12 gifts ideas to help someone make a fresh start in 2012

Our fantastic  Move It or Lose It! chair-based exercise DVD has been featured on the It’s in the Stars blog as a great gift idea to help someone make a fresh start this year.

“12. If your parents or grandparents have become less mobile or a loved one is temporarily incapacitated, help them get fitter with the Move It or Lose It DVD of chair-based exercise.”

To see the post in full, visit http://www.itsinthestarsonline.com/12-gifts-to-help-someone-make-a-fresh-start-in-2012/

Perfect age-friendly Christmas gift ideas for Mums, Dads and Grandparents

£10 and under

The perfect gift for the seasoned traveller, these Travel Notes are designed to be just the right size, small enough to tuck into a pocket but large enough to include notes, photos and keepsakes.

Make light work of peeling all those vegetables this Christmas. Known as The King of Peelers, this OXO Good Grips potato peeler is simply the best peeler you will ever try! The OXO Good Grips range was originally designed with arthritis in mind and all the tools are very comfortable and easy to use. 

Or  treat someone special to a Weekend Pamper kit from the Green People . The ultimate organic spa experience, perfect for more mature skin.

Under £20

For the golfer in your life, the Bionic Golf Glove is the only golf glove to be designed by an orthopaedic hand surgeon.  Promising longer distance and greater accuracy these gloves are made of top-grade cabretta leather to make them feel like a second skin.

This practical Gardening Journal is the perfect place to make notes as the seasons change and record future plans  with its colourful loose-leaf section and storage pockets.

Keen gardeners might also like our OXO Good Grips tools which are designed to give maxmimum strength for minimum effort. OXO Good Grip’s pruners have a hardened, steel cutting blade with non-stick coating, and soft, comfortable, non-slip grips to maximize cutting strength and power.

Or how about one of our colourful handmade double handled mugs?  The unusual two handled design makes holding them a delight and is particularly comforting when you are feeling under the weather or just wanting to relax

Or for those keen on researching family history, this lovely Family Tree file  comes complete with keepsake box.

Under £50

Our gorgeous Typhoon shopping trolleys are sure to cut a dash on any high street.  Let this smart shopping trolley take the strain with its fully insulated cooler bag and, two spacious side pockets for additional storage and a drawstring and Velcro fastening to keep items safely tucked away.

Or how about the versatile Trabasack, part bag, part table? So much smarter than the average laptray. Perfect for picnic lunches or using the iPad, crafting or even eating breakfast in bed.

As featured in Design Week and brimming with character, our best selling handmade doublehandled teapot, has a helpful second handle by the spout, making it easier to pour. 

Under £100

Treat someone special with our ever popular Healthy Back Bags in gorgeous soft leather. Style with comfort, these bags manage to combine practicality with elegance, whilst taking the strain off your back.

Over £100

Any Christmas gift  list would not be complete with an Alex Table Lamp. See life more clearly with the ultimate in reading comfort. Perfect for reading the Sunday papers.

A chilling story about unscrupulous companies preying on older people

I heard a worrying story today about unscrupulous companies preying on vulnerable older people.

My friend, a lady in her 90s, received a phone call from someone wanting to visit her to discuss a “change in terms for her care alarm”. She agreed a time but feeling a little uneasy asked her daughter to be present.

At the appointed time, a tall man arrived and asked first to use the toilet which was slightly odd. Then he came into the sitting room and asked if he might have a cup of tea. At this point, my friend’s daughter was getting rather suspicious and started quizzing him about the company he represented. It transpired that he did not work for the company which supplied my friend’s current care alarm but a rival company and he was there to persuade her to switch contracts.

Feeling not a little discomforted, my friend’s daughter asked the salesman to leave.

My friend’s daughter has notified the appropriate authorities but the damage is done.  Both my friend and her daughter have been shaken by this whole espisode.

What struck me was that this is not a dramatic tale in that (fortunately) nothing was stolen and no-one was attacked.  But these sort of insidious and underhand sales tactics can badly undermine a person’s confidence and there is something so cynical about directing them at our vulnerable older people who are often too polite to say no.

iHUS – an instant granny annex

Need extra space for a carer, a granny annex or simply just a downstairs bathroom or wetroom but can’t face the upheaval of re-configuring your home or building an extension? At Naidex South this year, I came upon a solution – the pre-fabricated iHUS.  

By chance, Grand Designs on Channel 4 last night was all about pre-fabs. Kevin McCloud went to visit Alan Dawson who had built much of his house in his workshop before transporting it to site.   

The iHus follows similar principles to the Grand Designs pre-fab but is much quicker to build. The whole unit is put together in the factory and then simply winched into place. I am told that standard installation time including groundworks is just 2 weeks. 

An iHUS can be of any size, with a range of different bespoke finishing touches, inside and out, and with as little or as many rooms as are needed.  The units can be manufactured  to any finish and specificaiton, from roofing styles to the number of plug sockets. And most importantly the exterior can be finished to match your home. 

Planning permission is usually required. 

When you want to move, you can either leave the iHUS in place (it is an accredited extension that exceeds British Standards) or take it with you. 

iHUS was founded by Trevor Smeaton and Mark Smith who believe they have found a gap in the market by combining high quality accommodation for older and disabled people with an innovative approach which enables families to stay together comfortably. They work with a team of occupational therapists and design and adaptations experts to make sure they understand the needs of their customers – not many builders do that!

I think the iHUS is a great idea with huge potential and could be the solution for lots of hard pressed families wondering how they are going to cope with multi-generational caring.

For an example of how installation of an iHUS has worked for one family and some more photos, read Chantal and Chris’ story here:http://www.ihusaccess.com/chantal-and-chris-say-thank-you-ihus

For more information, visit www.ihusaccess.com

“House-hoarder”? Careful, that’s my granny

This was not a good week to be old. The Intergenerational Foundation launched a report in the House of Commons declaring that people in their sixties whose children have left home are “house –hoarding” and should be made to “downsize” into something more appropriate for their age.

This has troubled me all week for a number of reasons. Putting aside the impractical, if not outrageous, assertion that the Government should be able to prescribe how people live in their homes, the strong whiff of intergenerational  envy is  worrying.

There is no doubt that we have an acute housing crisis in the UK. This has been caused by a number of factors including the failure over many years to build enough housing, especially affordable homes.  Rocketing house prices  have made it very difficult for our young people to get on the housing ladder.

At the same time, we have a care crisis building. Strapped councils are no longer going to be able to offer care for all our older people once their assets are spent, the ones the Intergenerational Foundation think should be downsizing.

So before we encourage older people to sell the large family home, is it not worth looking at the bigger intergenerational picture?   

Those large, supposedly half empty, family homes are often now refuges for adult children trying to save up for their own homes (and sometimes the collateral for such homes)  or places where the grandchildren are looked after whilst their parents work to pay mortgages.

Other families are contemplating moving in together to share the care of the children and the elderly.  Instant annexes such as iHus can now be installed to add separate accommodation in the usually larger gardens of the old family house.

Schemes such as Homeshare Eden encourage older people to rent out spare bedrooms to cash-strapped students who can provide them with companionship and some help around the home in return for a reduced rent.

These “house- hoarding” baby boomers are our friends, our parents and our grandparents – who may need our care. If we are to tackle the housing (and care) crisis, we should look for real intergenerational solutions – not one generation evicting another.

Introducing our new Caregiving section

As we get to know our customers, we have realised that more and more of us are finding ourselves in the role of caregiver for an older or elderly person.

Caregiver is not a role we have necessarily anticipated and it is often something that creeps up on us gradually. Where once we were a child, a friend, a visitor or a neighbour, over time we take on more and more responsibility and become caregivers for the older people in our lives.

We believe passionately that just because someone needs our care, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to live in style. And in fact, good design can mean all the difference to being independent and living life to the full. 

So with this in mind, we have put together a selection of products under the heading Caregiving which can help make life easier, aid independence or simply put a smile on someone’s face. And as you would expect from The Future Perfect Company, everything is well designed, good looking and will not look out of place in the most stylish of homes.  

So, please visit Caregiving and let us know what you think. And if you have suggestions for any other products which you think we should add, please do get in touch.

http://www.thefutureperfectcompany.com/shop/categories/16/caregiving

!! New “Move It or Lose It” Exercise DVD!!

Know you have to exercise but finding it increasingly difficult? Want to improve your mobility but finding it hard to take traditional exercise? Want to buy an exercise DVD for a less agile parent or grandparent?. Then Move It or Lose It! is for you!

Easy to follow, from the comfort of a chair, these exercises set to toe-tapping classical music take less than one hour to do and increase strength, flexibility and mobility.

Endorsed by the Centre for Healthy Active Ageing Research and with no lycra in sight, the Move It or Lose It! DVD will help keep your body flexible, well co-ordinated and improve the strength of core muscles required to maintain good balance and prevent falls.

Hundreds of people of all ages, abilities and with many conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and heart disease have improved their confidence and returned to weight bearing activities as a result of Move It or Lose It! :

 “l had my knee replacement surgery on 3rd Feb and was able to come home on 9th Feb with just the aid of a walking stick. l am convinced that all the exercises l undertook before going into hospital gave me this result.  l walk unaided in the house and have already taken two short walks out of the home with just the stick  without any effort at all. Keep up the good work!” 
Maureen, Leicester

“I have lymphoedema in both legs and was looking for a set of exercises that would help circulation without too much strain being put on the joints. I have recommended the DVD to other lymphoedema sufferers.”
Sheila, Hants

 “I think it is great and my mom has recently used it at home with my dad.  Mom has had an operation and couldn’t come to a class so it was good to get dad doing it at home with her. I think it is a great DVD and will recommend it to others.” 
Mel, Dudley

“I bought the DVD for my mother who lives in semi warden controlled accommodation. My mother (80) and her 8 neighbours use the DVD every week for their weekly exercise session, their ages range from 75-93 and they get enormous enjoyment and benefit from it.  If you release a further DVD let me know!”
Janice, Erdington

The DVD is the brainchild of Julie Robinson (B.Ed in Physical Education, NVQ II and III in chair based exercises and Extend) who is a specialist teacher of exercise for older or less able people of any age and runs a network of classes in the Midlands area. 

 “The idea for this DVD comes from my clients who are in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. From people in community centres to care homes, from Age Concern projects to hospice courses, so many people have said they want to follow the routines at home but can’t remember what to do. So the first Move It or Lose It! routine is aimed at those who need gentle but progressive exercise so they can improve their strength, mobility and confidence.

These exercises can re-introduce people to exercise, encourage people to move more regularly and help to maintain their independence as they are able to cope with their everyday activities.

I am frequently contacted by the people who are concerned about their parents or grandparents as they are worried about their physical decline as they age. They know they need to exercise but don’t know what to do and cannot always get out to join a class. The Move It or Lose It! DVD brings the exercise class to their living room, encouraging them to keep on moving just like the people in the DVD.”

Click here for details of how to buy the Move It or Lose It! DVD with FREE Exercise Band

Social care for the elderly – it’s up to us

Last week I attended a seminar organised by the influential think-tank, the International Longevity Centre, about “Creating a market for innovation in care”. Having just watched the BBC1 Panorama exposé about abuse in adult care homes, the cost and quality of social care was very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

As anyone who is struggling to look after an elderly parent knows, social care as opposed to healthcare is not centrally funded by Government and is not free at the point of delivery.  As the population ages, the social care bill is getting bigger and at the moment there is no agreed consensus as to how it should be paid.

The funding of social care has been a political football for some time now. So potentially toxic an issue is it, that both the Labour Government and now the Coalition have encouraged cross–party talks so any unpalatable decisions are seen to be made collectively.

To their credit, the Coalition has been pretty quick off the mark with the launching of the Dilnot Commission which is due to report later in the summer.

Whilst we will have to wait for the Commission’s findings, it is inconceivable that Dilnot will conclude that social care will be fully funded. The most likely outcome is a cap on individual contributions which the media has suggested will be in the region of £50,000. This will open the way for insurance companies to design products to fund this shortfall but will also mean for many people downsizing or selling family homes to fund care.

As was evident at the ILC seminar, very many people are focussed on how to reduce social care costs and the burden to families of caring whilst at the same time ensuring quality. And there are some interesting projects underway. 

CareBank, which is being piloted by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, aims to encourage volunteers of all ages to help older and more vulnerable people live independently. Volunteers who register with CareBank and help out with things like, for example shopping, driving, housework and gardening can earn credits for their time which could then be saved for the volunteers’ own or their family’s support in the future or used for a range of different services and activities, e.g. free swims.

There is much to commend this sort of approach but as with all “Big Society” projects it raises some fundamental questions about funding, quality and whether people will be willing to give up their time in this way. It is interesting that CareBank uses a carrot approach so that volunteers can be rewarded with credits.

NAAPS on the other hand aims to increase the choice of low cost care services which are available  to individuals by supporting micro-enterprises. These are very small community services, set up by front-line workers or people with support needs and their families offering activities, transport, hot meals, advocacy or home help.

In reality much social care will be provided by families and friends. Dilnot has warned that over the next 20 years, grown up children are expected to spend 13 per cent more time caring informally for relatives, while demand for such care will soar by 55 per cent. Key to the effective delivery of this care will be the attitude of employers. Not only can employers help by offering flexible working, they could also offer social care insurance as an employee benefit (similar to health insurance) or provide signposting to carers to help them juggle work with their caring responsibilities. Employers could also encourage employers to take part in volunteering as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes.

Certainly there is much to think about. And the shift from State to individual means that social care is going to remain an individual problem. Are we all ready for that much responsibility?

Why we need to re-design work for an older population. Part 3 – how do we re-design work?

The UK is getting older.  Disastrous pension provision and a faltering economy, as well as personal choice, mean that many of us will not have a traditional retirement as we continue to work beyond our early 60s.  All of us are more likely than ever to become carers, if not for our parents and grandparents then for our grandchildren.  And whilst medical advances mean that many of us will live longer, most of us can expect to have chronic health conditions of some sort or other. But is the world of work ready to embrace this new cohort of older people with differing ambitions, health conditions and family responsibilities? If not, how can we re-design it to enable us all to continue working?

In this series of blog posts, we look at why work needs to change (Part 1), the case for and against flexible working (Part 2) and finally, how we need to re-design work (Part 3).

Part 3 – How do we need to re-design work?

In Parts 1 and 2 we considered why work needed to change to reflect the huge changes in society over the past 60 years and whether flexible working was the way forward. In this final post we ask whether if flexible working is the way forward, what we need to change in order to make flexible working a reality for more people. 

Here are some thoughts.

Whilst there is increasing evidence that some people are prepared to trade salary for time, we will need to accept that there will be an impact on living standards for people choosing to work flexibly. In particular, home ownership might be more difficult to achieve and there will need to be more flexible housing options such as more secure private rental models and greater use of shared equity schemes.

I think we need more democratisation of the workplace. Hierarchical structures often mean more that those further up the pyramid are allowed more freedom to choose they way they want to work  than those at the bottom. In many workplaces this means the senior managers able to leave early to watch the school play without anyone batting an eyelid whilst the secretaries have to negotiate either unpaid leave or working overtime weeks in advance. Everyone should have equal flexibility in this respect.

Denise Stephens of Enabled by Design points out that we also need a more flexible state benefit system, commenting on the current provision for people with disabilities as follows “Wanting to return to work…is simply not enough. First there is the minefield of the benefits system to navigate which up until now has very much been an all or nothing affair; you’re either well enough to work or not and there is little or no provision for people with variable conditions or intermittent periods of ill health – nor tailored support for creative adjustments to support opportunities such as working from home. ”  Entrepreneur Duncan Edwards of Trabasack echoes this, calling for flexibility and simplicity of benefits and “a tax system which does not to penalise short term /irregular work.” Whether any of will be achieved as part of the current overhaul of the benefits system remains to be seen.

From a legal perspective Catriona Watt of Fox lawyers predicts that ”The government may come under pressure to introduce legislation which better protects self-employed consultants by giving them more of the rights employees enjoy. Currently some core legal protections only apply to employees and not consultants or freelancers, most particularly the rights on termination of employment such as the right not to be unfairly dismissed and the right to receive a statutory redundancy payment.”  With more older people and disabled people in the workforce, “Employers will need to be even more focused on anti-discriminatory policies and, in due course, discrimination and flexible working legislation. The government must be proactive with initiatives on training and development for the over 50s, media campaigns to tackle ageism and disability discrimination and possibly facilitating a combination of gainful employment and social security.”

We might also want employers to provide new sorts of benefits such as geriatric care managers to help employees with their elderly care responsibilities and stress counselling. I wonder whether we will be prepared to trade salary for this sort of support.

We should perhaps consider too different sorts of working models  which make the most of the enhanced experience of an older workforce, for example job shares which team up less and more experienced people (with differentiated pay scales).

It is likely that managers will need to be trained about intergenerational differences and how this might impact on their workforces. Any flexible working schemes considered for older workers will need to be implemented consistently to avoid disadvantaging younger employees.

There are big challenges ahead but the benefits of getting flexible working right are huge too.  Marrisse Whittaker of Virtual Granny puts it well: “Having access to flexible working hours can enhance the lives of people over 60 keeping them mentally and physically active for longer, saving the country costs in healthcare going forward. And their unique and varied life experiences can enhance the lives of those they work with, care for, or play with. A win win situation all round.”

Do you agree with us ? We would love to hear your thoughts and observations.

If you would like a complete copy of the article (with all three Parts), please email us at contact@thefutureperfectcompany.com

Why we need to re-design work for an older population. Part 2 – The case for and against flexible working

The UK is getting older.  Disastrous pension provision and a faltering economy, as well as personal choice, mean that many of us will not have a traditional retirement as we continue to work beyond our early 60s.  All of us are more likely than ever to become carers, if not for our parents and grandparents then for our grandchildren.  And whilst medical advances mean that many of us will live longer, most of us can expect to have chronic health conditions of some sort or other. But is the world of work ready to embrace this new cohort of older people with differing ambitions, health conditions and family responsibilities? If not, how can we re-design it to enable us all to continue working?

In this series of blog posts, we look at why work needs to change (Part 1), the case for and against flexible working (Part 2) and finally, how we need to re-design work (Part 3).

Part 2 – The case for and against flexible working

In Part 1 we looked out how whilst the last 60 years has seen extraordinary changes in society, the workplace and our families, the way we work has so far failed to keep up. So how should work be adapted to reflect these changes?  Increasingly people are calling for more “flexible working”.

Marrisse Whittaker from Virtual Granny puts it like this: “60 is the new 40. The vast majority of people around the current retirement age are still both physically and intellectually bright and carry a vast weight of experience with them, which can be hugely valuable to any workforce.  However, having slogged it out at work for many years, most people are looking for more of a life balance and flexible working hours would allow over 60’s to contribute to the workforce and also to offer valuable help to families, particularly by helping care for grandchildren.”

But what do we mean by “flexible working”?

Rowena Cowen, City HR Director, explains “The meaning of flexible working has changed considerably over recent years – traditionally we tended to think of it applying especially to women with young children. While legislation has now extended this right, in reality, flexible working covers a whole host of different lifestyle needs. For example, single adult households who need time at home to stay in for deliveries without taking holiday, or even, in our aging population, older workers who just find the daily commute into the City each day onerous and who value being able to work at home one day a week.

Flexible working also has many guises. Working at home, part time work, fixed term contracts, compressed hours, flexi-time, job sharing, sabbaticals, time off for charitable work, are all variations on a theme”.

Disadvantages of flexible working

But of course, as many a working mother has found to her cost over the years, flexible working does not always deliver what it promises.  In the past “flexible” working has often meant less chance of advancement and earnings penalties for people unable to work “full time”. Many flexible jobs are low status and low paid.

Employers are often reluctant to adopt flexible working patterns. Flexible working can be seen as difficult to manage and there are concerns about how to monitor employees at home.

Employers can often also worry about client or customer perception, that flexible can somehow equate to unprofessional.

There is also a danger that a flexible workforce might be less cohesive. There are definite social benefits of a work environment where people are together and some people feel very isolated working at home for long periods.
 

Benefits of flexible working

Notwithstanding the challenges that it can bring, some employers are beginning to appreciate the benefits of a flexible workforce.

Rowena Cowan again: “In my experience, some sectors have embraced the concept of flexible working more readily than others. In certain, more ‘traditional’ professions, there can be a residue of hanging on to the comfort of the 9-5, must come into the office every day routine. But there is evidence that even these bastions of the ‘normal’ office routine are re-examining their policies in the face of not only mounting  pressure from their employees, but also good business acumen.   I think there are a number of reasons why companies can no longer afford to ignore the flexible working revolution. Employees are certainly aware of their rights and are very persistent in pursuing their flexible working requests. The fact is that, despite (or perhaps because of) the current economic uncertainty, people are no longer as afraid of moving jobs as they might have been a generation or so ago.  And while I would not question employees’ loyalty to a reasonable employer, the fear of changing jobs, the demise of final salary pensions, and the fear of the unknown is not as great so if employees cannot get what they reasonably ask for, the chances are high they will find it somewhere else. In addition, despite the high number of unemployed, the battle for the top talent remains as fierce as ever and employers must constantly be aware and responding to the demands of that talent if they are to attract them.

But the necessity to embrace flexible working in all its forms is not just about attracting staff, or the fear of losing them. There is now an increasing body of empirical evidence that those employers who do offer flexible working have more motivated and engaged staff which in turn, leads directly to a healthier bottom line. Flexible working is not the answer to every challenge we face as employers, but it is a good place to start.”

Entrepreneur Duncan Edwards of Trabasack agrees, highlighting a number of other benefits to employers of allowing people to work from home: “Accessibility is improved as people are working in their own suitably adapted environment more, rather than the ‘one size fits all’ workspace. Productivity can be improved as people are working at the best times for them and when they are most efficient and not merely “putting the hours in”. There are time efficiency savings with less travelling as well as time and energy efficiencies with carbon savings, less commuting and reduced office infrastructure costs.”

By removing barriers to work, flexibility can also reduce reliance on benefits and cut care costs by encouraging independence and allowing people time to look after their own family and friends.

So, although potentially very challenging for employers and employees alike, we think the case for flexible working is very persuasive.  In Part 3 we consider what sort of changes need to be made to the way we work to achieve this sort of working model.

Do you agree with us ? We would love to hear your thoughts and observations.

If you would like a complete copy of the article (with all three Parts), please email us at contact@thefutureperfectcompany.com