We often look at celebrities and the famous to gain perspective on things such as life, money, sex, politics and family.   So I decided to see what the famous people of the past ( and one from the present ) had to say about getting older.
  
• Would they have some knowledge or wise sage that they could share that would help us baby boomers better appreciate what is yet to come as we get along in years?  
• Do they have a unique perspective that only comes after living six, seven or eight decades?  
• What might we learn from them that could be applied now to make life just a little less daunting?

I discovered several interesting quotes from a few well known people that makes me think that we may lose our memory as we age, but it appears that we don't lose our sense of humor.

"Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself, 'Lillian, you should have remained a virgin."
- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress." 
- Will Rogers
"Don't worry about avoiding temptation... as you grow older, it will surely avoid you."
- Winston Churchill
"Maybe it's true that life begins at 50... but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out." 
- Phyllis Diller
"Old age is fifteen years older than I am now."
- Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Age in something that simple does not matter unless you are cheese."
- Billie Burke
"The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing.  The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Like everyone else who makes the mistake of getting older, I beging each day with coffee and obituaries."
- Bill Cosby
"An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her."- Agatha Christie

And by far, this favorite one,...
"I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: 'Not good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.'" 
- Eleanor Roosevelt

It won't be long before we will be seeing subtle but important changes to the things we use everyday as baby boomers impact the country - and the world - as they age.  One maker of audio equipment is exploring an concept that would add a face plate to the front side of their boxes that would make it easier to read the dials and screens.  And a vacuum manufacturer is considering changing the style of their handle to accommodate people with arthritis.  Now, at least one car maker is also getting into the act.

According to research by Ford, even small changes can make the words in its interior graphics easier for everyone to read, regardless of their age. The effect is even more visible on aging Baby Boomers who might appreciate actually seeing the dashboard without squinting. And beginning next year, Ford has decided to begin the production of Ford’s Edge and Explorer SUV models with 40% larger fonts. And then later on...on other Ford models too, with higher contrast and larger fonts on the interior display screens control and A/C controls.  

What an amazing concept !!

“Today, aging consumers are of great interest to companies including Ford. For the first time, people age 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5. It’s a transformation that’s changing the world, along with all kinds of products in it.” (according to Ford’s statements).

One thing is for sure.  Larger words will mean that many of us will now actually know just how fast we're driving and won't be able to use that excuse if we are pulled over by the authorities.   "But Officer... I couldn't actually read the dials on the dashboard so I had no idea I was doing 60 in a 35 mile hour zone." 

So what will be next?  What changes in product design should manufacturers take into consideration?
Your Thoughts?

Just a few days ago we celebrated the 4th of July, a day set aside to celebrate our American independence.  And since independency was a major theme of my book, I thought I would share the first chapter of Residential Design For Aging In Place with readers as it speaks to how important independency is to all Americans but especially to those who are challenged by the design of their homes. 

If you would like to read the first Chapter entitled Designs For Independency, GO HERE. 

While many homes have some type of alarms for burglary, fire and smoke, not many homes also have carbon monoxide detectors.  According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the leading cause of accidental poisoning in American is the result of carbon monoxide build up in air.  In the home, it is formed from incomplete combustion from any flame-fuled device including ovens, cooktops, water heaters and vehicles.  Newer home construction also gives the opportunity for this gas to build up without realizing it due to tighter, airtight construction methods.  

What makes it scary is that carbon monoxide is tasteless, odorless and invisible so one can be breathing it and not even be aware that it's in the space until symptoms begin to show like shortness of breath, mild headaches, nausea and fainting.  In serious cases of CM poisoning, brain damage and death can occur.  Not something you want to experience for an aging parent nor family friend of any age.  

As a safe and sound precaution, add a carbon monoxide detector to an interior just like you would for smoke or fire.  The should be installed at least 5 feet above the finished floor or on the ceiling as this gas is lighter than air and will rise.  CM Detectors can be hard-wired or battery operated and the investment will be less the $50.00 in most cases but the return is the very "life" of those who occupy the space. There are many models available and ones that combine smoke and carbon monoxide detection into one battery-operated unit including this one from First Alert for $35.00.  So worth the investment, don't you think?

From the Federal Government, a report on aging in place and no way to escape ones home when public transportation is poor or in some cases doesn't even exist. 

By the year 2015, more than 15.5 million Americans 65 and older will live in towns and cities where public transportation service is poor or non-existent. That number is expected to continue to grow as the baby boom generation “ages in place” in suburbs and exurbs with few mobility options for those who do not drive.  And While some reports clearly have indicated that small numbers of boomers are going back to the inner cities, transportation for the rest is not going to be any better in the short term.

Aging in Place, Stuck without Options, a report by the Feds, ranks metro areas by the percentage of seniors with poor access to public transportation, now and in the coming years, and presents other data on aging and transportation.

The analysis by the Center for Neighborhood Technology evaluates metro areas within each of five size categories. It shows that in just four years, 90 percent of seniors in metro Atlanta will live in neighborhoods with poor access to options other than driving, the worst ranking among metro areas with populations over 3 million. In that size category, metro Atlanta is followed by the Riverside-San Bernardino, CA metro area, along with Houston, Detroit and Dallas. Kansas City tops the list for metros of 1-3 million, followed by Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham.

The entire report is available by CLICKING HERE.

What is the deal with denying our duty and rite to grow older?  It seems that the older this generation of baby boomers gets, the more they deny it.  I guess that's their right as free and independent citizens. And in an article that was on www.smartmoney.com, it seems there are consequences for not doing the important things . . . like make a will.    So here is what the writer Missy Sullivan had to say about getting older and denying such.

Denial can be a beautiful thing. And as baby boomers start to reach a certain age, they can get pretty darn skilled at it:

“Sure I can play competitive hoops with the 20-something guys at work.”

“If I leave that 401k statement unopened, then my portfolio isn’t sucking wind.”

“Make a will? That’s for old people.”

And then there’s the ever-popular “Hell no, I’ll never become frail.”

Never say never. As we’re discovering (for better or for worse), we’re a generation with a lot of big plans, that often doesn’t like planning—especially when it involves acknowledging age-related weakness or loss of ability. It’s an attitude borne out in a new survey about boomers’ long-term housing choices, conducted by insurance group The Hartford, in conjunction with the MIT Age Lab, called Boomers in Transition: Where Will They Live Next?
To read the rest, CLICK HERE.