parent leadership, grandparent activism and dignified services for elders. 

At this year’s Conference, Jack will be co-leading the breakout session “Multigenerational Family Life: Exploring Business Opportunities in One of the Fastest Growing Trends in America Today.” During the session, attendees will learn how products, services and organizations that help multigenerational families address their specific challenges are gaining traction in the marketplace. Jack will introduce attendees to the “full nester,” explore the personal service enterprises tending to them and explain how your business can benefit from this trend.

Q&A with Jack

Please tell us about the 4Generations Institute.

4Generations Institute is dedicated to connecting our generations for mutual benefit. We believe that the needs of children/youth, parents, grandparents and super elders are best addressed through good communications and creative approaches to policy and program initiatives. In families and communities, separation and segregation of the age groups is not a good thing for anyone. By understanding the challenges facing each stage of life, we can better find positive and powerful solutions….both emotionally and economically. The boomer and elder years can be times for enjoyment and energetic involvement in both family and community life as long as proper planning and engagement are accomplished.  The enthusiasm of community connections is what 4Generations is all about.

How will the partnerships the Institute intends to form in order to bridge Florida’s generation gaps affect the way marketers will communicate with boomers?

Given the surge in both the boomer and elder age groups, it’s imperative to recognize the trends in family life, which require smart strategic planning. For example, every family needs to have all of their financial and healthcare paperwork completed in order to more honestly and openly recognize that the people we love and care about should have all of their wishes expressed. Knowing such wishes, both emotionally and economically, helps family members prepare for the ways we want to dedicate our time and resources for the future. Smart boomers understand that the needs of their parents and sometimes grandparents cannot be met only through the efforts of family members. Assistance is needed for health, transportation, housing and other key dimensions of elder life. By engaging boomers, marketers have the potential of reaching not just one, but multiple generations for services, products and program offerings. There is no doubt that positive public policies, including laws, vital public services and special incentives for establishing multi-generational programs, can provide a tremendous boost to our community’s quality of life.

Please explain how multigenerational living has created business opportunities; how are marketers addressing the challenges faced by multigenerational families?

Economic reality and the need for emotional connection are driving a major trend toward multi-generational housing arrangements.  We are seeing that elder needs, as well as returning young adults (re-nesters!), are giving Boomers the challenge of opening their homes to temporary or even longer-term living arrangements….just like the old days! As a result, renovations and other physical accommodations, as well as negotiations of time scheduling for health services, transportation, new technologies, nutrition/meal preparation and other basics of life are presenting new and exciting dynamics for many families. Family life is more complicated, and therefore an array of products and services are needed to solve problems and make living more comfortable for all age groups. Multi-generational families and communities are a reality and smart commercial enterprises are planning to address these realities and how to best position themselves for success in the marketplace.