“Trip Advisor” for independent living products? Download the report

You may recall that last October I reported the launch at Naidex South by the Years Ahead Partnership and Newcastle University of a feasibility study into a scheme for rating assistive technology.

Demographic changes and pressure on public finances are leading to radical changes in the statutory provision of simple assistive technology. Simple aids for daily living – such as walking sticks, mobility aids, tools for arthritic fingers and swollen feet – are now increasingly appearing in a variety of existing and new channels. You only need to look in the small ads of the Sunday newspaper supplements.

However, there are challenges to the emerging market. Public awareness of the existence and benefits of simple living aids is low, the take up is limited by stigma and negative associations of old age and disability. And healthcare professionals are nervous about such developments – not surprisingly given the Office of Fair Trading’s recent investigation into unscrupulous traders taking advantage of ill-informed consumers.

This joint study looked into the feasibility of a consumer-led product rating system which would raise awareness, improve customer confidence, help de-stigmatise the products and offer re-assurance to professionals.

The majority of people surveyed were in favour of an online consumer rating model with a panel or accreditation system to provide further rigour. A kind of “Trip-advisor” for assistive technology and living aids.

We were one of the organisations consulted as part of the study and share Maggie Winchcombe of Years Ahead’s view that “such a scheme has a vital part to play in empowering us all as consumers of [Assistive Technology], designed to help us live our lives to the full into great old age”.

And wearing our designer hats, we believe too that such a scheme will also encourage designers, manufacturers and retailers to really focus on the consumer – and this means producing and selling products which are well designed, innovative and attractive as well as functional.

The next stage for the “Raising the Standard” team is further research and consultation about the design of the rating scheme.  We will keep you posted.

YOU CAN NOW DOWNLOAD THE REPORT HERE (Click on Download) 

Image  - ShowerSandal 

Tomorrow Together – join in the conversation about re-imagining the future

Something very exciting happened yesterday. I was sat around a table at the RSA in London as one of a panel of  experts talking about what it means to get older and what products and services would allow us all to do that well. And then, this is the exciting bit, how we might go about achieving that aim.

The roundtable discussion was organised to kick off a new initiative from the UK’s innovation agency, The Technology Strategy Board called Tomorrow Together which is about encouraging people to talk about what they want in later life. The panellists included Nigel Campbell and Mat Hunter from the Design Council, Geraldine Bedell, editor of Gransnet, Denise Anstey, British inventor, Stephen Burke of United for All Ages and Kevin Johnson from Cisco.

According to findings released today, a staggering 90% of people in the UK are not looking forward to older age with concerns about health, mobility, wealth and social interaction ranking highly. Nearly half of people think that better products and services to sustain independence would change this with 79% of people wanting more innovation in products and services for older age.

The good news is that what became apparent from the discussion last night was that there are already very many passionate people engaged in innovating in this area. In the UK we certainly do not lack the skills or creativity to bring forward new products and services, more it is about bringing together the people, the businesses and the institutions to work together in a more focused way. And also about persuading those who have not yet embraced the challenges and opportunities of our ageing population to get on board.

As Jackie Marshall-Cyrus from The Technology Strategy Board says :”We need urgent innovation. It’s time for the talented, passionate brains of today to re-imagine and rethink for the future and work on tomorrow, together”.

As someone who has been working for a while now with some of our most talented and passionate brains at the University of Brighton, I wholeheartedly endorse this view.

I think this is a very opportune time to launch Tomorrow Together but it will only make a difference if we all join in the conversation and discuss how we can all work together in the UK to imagine and then help create a better future

So please do get involved at www.tomorrowtogether.org.uk and for those Tweeters amongst you, by following @tomorrowtogethr or the hashtag #innovateforage.

Exciting stuff.

To read my blog post on the Tomorrow Together website CLICK HERE

Image: Displacement Jug by Sophia Fong

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/

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

Raising the Standard – a rating scheme for assistive technologies and aids to independent living

This week at Naidex South saw the launch by the Years Ahead Partnership and Newcastle University of a feasibility study into a scheme for rating Assistive Technology.

Demographic changes and pressure on public finances are leading to radical changes in the statutory provision of simple assistive technology. Simple aids for daily living – such as walking sticks, mobility aids, tools for arthritic fingers and swollen feet – are now increasingly appearing in a variety of existing and new channels. You only need to look in the small ads of the Sunday newspaper supplements.

However, there are challenges to the emerging market. Public awareness of the existence and benefits of simple living aids is low, the take up is limited by stigma and negative associations of old age and disability. And healthcare professionals are nervous about such developments – not surprisingly given the Office of Fair Trading’s recent investigation into unscrupulous traders taking advantage of ill-informed consumers.

This joint study looked into the feasibility of a consumer-led product rating system which would raise awareness, improve customer confidence, help de-stigmatise the products and offer re-assurance to professionals.

The majority of people surveyed were in favour of an online consumer rating model with a panel or accreditation system to provide further rigour. A kind of “Trip-advisor” for assistive technology and living aids.

We were one of the organisations consulted as part of the study and share Maggie Winchcombe of Years Ahead’s view that “such a scheme has a vital part to play in empowering us all as consumers of [Assistive Technology], designed to help us live our lives to the full into great old age”.

And wearing our designer hats, we believe too that such a scheme will also encourage designers, manufacturers and retailers to really focus on the consumer – and this means producing and selling products which are well designed, innovative and attractive as well as functional.

The next stage for the “Raising the Standard” team is further research and consultation about the design of the rating scheme.  We will keep you posted.

Image  - ShowerSandal 

Naidex South 2011 – research papers, granny annexes & robots

Yesterday, I donned my Healthy Back Bag  (trying to walk the walk!) and took myself off to Naidex South, the largest independent living show in the South.

Naidex South was held at ExCel, not my favourite venue as it involves a trip to Docklands which notwithstanding the hype to the contrary is not really within easy reach of the City. And ExCel is expensive to reach by taxi, the only sensible option for some for some of my friends with restricted mobility.  

That niggle apart, it was a well organised if slightly smaller event than I was expecting. Whether this is because of the financial climate or the fact that this is the little sister to the flagship Naidex National held in Birmingham, it was not clear.

But Naidex of whatever variety is a good opportunity to meet up with friends and colleagues and to see what new products and innovations are being introduced to the independent living market.

My main reason for going yesterday was to attend the launch of “Raising the Standard”, the final report of a feasibility study for a much-needed scheme to rate, assistive technology. The project partners are Years Ahead Partnership and Newcastle University.  More details about this important study HERE.

I also managed to catch up with Denise Stephens from on-line design community, Enabled by Design and to say hello to Duncan Edwards who was doing a roaring trade selling the innovative and groundbreaking Trabasack. I also met up with Richard Child, a product designer fresh out of Falmouth University, who has very impressively just set up his own company, Hymid R&D  to bring one of his healthcare designs to market.

There were a number of new products and innovations which caught my eye.

iHus Access is a new company which specialises in the design, construction and delivery of bespoke timber-framed living spaces – instant granny annexes which are made in their factory and then installed in the garden. I will be writing more about this interesting new product in a later post.

Disabledgear.com is a free-ads website for the buying and selling of second hand equipment. Really useful if you are caring for an elderly relative and need more equipment or indeed a way to dispose of specialist equipment if you are clearing the home of an older relative.

Finally, the University of Hertfordshire were showcasing their work on the use of robots as therapeutic “toys” for children at the middle to lower end of the autistic spectrum who have little ability to communicate with the outside world. The team have been using KASPAR, an interactive minimally expressive humanoid robot, as a social mediator which has the potential to relieve autistic children’s sense of isolation. Fascinating. I should say that the project needs more funding to take it to the next level. For more information, contact Dr Kerstin Dautenhahn, Professor of Artificial Intelligence – k.dautenhahn@herts.ac.uk  

I had been looking forward to the Independent Living Show Home but whilst the organisers had made the best use of what they had, this part of the exhibition was fairly limited in what it showcased and I was not the only one to leave disappointed.  With the right input and investment, this could be one of the jewels in Naidex South’s crown in future years.

New products designed for people with dementia and those who care for them

To mark Dementia Awareness Day, I thought I would share with you some interesting new products which have been designed for people with dementia and those who care for them – one we stock, one we don’t (should we?) and one which is still in the design stages.

1. Many Happy Returns 1940s

About retirement – dispatches from the front line – Part 66

Dear Philippa,

I have always found the notion of the perfectibility of man implausible, and possibly dangerous, and I am staggered that politicians believe that human beings can be moved closer to perfection by legislation.

This has been going on for as long as I can remember, but the latest bout of this nonsense, coming from the LibDem wing of the Government of all places, is particularly crass. The plan is to tax “bad” or unhealthy food and in doing so tackle the obesity epidemic.

I have always taken the view that the only purpose of taxation should be to raise revenue, and that attempts to use it to change people’s behaviour is both unfair and bound to fail. Taxes on tobacco and alcohol have increased steeply over recent decades, with every increase being followed by a temporary dip in consumption. Tobacco consumption has fallen since the sixties, largely as a result of social pressure, health awareness and changing attitudes. It has taken two generations. Even recent legislation outlawing smoking in various places has done little more than move smokers to other locations. We have seen the preposterous spectacle of council officers, accompanied by police officers, stopping cars on the M11 in attempts to catch people smoking in company cars, which is illegal. 

Laws should be easy to apply, enforceable, and generally regarded as sensible. So how will they, the zealous food police, go about implementing this new idea? Their first problem will be to identify the target foods, and to set a level of taxation that might deter their consumption. This will be difficult, because almost any food could be so categorised. Fish and chips, I suppose, might be first up, along with burgers and fries, and most people would agree that any diet that consists predominantly of these dishes is an unhealthy one, but in the context of a balanced diet they are unexceptionable. And this is the point – there no are bad foods, only bad diets. There is no way of knowing which people are eating cod and chips three or four times a week and which eat them occasionally, on a trip to the seaside or on bonfire night, say. Would a 10% – or even a 20% – tax on a fish supper convert the former to fresh fruit and grilled chicken, and even if it would why should the five-a-day enthusiasts who fancy a trip to the fish shop a few times a year be fiscally coerced? 

And what about those tasty cheesecakes from Waitrose – would Mrs Clegg be happy to see them hammered too, for surely three or four of those a week would turn you into a porker in no time? And what about profiteroles, and soft French cheeses?  I suspect that there’s a bit of a class thing going on. We see it in other areas – planning for example. In the fifties and sixties TV aerials sprang up first and mainly in prosperous residential areas because televisions were very expensive, so much so that people without the funds for a telly would scrape together enough cash for an aerial only, which would proclaim to the neighbours that you were doing well. Now it’s satellite dishes, which are commonly found in poorer residential areas such as council estates, and attitudes have changed – they are seen as infra dig, a sign that you watch too much telly, not “one of us”. Try getting planning permission for a dish in a conservation area (and you will need it) and you’ll see what I mean, but you don’t even need permission for a TV aerial, because watching Channel Four News and Panorama is OK. It will be working class foods that will take the hits. 

I assume that the lawyers in the Civil Service will try to warn the politicians about the problems they face in taxing bad food, but you cannot be sure – after all, such complex and unenforceable legislation will require many lawyers for many years. Pity Arnold “Two Dinners” Goodman isn’t still around to talk sense on this one.

Best wishes

Howard

!! 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?