The Business of Aging

Elderly Services and Home Health Services: Top 25 Fastest Growing Industries

Kelly Services  reported the "Top 25 Fastest Growing Industries for 2010 to 2011".

List includes Elderly Services and Home Health Services.

Read it here.

 

The Airlines and the Aging Population: We're Sorry Old Man, You Can't Use This Bathroom. Please Return to Steerage.

I was recently on a coast-to-coast @UnitedAirlines flight where an older man in his mid 80s who was sitting a few rows behind first class needed to use the bathroom but the drink cart prevented him from walking to the back of the airplane. So he walked into first class to use the bathroom. A flight attendant turned him away.

I was shocked.

When I googled the topic it didn't surprise me to find plenty of similar stories.     Here is one I read on an online travel site:

"Sunday night, on American Airlines, I watched a flight attendant rush to stop an elderly gentleman (who was sitting directly behind First Class), and send him allllllll the way to the back of the plane to stand behind 8 people to use THAT bathroom. Several people in First Class smiled or gave a thumbs up to the flight attendant."

I'm not sure what shocked me more. The story or the user comments such as "You get what you pay for. When someone pays 10-20x more for a ticket, they should have their own bathroom. Plus, once the old man gets to use it, others inevitably will try to bend the rules."

Wow.

That 85 year-old man likely fought wars to preserve the freedoms the young stewardess enjoys - the same stewardess who denied the man access to the bathroom. I felt so bad for the man. And I felt tremendous anger toward the airline.

But I realized that my anger toward the airline was an emotional response to a policy I did not agree with. Yet, the airlines have every right to have such a policy.

But it's a bad policy that reveals just how ill prepared most businesses are for the changing demographics of this country. 

Here are some facts about the aging population (in the USA):

- The older population--persons 65 years or older--numbered 39.6 million in 2009 (the latest year for which data is available). This is about 13% of the U.S. population - roughly one in every eight Americans.

- By 2030, the older population--persons 65 years or older--will number about 72.1 million older persons (more than twice their number in 2000). This will be about 19% of the U.S. population.

Lets assume an airplane has 200 passengers on board. If the demographics of the passengers matches the USA then by 2030 we can expect that nearly 40 "coach" passengers will be over the age of 65. And many will have some sort of physical limitations. And some will have some sort of bladder control issues (10% of people over 65 do). So clearly the airlines will have to adapt to the needs of what is going to be an important customer base - older passengers.    

I'm not alone in recognizing this marketing fact. Here is what Stephen Shaw had to say about this topic in his book Airline Marketing and Management: 

"Clearly, the product that airlines offer will have to evolve, with more provision being made for disabled passengers and those needing help at airports. In terms of subtler changes, the travel industry may have to adjust its promotional policies. In advertising to promote leisure travel, the industry still focusses on images of fun-loving younger people……."

Even airports need to adapt - from changing the physical layout of airports (you can't expect a 65+ year old to run to a gate a mile away on a short layover) to providing more accommodating procedures and seating at security screenings (e.g., more benches where people can sit down to remove and put on their shoes).

And it is not just the travel industry.

It is  very clear to me is how unprepared most businesses are - especially services businesses - for the growth of the aging population.

Every industry needs to adapt to the needs of older customers - from product design to customer service (patience). Not doing so will alienate this important (and large) customer group and result in significant lost revenue.

On the flip side, businesses that start NOW to accommodate this demographic group will reap the rewards and gain a competitive advantage. And those that delay will find themselves falling further and further behind.

Connecting Generations with Exergames

One possible lamentable aspect of aging is perhaps experiencing the increasing gap of interests between family members.  What is relevant differs from generation to generation, from international affairs to popular culture.  That video games will rot your brain is the general opinion of most parents and grandparents, but in this case, video games may serve to unite two (even three) generations of family.

Exergames and Senior Health
These “exergames”—video games that combine exercise with game play, most notably with the Nintendo Wii platform—have shown signs of improving symptoms of subsyndromal depression (SSD) in seniors, according to University of California’s San Diego School of Medicine.  Seniors aged 63 to 94 took part in this research by playing Wii video games in 35-minute sessions three times a week.  The results were encouraging; though some participants worried about their performance during these exergames, by the end of the study, most participants claimed to enjoy the experience and were able to improve upon their past performances.

Building Relationships
Exergames serve not only to keep seniors involved in a physical activity, thereby aiding their health, but it also brings participants together.  Wii games often involve multiple players, and Nintendo makes it a point to advertise Wii games with family members of varying generations at play together.  No matter the age, the principle is the same: fun, mentally and physically challenging, relationship-building games.  In fact, the Wii is being integrated as part of many fitness programs in retirement homes across America. 

The Wii Fit
The platform more popular for fitness in the Nintendo realm is the aptly named Wii Fit, which provides different types of hand-held controllers for differing activities such as yoga, while guidance is provided on the television screen before the player.  Different players approach the Wii Fit differently; some may prefer it to the games on the general Wii, which are more competitive in nature.

Hand-held Games
Another Nintendo option (although there are many gaming platforms) is the Nintendo DS, which is a handheld device much like the beloved GameBoy.  Brain Age and Brain Age II are marketed toward adults who want to stay mentally sharp.  Flash Focus is another DS game geared to improve the player’s memory.  Flash Focus shows the player a scene and inquires about one aspect of the scene when it goes away—what color was this, what was in whose hand, how many of these, etc.  These two games still appeal to various age groups and improve upon visual recognition skills, memory, and quick thinking.

All it takes to improve upon one’s fitness, sharpness of mind, and social skills as a senior, it seems, is the open mind it takes to try one’s hand at an exergame.  What may be more difficult is prying that hand away from the controller when there’s too much fun to be had for one.

Guest Author: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at  First in Education and performs research surrounding online schools. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.