At 50, AARP Enters Its Golden Years

AARP experimented with other paths to the boomers, creating a magazine, My Generation, a not-so-subtle reference to a favored 1960s rock anthem. But that title lasted only a few years before a new publication, AARP the Magazine. It publishes three editions: one for 50-to-59-year-olds, another for 60-to-69-year-olds and a third for 70-plus.

A recent issue featured articles about wounded war veterans, health-care costs, heartburn, vacationing in Las Vegas and -- depending on your age group -- "The Completely Outrageous Passion of Martin Sheen" (for the 50-59), "Passionate Martin Sheen" (for 60-69) or "Brave Martin Sheen" (for 70-plus).

There are few, if any, glaring mentions of what one often associates with getting old, less-than-appetizing topics such as senility and fragility and, oh yes, death. The back pages are home to a few ads for senior-friendly devices, such as a chair lift for stairs and a "walk-in" bathtub, though the models don't exactly look like they need the help. "If you're presenting an ad, you can't show aging in a negative way," said Kurt Medina, a marketing consultant. "They're very strict about that."

Novelli said he likes to think of the publication as a "lifestyle magazine," aimed at the broadest audience possible. But that isn't to suggest that Novelli himself tunes out the darker aspects of aging.

As he contemplates his future -- he has announced he's leaving AARP in 2010 -- Novelli said his interests include focusing on how Americans deal with the prospect of dying.

Or "the end of life," as he puts it.

Too often, he said, they are unprepared for the kinds of decisions they will be confronted with as they or their loved ones approach death, whether it's medical issues or estate planning. "We have a culture of misunderstanding and inappropriate handling of death," he said.

As relevant as that topic may seem to AARP's membership, readers won't find it splashed on the cover of the magazine's next issue.

Instead, they will see a smiling Brian Williams, the boyishly handsome news anchor, who is eight long months shy of his 50th birthday.