labyrinthworld

High tech homes are making it easier for the elderly and handicapped to live more independently. Blueroof Technologies, with the support of researchers from local Pittsburgh universities Penn State Greater Allegheny, Carnegie Mellon University’s Quality of Life Technology Center and the University of Pittsburgh are designing and testing homes built using robotic, handicapped, and electronic technology.  The mayor and local leaders from McKeesport have joined with them to form the McKeesport Independence Zone where they’re building 15 to 20 “smart” houses.  There have been a few test homes already built in the Pittsburgh area.

I’m actually excited about these developments, but can’t help but think that the new housing possibilities are the result of the aging baby boom population.  Because of its size, this generation has been uniquely successful in making its needs felt.

Flipping channels this morning I came across a NBC segment featuring Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who was advising parents to keep their children on drugs to treat ADHD despite the fact the drugs might cause heart attacks.  I had heard this information already, and was about to switch channels when my attention was caught by her report on a recent Harvard study that shows that life expectancy for American women has reached a plateau and has begun to decline.  This is historic, since in recent times, this has happened only two times, once when the Aids epidemic hit sub-Saharan Africa, and the other when the Russian health care system collapsed with the fall of the USSR.

Between 1960 and 2000, life expectancy for women increased by 6 years and for men by 7 years.  Since 2000, that trend has begun to reverse for women, and 1 out of 5 or 20% of women can expect their life expectancy to be less than that of the generation that came before them.

Needless to say a country that is not healthy will have difficulties in competing in the world economy.

My experience with hearing loss has to do with my father-in-law, now deceased.  Mr. O was a sweet, gentle man who worked hard to provide for his family.  About the time of his retirement, he began to experience hearing loss that gradually worsened. This had a profound impact on his social interactions. Whereas previously he had been included in discussions and social interactions, increasingly he was relegated to the sidelines.  It was simply too hard to communicate with him. After awhile it became easier to simply smile and nod when he came into the room. 

I can imagine life must have been lonely for him.  The hearing aid he sometimes used must have been more of a hindrance than a help because it seemed not to make a difference in his life. It’s too late for him, but according to a New York Times report, there may be help on the way for older Americans with hearing loss.

The problem with traditional hearing aids is they provide feedback and overamplify background sound. Their batteries frequently fail. They are taken out at bedtime, and because moisture can trap moisture and pose an infection risk, they have to be taken out before showering. These combined problems discourage people from using them.

A new device that is being tested seems to offer none of those problems. The device is called Lyric, and it is placed close to the eardrum. It is inserted and removed using a small magnet and takes just a few minutes.  It can be worn 24 hrs and the battery can last between 1 and 4 months. So far those using them have nothing but good to say about Lyric. Although, we may not to admit it, this is a product we babyboomers may want to pay attention to.

The Los Angeles Times reported that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find younger people who are willing to work as caregivers. At the same time demand for caregivers for the elderly is expected to increase.  It is projected that during the next decade demand for home health aides is expected to increase by 50%.  One proposed solution is for healthy older adults to pitch in as paid or volunteer workers.  There is evidence that this is already happening.

Problems with recruiting caregivers would not be a problem if the pay rate for providing care to our most vulnerable was not so depressingly low, especially when compared to other professions, and especially when you consider the demanding nature of the work. According to the Department of Labor, home care workers make between $7.19 per hour and $9.54 per hour. The average pay for nursing aides at $10.67 per hour is slightly higher.  

My own experience was as a caregiver for my mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s.  Towards the end, I bathed her, dressed her, and spoon fed her baby food as if she was an infant.  I did this out of love and because I could not afford to hire someone to assist me. The idea that as a society we expect strangers to provide this degree of care for our loved ones without adequately compensating them is ludicrous.