Rhonda Latreille, Vancouver-based chief executive of Age-Friendly Business, provided the following tips for working with older clients:

  • Check out your attitude about working with people over the age of 60. “Do you hold stereotypes that age means being feeble or mentally incapable? You won’t have to say a word; your clients will pick up on it right away.”
  • Understand the challenges and opportunities of the different stages of life. “Boomers are often caring for frail, elderly parents as well as raising teenage children. People over 70 are often dealing with multiple losses – loss of spouse, friends, loss of their driver’s licences and the need to leave their homes.”
  • Understand the needs and concerns of older women who will make up a larger part of your client base in coming years. “Women tend to live longer than men, and the transfer of money will first go to older women, the spouses, before it passes on to the next generation.”
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