Smoke Signals and Caregiving Apps

What should they do?

As one VC executive, Andy Donner of Physic Ventures, noted recently, this is the year of the “care.” There seems to be a growing list of vendors who are trying to offer some sort of “keep in touch” product that connects an older person with family members who may live elsewhere. The basic element is to provide some means to signal “concerned about you” from family members and obtain an “I'm all right” response from the older family—accompanied by the ability to react in the event that a response is not received. Add-ons include devices with environmental sensors, health-related self-care devices, health record tracking, reminders, and communication capabilities. Read More >>

Letting Go of Your Possessions Is Harder Than You Think

Get the help of a personal property appraiser

Holding onto possessions for the sake of not wanting to let them go will leave a massive burden for the children/heirs. Gifting now and making plans for the distribution of your possessions while you are still here (and in control of those decisions) is the best plan of action! Read More >>

Is the iPad for Boomers and Seniors?

Could be!

So much iHoopla about the iPad. But as the famous saying goes, there is no such thing as bad publicity. Folks at Apple must be having a great time with this. The geeks have weighed in, and plenty of snippy negative commentary has been spewed about the Apple iPad (including lots of sophomoric humor about the product name). Read More >>

The Last Blog Entry

It's time

Mom is doing just fine. As a matter of fact, her diabetes is so stable that the glucose checks are down to once a week for another few weeks; thereafter, they’ll be done every two weeks. The woman is going to live forever, or so it seems. Read More >>

Cell Phones for Seniors

More features, fewer features, or smarter features?

Let's look at a Japanese cell phone feature list and wonder why no US manufacturer or distributor has duplicated the features of the Fujitsu Raku-Raku (Simple to Use) phone. Read More >>

A Spontaneous Invitation Changed My Outlook on Life

Seniors truly are our greatest asset

It was a spontaneous invitation from my mother to attend their senior holiday dance and party. I was visiting from out of state and obliged her request, but I wondered how much fun it would really be with everyone so advanced in years. Read More >>

Ten Aging in Place Trends to Watch in 2010

We’ll save deeper analysis for another day

It's the end of the year and time for a wrap-up of the indicators from 2009 that will drive trends for 2010. Read More >>

Fine Clothing, Part Deux

The pink sweater

Reorganizing the dresser drawers is now a regular part of my visits to Mom. It didn’t start out that way; but this year, when spring turned to summer, I went through mom’s drawers to see if she needed more lightweight clothing and if I needed to store some of her warmer things at my house.

What a mess! Nothing was properly folded. Nothing was in order. The tops and pants were rolled up together and the nice cotton tops were rolled in a drawer, along with someone else’s clothes that weren’t even her size, not even close. All the nice pants, where were they? And the expensive thermal tops, where were they? I was really pissed. Read More >>

Caregiving in the US 2009 Report Offers Material for Tech Marketers

Caregivers and recipients face challenges--and opportunities

The new report Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, sponsored by the National Alliance for Caregiving, AARP, and MetLife (and funded by MetLife), is a comprehensive survey of 1,480 caregivers, defined as those age 18 and over who provide unpaid help to another person. The most intriguing aspect of the study is the comparison to the last published version from 2004. Seventy percent of those surveyed care for someone over the age of 50; of these, 66% of the caregivers are female, and their average age has increased from 46 to 49, with the average age of care recipients who are age 75 and older up from 43% to 51%. Average time in the caregiving role is 4.6 years. Read More >>

Starting Your Own Business to Serve Boomers and Seniors

Do your homework first

What types of businesses are we discussing? I have heard about and see opportunity in home care services, home renovation and remodeling, financial advisory services, portable health records, life planning, home activity monitoring, move and organizing services, personal concierge services, adaptive and assistive services, home assessments, bathroom-specific remodeling, and companion services. In addition to the aforementioned, I would like to see more private transportation service businesses started in areas where the business model makes sense. Read More >>