HOW BUSINESSES LOSE OLD PEOPLE – they don’t know what seniors want/need!

Last week I read The Longevity Economy, by Joseph F. Couglin, who is the founder and director of MIT’s AgeLab even though he is only 56. His basic thesis is that businesses do not really understand old people and what they want or need. I was intrigued enough, at 78, to 1) sign up as an AgeLab volunteer and 2) over the last week, while on a trip to Tucson, come up with personal examples of how businesses do not understand old people.

Here are just a few of my thoughts:

1. Side mirrors on cars do not let you see a car next to you on either side and it is hard to turn your head. I bought a blind spot mirror from Amazon and stuck it on my mirrors before I left.

2. The bath tub in our first hotel was too  high, with a step and inadequate grab bars.

3. The bed is high. I couldn’t sit on the edge and put my shoes on. I was unstable getting out of it in the middle of the night; and, I  get up often – another problem of aging

4. The TV clicker is difficult to use, though this one was simpler than most.

5. The restaurant is great. It is quiet and you can share a plate, unlike a lot of restaurants.

6. In case we don’t want to drive the distance, we have options. We can fly, we can use Uber/Lyft and  rent a car. A little more costly than the drive and stop but not much, and not the stress. We miss the non-stop SW flights from ABQ to TuS.

7. When we leave, ABQ, we notify our neighbors, set up on/off lights and hide the computer. When you think about it, we really don’t have much that the average thief would want.

8. The car is a Prius and after 6 years and 75,000 miles, we still average 55 miles to the gallon,which appeals to our geriatric cheapness. And it is easy to drive and park, although I would like a back up camera that is standard on new cars.

9. Freeways are ok outside of cities as we stick to the right lane. And use speed control.

10. We also plug the I-phone into the cigarette lighter so it is always charged. And of course, google maps gives us directions as to where we need to go.

11. We don’t drive at night on the freeway

12.  Food and  other items packed in plastic that old fingers can’t open. Knives are hard to use on plastic packages with arthritic fingers. Scissors are also difficult, but who travels with them.

13. The paper TV channel guide  has letters too small to read. The TV clicker was confusing, no grab bars in the bath tub, , bath tub too high,  so without a grab bar, difficult to step into. – For the blog I have enhanced the TV channel guide.

14. On the way back, we stayed at a famous old hotel, but again no grab-bars on the high tub and the bottles of shampoo and conditioner were over a foot tall and heavy.

15. Lights in hotel rooms are not designed for old people; nor is the placement and switches on lamps.

This is just a sample.

More to come.

THINK OLD!