Marketplace for Aging

The Aging Marketplace has a great variety of hope and hype. In the last decade we have seen a huge base of products being developed to improve the lives of aging consumers. There are now cell phones for elders featuring large buttons and simple calling plans. Most stores now conveniently offer products that focus on independent living for seniors, like shower chairs and walkers, including local chain stores like Fred Meyer and Walgreens. An article in Mechanical Engineering, called “New Wheels for Grandma,” focuses on automotive improvements made to aid in the safety of senior drivers. A Lear Corp’s concept car, includes a pivoting, sliding platform for loading golf clubs into the trunk. Low-light color cameras in a Taurus Safety Car allow drivers to see vehicles or pedestrians in blind spots. Ford adds dimples and bumps to its controls to aid in distinguishing by touch alone. Cadillac uses ultrasound to calculate distance of the car from the object behind it. However, along with the advancements in the aging marketplace, there continues to be room for improvements.

Prescription bottles are one source of problems for elders. Firstly, the labels are often printed too small for elders to read. Additionally, as the Huffington Post points out in their July 6^th, 2012 article titled, “Drugs & Seniors: Post 50s Overlook Key Warning Labels, “inconsistent design lends to misreading warnings or overlooking important instructions all together.” An additional problem with prescription drugs for seniors, are the bottles themselves. For those with arthritis, oftentimes the safety lids can make the bottles difficult to open. Although there are lids that are easier for senior with arthritis to open, not all are made aware of the options to have those easy open lids used for their prescription bottles. As SeniorCareServices.org explains in their “Prescription Medication: Keeping Seniors Safe and Sound” article, “Ask the pharmacist for easy open caps, large print labels, and sometimes oversize bottles may be necessary.” The aging marketplace has advanced in offering tools that can be purchased for seniors as highlighted by Arthritis Today in their article “Opening Medicine Bottles with Ease.” Most notably is the “PurrFect Medicine Opener Magnet” which is shaped like a cat, and opens a variety of bottles in a variety of ways for a reasonable price of $9.95.

However, the cat shaped bottle opener brings up one flaw with the aging marketplace, that many senior focused products are either designed to be childlike (and thus not very dignified) or are so focused on utility that they are embarrassingly unstylish. Take the GPS shoes that are developed to protect elders with dementia from wandering and becoming lost. The shoe incorporates a sneaker design, which is not very appropriate for most daily activities, except running perhaps. For a sophisticated senior lady wearing a nice dress, the GPS shoes would be extremely inappropriate and tacky. There are bed rails to protect seniors from falling from bed during sleep, but one design appears like prison bars, complete with black metal rails. For this monstrosity, one must shell out $117.40. One would imagine that seniors with sweethearts that spend the night, this would not be an appealing item to decorate one’s bedroom with. Alarm watches made for seniors that vibrate or talk for medication reminders, mostly look cheap and crude. On ModernSeniorProducts.com, a senior alarm wrist watches page shows a small offering of just 11 watches to choose from, of which only 2 look tasteful enough that one would be able to wear the watch to a formal event.

Considering that persons ages “65 years or older numbered 39.6 million in 2009”, a population that continues to grow, according to the Administration on Aging, one would think that products available for seniors would be look better and appeal to dignity. As a Huffington Post article describes it, “Baby Boomers Will Transform Aging in America.” In the same article, Dr. Rhonda Randall, the chief medical officer of united Health Care says, “Boomers also have a "fierce" desire to remain independent, which will lead to an expansion of organizations offering home- and community-based care.” Boomers have a desire to live better. As Ken Dychtwald, president and CEO of AgeWave explains, “a new model of life is emerging”…”They are going back to school at 40 and coming back from illness to run a marathon at 80. They are beginning as late bloomers and hitting their stride in later years.” It’s clear that baby boomers will set new standards for the aging marketplace of the future. Hopefully, along with it will come sensible, stylish product lines that contribute to healthy living and promote dignity.

Have you seen design innovations for the silver market that you loved or hated? 

How about any products that you haven't seen that you'd like to see for seniors?

Caregiving Journal - Making Time

The big outing for today was a 2-hour shopping trip to the grocery store. Now this may sound silly, but you don’t know Ma.

Ma can become cantankerous on shopping trips. If she’s not hurling complaints about the store itself, she may likely wander off in a place like Costco, where she can be impossible to find at the petite stature of 5 feet 2 inches.

But today was different. Ma was walking slowly, pacing herself through the store. We deliberated on each aisle, reading what it contained, and then deciding if we needed anything on it. She reminded me of things we needed that I’d forgotten. We negotiated and came to an agreement to pass on foods that weren’t diabetic-friendly (I relented on the Gluten Free Waffles.) We talked about veggies each of us liked, that neither of us knew the other liked (and threw some in the cart.) I asked her which meats she liked and she picked out a few types. And, as we finally ended up at the register with a full cart that took both of us to push, she was still in good spirits.

She chatted and joked with the cashier, then told her how she normally is forced to rush through the store, but today she got to experience it fully. Although this statement didn’t surprise me, as we usually do rush through the stores, it got me thinking.

Was all our rushing around causing her displeasure at the stores? If we simply gave her the time to shop (taking it slow to explore everything) would she find shopping pleasant, maybe even enjoyable? If this one trip was any indication of how to do it right, maybe it needs to be the guide for all future shopping trips.

What I learned – Allow for the time on the things your loved one enjoys - it may improve your experience and your interactions.

  What do you rush through that a loved one might want to take more time on?

Caregiving Journal - Planning for Absence (Part 2)

Back from New York - Ma is elated we are home, though I notice Ma did not finish the pre-bottled protein shakes I left in the fridge.

Protein - She insists she told me when we were in NY that she didn’t like them and wasn’t going to drink any more of them. I recall the conversation - that she didn’t like them but never the part that she wasn’t going to drink them. This is bad news because Ma hates meat, and those were her replacements for the meat I would not be preparing on the days I was gone. If I had heard her say that, I would have insisted that she did indeed need the protein. We discuss this, and I go over the fact that the body cannot make certain enzymes without the proper proteins. Although she did eat the eggs I boiled for her, the protein was insufficient without the shakes. We discuss this fact as well, and how important it is for her to get the proper protein in her diet. Because she is diabetic she cannot get her proteins from beans (too high glycemic) and so she must get her proteins from animal sources (eggs, meats, cheeses).

Vision – Ma didn’t eat the salad I left her, although it was clearly labeled. She also said it took her a couple days to locate the cucumbers (they were in plain sight). She didn’t notice water that was on the next table but instead found the bottled waters near her on the floor. I’m not sure if she’s unobservant or having memory issues or vision troubles. Will have to ask the Naturopathic Physician she sees at her appointment this Friday.

Blood Sugar – Even though we discussed before the trip that maintaining her blood sugar means that she cannot drink pre-sweetened coffees (cappuccino for the Keurig coffee maker), I find Ma had 3 of these coffees on 1 day with the high blood sugar readings to match. We discuss this, and again I reiterate that only one pre-sugared coffee is safest for her. I remind her of the pathology involved if her blood sugar remains too high, diabetic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, and that avoiding the sugars helps maintain her own blood sugar and avoid those health problems. Even though Ma says nothing, I know she is listening.

Lesson Learned – 1) Even the best-laid plans can go awry. 2) If you leave your loved one home alone for a few days, have someone check on them to make sure they are eating & taking meds as planned.

Have you ever had a loved one not follow your instructions to their own detriment? How did you deal with it? Did it work?

Caregiving Journal - Planning for Absence (Part 1)

Intro - Tomorrow my husband and I leave for New York for the weekend, as Ma cannot stand long enough to cook and wash dishes, and has trouble managing all her supplements, I must plan ahead…

Food - Before the trip I head to Fred Meyer to pick up 3 days worth of food. I focus on items that are pre-packaged and ready to eat like veggie trays with dip, sliced up pieces of cheese, 2 boxes of rice crackers, cucumbers, avocados, tomatoes, prepared seaweed packs, and three packs of protein drinks (the low carbohydrate ones without sugar added). I also boil 1 dozen eggs and place them in the fridge in a clear glass dish. All the foods are low carbohydrate (low sugar) foods with high nutritional content. What is in the fridge gets labeled, so as easy to identify. Most items are in clear translucent containers for the same reason.

Medications/Supplements – All supplements are prepackaged up per day in empty (amber) prescription bottles. They are labeled 2 per day with the day and AM or PM below the day (e.g. Wed. AM). I give Ma all the bottles on 1 tray on her desk so she can take them accordingly.   Ma manages her own prescription medications, as she has just a few and the dosages seldom change. I mainly manage the supplements required, as those change based on how she’s feeling between visits and or based on new blood labs that Kaiser has run for her. Ma sees Kaiser for main medical issues but also has her care managed with a Naturopathic Physician (which I help to coordinate).

Lesson Learned – Buying pre-packaged serving packages really simplifies meals when you can’t be there to prepare food for your loved one or if he/she cannot prepare food for himself/herself.

Have you ever had to prepare a loved one for your absence? What helped you prepare? Please share here!