Making market predictions is never an exact science, even for the experts. However, in the case of the baby boomers, with their sheer numbers, that they will dramatically affect a given consumer market is virtually guaranteed. “Other companies and industries have to pay for projections of the market. The Census Bureau tells us with precision that this segment of the market is growing,” says Stanley Oppenheim, president of Affiliated Monitoring, located in Union, N.J.

The fact is, we’re not getting any younger. As a nation, we are living longer and the largest segment of the population — the baby boomers — is hitting retirement age. In the United States, the age 65 and over demographic is the fastest growing segment of the population, and of that group the fastest growing segment is over age 85, says Ken Gross, president and founder of Medical Alert Monitoring Association (MAMA) and president of Broomall, Pa.-based Connect America.