Question: I am reaching retirement age and see my co-workers being put out to pasture. I think it’s a shame for businesses to force older Americans into retirement and waste all that experience.

Answer: Agreed. In 2006, the oldest of the Baby Boomers, who are just a few years younger than the “already 65” contingent, themselves turned 60. And guess who’s turning 65 in 2007? Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Harrison Ford, Annette Funicello, Martin Scorsese, Aretha Franklin, and Calvin Klein, to name a few. So what’s next for these 60-somethings?

You might think the answer is “retirement” or “moving to Florida.” But it ain’t necessarily so. There’s a “wave” coming – and while it’s not the result of a tsunami, it’s a major event in its own right.

The “wave” is the huge number of Americans who are expected to begin retiring from the workforce this year and continue for the next 20 years. The ramifications of this demographic sea change are huge. Since Boomers represent more than a quarter of the U.S. population, who will fill these retirement vacancies?

And lots of folks these days can’t afford to retire; they are still putting kids through college and perhaps helping to care for elderly parents, as our NextSteps letters and e-mails tell us daily.

And then, as you ask, why should we let all the experience and expertise of the Boomer generation go to waste on the golf course?

Why not, instead, harness this “senior power,” says former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford, who helped launch the Peace Corps 46 years ago. Wofford, 80, is the national spokesperson for the newly launched “Experience Wave” campaign that would establish the infrastructure needed to keep older Americans in the workforce, plan for an older workforce, connect and work cooperatively with businesses, and set up an infrastructure to promote volunteerism and mentoring. A package of proposals to make all of this a reality was introduced in the New York legislature Feb. 27.

“Since their earlier years, Baby Boomers have been a defining generation in America,” says Wofford. “As they age, they are redefining the idea of retirement.”

In an interview with NextSteps, Wofford urged other states to take steps to “tap the experience and knowledge of older workers to help meet our communities’ needs.” Time is of the essence, he emphasized. We need to “look at what should be done to get ahead of the wave, with the Baby Boomers sweeping out of the work force into a period when they could really make a difference in this country if we viewed them as resources instead of problems.” The key, Wofford added, is to see “human resources as leadership and experience and talent to be tapped and encouraged instead of wringing our hands about the problems of all these seniors.”

In March, Maryland is expected to introduce a legislative package similar to New York’s that would remove barriers faced by older workers and the employers who need their skills, facilitate older worker training, and encourage older Americans to engage in charitable services. Five or six other states are taking steps in this direction, Wofford said.

How do we catch the Boomer wave? These legislative initiatives are a good place to start. The bills would, among other things, create task forces to identify and address legal provisions that may limit opportunities for mature workers; identify ways for the private sector to hire, retain, and retrain mature workers; encourage businesses to allow seniors to work flexible, part-time hours; give tax breaks to older people who volunteer their time at various charities; develop protocols for certifying businesses as “older-worker friendly;” establish centers for lifelong learning at community and four-year colleges; train and place older adults in tutoring, mentoring, and other educational support positions for young people; and allow mature adults to take university courses for credit without tuition.

“This is an experienced generation,” said Wofford, “whose service can make a real difference in solving this country’s problems.” He added: “After 60, we’re living the second half of our lives. We need to figure out how to do it in a way that delights us and makes a difference.”

We couldn’t say it better. We urge you to urge their representatives to pass legislation to make it easier for older adults to offer -- as Paul Widzowski of the New York Statewide Senior Action Council puts it -- their “deep pool of experience, wisdom, and energy to assist industry, education, and social and volunteer endeavors. Mining the gold in the hearts and minds of senior citizens is an idea whose time has come.”