Kenneth M. Dychtwald (born in 1950) is an American entrepreneur,
gerontologist,
psychologist, and lecturer. He is a co-founder and chief executive officer of Age Wave, a California
Bay Area-based
population ageing business management company.[1][2][3]
Dychtwald studied at
Lehigh University and received his Ph.D. in psychology from Union Graduate School.[5][6] He turned his doctoral thesis into a book, Bodymind.
Career
Dychtwald spent much of his career developing and honing the concept of the "Age Wave", a population and cultural shift caused by the converging global demographic forces of the
Mid-20th century baby boom, increasing
life expectancy, and the declining fertility rates of the later 20th and early 21st centuries.[1][6][7]
In 1973, Dychtwald co-founded the SAGE Project, an organization funded by the
National Institutes of Health with the mission of improving health, wellness, and quality of life for older adults.[8] In 1982, he joined a panel created by the
Office of Technology Assessment, a
think tank for the US Congress, to examine how population aging would impact America in the 21st century.[9]
In 1986, Dychtwald and his wife, Maddy, founded Age Wave, a think tank and consultancy with a perspective on the social, business, healthcare, and financial implications and opportunities of global aging and rising longevity.[1][10] Under Ken Dychtwald, Age Wave has conducted research studies with several Fortune 500 companies, including
Edward Jones and
Bank of America Merrill Lynch.[11][12]
In 2022, Dychtwald hosted The Legacy Interviews, a webcast with notable figures in the field of aging and longevity. This was turned into a 12-part podcast, a book, and a 60-minute documentary called Sages of Aging that aired nationally on public television.[16]
In 2004, Dychtwald, Tamara Erickson, and Bob Morison wrote the article It's Time to Retire Retirement, which tied for the first place
McKinsey Award as the best article of the year in the
Harvard Business Review.[19][20] In 2012, he co-envisioned the idea of an Alzheimer's XPRIZE with XPRIZE Founder Dr.
Peter Diamandis.[21] He is a member of the Board of Trustees at the
XPRIZE Foundation and is the former Chair of the Alzheimer's XPRIZE.[22]
In 2016, Dychtwald and his wife,
Maddy Dychtwald, received the Esalen Prize for "Advancing Human Potential of Aging Population".[23] Dychtwald also received the Inspire Award from the International Council on Active Aging in 2018, recognizing individuals for their contributions to the active-aging industry.[24] In 2023, he received the American Society on Aging’s President’s Award for evolving the world’s understanding of what aging means (Dychtwald was also honored by ASA in 1996 and 2013).[25]
Film and television
Age Power! With Ken Dychtwald: How the 21st Century Will be Ruled by the New Old,
PBS, 2000.[26]
Wellness and Health Promotion for the Elderly,
Aspen Pub, 1986
Age Wave: How the Most Important Trend of Our Time Will Change Your Future, with co-author Joe Flower,
Bantam Books, 1990
Healthy Aging: Challenges and Solutions, Aspen, 1999
Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled by the New Old, Tarcher/Putnam, 2000
Leaving a Legacy: The Essential Resource for Financial Professionals, with co-authors Mark Zesbaugh and Catherine Fredman, Age Wave Press, 2006
The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest of Your Life, with co-author Daniel J. Kadlec,
Wiley, 2005
Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills and Talent, with co-authors Tamara J. Erickson and Robert Morison,
Harvard Business Review Press, 2006
Gideon's Dream: A Tale of New Beginnings, co-authored with
Maddy Dychtwald, Grace Zaboski, and Dave Zaboski (illustrator),
HarperCollins, 2008
With Purpose: Going From Success to Significance in Work and Life, with co-author Daniel J. Kadlec,
William Morrow, 2009
A New Purpose: Redefining Money, Family, Work, Retirement, and Success, with co-author Daniel J. Kadlec,
Harper Paperbacks, 2010
What Retirees Want: A Holistic View of Life's Third Age, with co-author Robert Morison, Wiley, 2020
Radical Curiosity: One Man's Search for Cosmic Magic and a Purposeful Life,
Unnamed Press, 2021