| Abstract: | Older Americans are the most victimized and disadvantaged group in the marketplace, yet few consumer research, education, and action programs have focused on their needs and concerns. This study, by attempting to summarize existing knowledge of the consumer problems and needs of older persons, reveals the lack of reliable data and research. The study also suggests that inflation has a far worse impact upon the elderly than previously thought, affecting not only their retirement financial condition but also their psychological and social condition. The study concludes that traditional consumer education programs focusing only upon persons' poverty of means will be ineffective unless they include an additional focus on the poverty of meaning in the lives of older consumers. |
