Honeywell makes a useful gadget for people who have difficulty reading the small numbers on thermostats-a plastic case that clips onto the thermostat and magnifies the numbers.
Until about a year ago, the unit was available only from heating/cooling contractors. Then Honeywell began distributing it to retail stores at a price to consumers of about $9.95.
Honeywell`s ”low vision adapter” is one of hundreds of products designed to make life easier for the elderly. Most are only available in medical supply stores or from health-care product catalogs.
But that`s changing.
In the `90s and beyond, as the over-65 age group makes up a larger percentage of the population, the market for these products, which have come to be called ”assistive living devices” or ”enabling products,” will grow. Such products now are not widely used, according to gerontology experts, because elderly people don`t know what kinds of products exist, how they work or where to get them. In the `90s look for:
– More products designed for different functions.
– Products that look less institutional.
– Wider distribution of products to retail outlets.
– Greater acceptance of products because they`ll look better and be easier to buy.
”All those trends are happening,” said Elliott Stern, executive director of the Stein Gerontological Institute in Miami, where many such products are on display at Miami`s Technology Center for Independent Living at the Stein Gerontological Institute. ”The prices are tending to come down. Also, there`s a trend toward better-looking devices; that`s very important,” he said.
Some devices, such as grab bars for tubs, have already undergone this evolution. A few years back, grab bars were basic stainless steel and could only be found at medical supply stores or catalogs of home health-care products.
But grab bars today are vinyl coated and available in a choice of colors to match your bath. And you can find them in a wider variety of places, including drugstores.
”What`s happened to that product is it has become normalized,” said Katie Sloan, a consumer affairs specialist with the American Association of Retired Persons in Washington, D.C. ”That`s what we`ll see happen with a lot more of these products.”
Demand explains why. The elderly population is growing. In 1988, the 65 and older population totaled 30.4 million; by 2000, it will number 34.9 million; and by 2020, 52.1 million people in the United States will be 65 or older.
Though growth in the older population is certain, increased use of assistive products is not.
”There could potentially be a very large market for these things. The question is, will they be used,” said M. Cherie Clark, assistant director of the Technology Center for Independent Living.
The center, which opened about 18 months ago, grew out of Stein`s research department. Its focus is helping people to live independently for as long as possible.
”We want to showcase products that are especially useful and find ways that manufacturers and distributors can reach their markets better,” said Stern. ”Our primary purpose is to get as many of these things in the hands of people who need them as possible.”
Most of the products on display at the center can be ordered through catalogs with assistance of the center`s staff. The center showcases many of the products and ideas for easier living in a model one-bedroom, one-bath apartment. Some prototype products are also featured at the center.
”Developers automatically assume that older people want a bathtub,”
said Stern. ”I think it`s about time we started giving them showers with seats that they can walk in and out of without tripping.”
Another good idea?
”Getting rid of door knobs,” said David Kersley, director of development at the Mississippi-based Institute for Technology Development, a non-profit organization that researches and evaluates assistive living devices. ”There is no place in the world that door knobs should be used. The lever is just a perfect machine.”
The technology center has, at times, evaluated certain products-a consumer service they`d like to expand. They also have plans to develop a catalog of catalogs that would include virtually every assisted living device offered. Some of the products and ideas on display at the center are:
– Bath tubs that offer easy entry. One of the tubs, the ComfortCare System, which sells for about $3,000, opens like a bench to allow you to sit in it. Swing your legs into the tub, turn a lever and the tub`s sides swing out from under to enclose you. Another tub, BathEase, has a swinging door and a bench seat. It sells for about $1,400.
– A multipurpose turning handle. The lever attaches to things like knobs on the oven and television to allow easy turning. It sells for about $30.
– A peg board to hang frequently used pots, pans and utensils.
– Extra shelf space between counter tops and cabinets to cut down on bending down and stretching up to reach things in cabinets. ”If you find you`re reaching down for pots all the time, bring them out,” said Clark.
– A wood prototype three-barreled sink. The sink is low, allowing you to sit while washing dishes or cutting vegetables. It`s also shown located next to a stove and has a hose faucet so you can fill pots on the stove without having to carry them from the sink.
– A heat induction stove that heats only metal, so it is not hot to the touch. Such a stove would eliminate one of the most high-accident areas in the home, said Clark.
– A wall oven that opens to the side to eliminate bending.
– Assorted silverware with thick handles that are especially useful for arthritics.
– Plates with a lip that help users push food onto a spoon or fork.
For further information, call the Technology Center for Independent Living at 305-751-8626, ext. 581, or 305-756-0669 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
