With the stock market in turmoil and housing in a slump, appliance manufacturers are taking the long view and retooling their offerings for aging baby boomers.
In the kitchen, General Electric Co. is designing ovens with easier-to-open doors and automatic shut-off burners. A joint venture of Germany’s Bosch and Siemens AG has introduced a glass cook top for its premium Thermador brand designed to prevent boil-overs. In the bathroom, Moen is trumpeting new grab bars that can support a 350-pound person, and Kohler is devising easier-to-handle faucet levers. Minnesota-based Truth Hardware reports booming sales for its remote-controlled window motors.
The offerings are largely geared for the roughly 76 million baby boomers — born between 1946 and 1964 — who control the biggest share of purchasing power for the roughly $25 billion U.S. appliance market. And many of these people are demanding appliances that help them cope with the aches, pains and other infirmities they confront as they grow older. In addition, more than half of Americans are expected to have elder-care responsibilities within 10 years, and many will likely want their homes to be senior-friendly.
CLOSE YOUR EYES and envision a physician carrying his or her black bag to make a house call on a frail elderly person, someone with a disability, or even an aging baby boomer. Does this image seem as outdated as multi-week hospital stays? Actually, house calls, with their potential to lower costs while improving healthcare quality, are more relevant than ever.
Today, a disproportionate percentage of rising healthcare costs are tied to the expense of caring for those with complex chronic illnesses and serious disabilities. This population cannot easily get to the doctor’s office or have their needs met in a 20-minute visit. In our approach to caring for these patients, there are many missed opportunities to prevent complications requiring costly hospitalizations and nursing home placements
In greater Boston, house calls are coming back, but with a 21st century twist. Each month, 500 elderly, disabled, and chronically ill persons who are enrolled in a special primary care program receive visits from clinicians committed to helping them retain their independence and health. The person making the house call, however, is more likely to be a nurse practitioner than a doctor. In addition to a stethoscope, the bag is likely to contain a laptop computer that connects the clinician to physicians, hospitals, and an entire array of support services.
With people living longer and delaying starting families, the Baby Boomer generation, also termed as the Sandwich Generation or Generation S, are finding themselves caught in a unique intergenerational mix in the family. While parenting children of their own who could be in various stages of growth - from young kids to adolescents, to boomerang children, to grown up children living with their parents - they also have to take care of their aged parents. When this is compounded with a spouse’s needs, along with the individual’s own spiritual and emotional needs, it can be a volatile mix indeed.
The Stress Factors of the Sandwiched
The following are a few of the stress factors that affect the sandwich generation:
How to split time amongst children or family and elderly parent(s)
How much time should be given to each role of care giving
How to find time for one’s marriage
How to find time for personal needs
How to keep peace between the children and the aged parent
How to find the needed resources to take care of oneself, the children, and the elderly parent
How to deal with a sense of isolation
How to deal with the guilt of not having the time to do everything
Here are a few tips with which some of these stress factors can be counteracted:
Holding a Meeting with the Family:
At the meeting, talk about the various tasks of care giving that have to be carried out in a day or a week. Make a list of tasks that have to be done by the members of the family each day or week. Set mutually accepted expectations of how these tasks should be completed. Although providing care for the elderly is usually done by a single person, but it doesn’t have to be that way if the rest of the family gives a helping hand. The meeting will also allow the rest of the family getting to know how they will be sharing and participating in the important act of providing care, which can be a rewarding experience.
Communicating with Each Other:
Encourage elders and children to connect with each other by communicating their feelings and thoughts. Ensure that during the meeting each person has the chance to express themselves. This leads to greater understanding between the generations, which results in better harmony in the household.
Dealing with Children:
Explain to your college going children about the necessity of being realistic about the kind of tuition fees you can afford. If there are boomerang children at home, share your expectations with them. Call upon them to behave responsibly, as adults, although they may be living with you. Continue reading →
With people living longer and delaying starting families, the Baby Boomer generation, also termed as the Sandwich Generation or Generation S, are finding themselves caught in a unique intergenerational mix in the family. While parenting children of their own who could be in various stages of growth - from young kids to adolescents, to boomerang children, to grown up children living with their parents - they also have to take care of their aged parents. When this is compounded with a spouse’s needs, along with the individual’s own spiritual and emotional needs, it can be a volatile mix indeed.
