Senior-friendly appliances for those with money who are willing to plan ahead
The theory sounds something like this: the baby boomers are aging, so retooling products and services to meet their needs as they age will mean a windfall. Right? Maybe. Experience has told me that only a small minority of the population are what are traditionally called “planners.” They not only think (worry?) about the future, but they invest time and money into making their own future better. They don’t deny, they act.
In today’s Wall Street Journal (April 25, 2008), I read “Designing for the Senior Surge.” One sentence made me smirk: “Unlike their parents, who often moved into retirement communities or assisted-living centers, most boomers plan to remain in their own homes, surveys show.” My significant experience, in regularly talking with audience members across the country, and sharing ideas with their financial and legal advisors, has taught me that baby boomers are MORE likely to consider alternate retirement housing, such as planned communities. I guess it depends on how you define a home. Baby boomers have been much more mobile than their parents. Their parents, however, lived in the family home for decades.
Anyway, the Journal reported on aging-friendly home products, such as applicances with larger display panels, and dishwasher drawers that can “sit directly below the kitchen counter, or even on top of it.” Other ovens and refrigerator/freezers are designed to reduce bending over. Makes sense, but I’m skeptical. These appliances are expensive, and I don’t believe that most people will be motivated to buy them until they run headlong into a crisis and acute need. And that’s not usually a time that you want your kitchen renovated.
Spending more money today to make life easier in the future is not a huge motivation for most. That’s why retirement savings rates are so low. But, if you’re planning a kitchen renovation anyway, why wouldn’t you consider these age-friendly (and back-friendly) options?