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If your email reader software mangles this bulletin
read it online at AIPatHome.com
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December 2009
A leading resource for people who are
searching for products, services, information and reassurance
to better age in place.
AIP Bulletin
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Quote of the Month
“Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will
avoid you.”
Winston Churchill |
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Is the UK
Out In Front When It Comes To Smart Homes & Telecare? |
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This is one of the questions Brian Dolan with Mobihealthnews
asked George MacGinnis with the Assistive Technology Programme at the NHS Connecting for
Health in the UK and the short answer is “yes”.
“The UK starts from a position where we have state provided social care. With
that we had a history of using technology and social care to move people out of residential care homes and keep them in their
own homes. There is a significant infrastructure there already”
said MacGinnis. “In terms of penetration rate, we have upwards of 1 million people who enjoy some form of remote monitoring technology
and around 300,000 or more ’smart homes’ are already out there and wired. That’s
probably very different from what is classically talked about more often in
places like the US, for instance, in terms of chronic disease management. [For
chronic disease management] we are starting out along with everyone else — we
are still in the stage of early pilots."
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Caregiving
Is Still Mostly A Woman's Job |
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Almost One-Third of U.S. Adult Population Plays Caregiver Role in
Households Across America: 65.7 Million Caregivers
Caregiving is still mostly a woman’s job and many women are
putting their career and financial futures on hold as they juggle
part-time caregiving and full-time job requirements. This is the
reality reported in Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, the most
comprehensive examination to date of caregiving in America. The
sweeping study of the legions of people caring for adults, the
elderly, and children with special needs reveals that 29% of the
U.S. adult population, or 65.7 million people, are caregivers,
including 31% of all households. These caregivers provide an average
of 20 hours of care per week.
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“Now in addition to family and work, boomers have added
caregiving, the equivalent of a part time job, to their responsibilities,” said
Elinor Ginzler, AARP Senior Vice President for Livable Communities. |
Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, which was funded by MetLife
Foundation and conducted for the National Alliance for Caregiving in
collaboration with AARP by Mathew Greenwald & Associates, is the
result of interviews with 1,480 caregivers chosen at random. The
study was designed to replicate similar studies conducted in 2004
and 1997 and includes, for the first time, a sampling of those
caring for children as well as those caring for adults over the age
of 18.
Among the findings: American caregivers are predominantly female (66%) and are an
average of 48 years old. Most care for a relative (86%), most often a parent (36%).
Seven in ten caregivers care for someone over age 50. One in seven caregivers
provides care, over and above regular parenting, to a child with special needs
14%). Caregiving lasts an average of 4.6 years.
The study also revealed that both caregivers of adults and their
care recipients are now older than their counterparts were five
years ago. Among caregivers of adults (ages 18 or older), the
average age of the caregiver rose from 46 to 49. The change can be
attributed to a decline among younger caregivers (those under the
age of 50) and a shift upward among caregivers age 50 to 64. Among
caregivers of adults, the average care recipient’s age increased
from 67 to 69, mainly because of an increase in the percentage age
75 or older (from 43% to 51%).
Click here to continue reading online
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Blogging
Seniors Catching Up With Teens |
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NielsenWire Online reports that, while people 65 and
older still make up less than 10 percent of the
active Internet universe, their numbers are on the
rise. In the last five years, the number of seniors
actively using the Internet has increased by more
than 55 percent, from 11.3 million active users in
November 2004 to 17.5 million in November 2009.
Among people 65+, the growth of women in the last
five years has outpaced the growth of men by 6
percentage points.
Not only are more people 65 and older heading online, but they are also spending
more time on the Web. Time spent on the Internet by seniors increased 11 percent in the last five years,
from approximately 52 hours per month in November 2004 to just over 58 hours in 2009.
“The over 65 crowd represents about 13% of the total population and with this increase in online
usage, they are beginning to catch up with their offline numbers,” notes Chuck Schilling, research
director, agency & media, Nielsen’s online division. “Looking at what they’re doing online, it makes
sense they’re engaged in many of the same activities that dominate other age segments – e-mail, sharing
photos, social networking, checking out the latest news and weather – and it’s worth noting that a good
percentage of them are spending time with age-appropriate pursuits such as leisure travel,
personal health care and financial concerns.”
The number one online activity? Checking personal email. Viewing or printing online maps and checking
the weather online were the second and third most popular online activities, with 68.6 and 60.1
percent, respectively.
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Update |
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We've added a new category of
Accessibility
Specialists to the AIPatHome Business Pages:
Certified National Resource Center
on Supportive Housing & Home Modification professionals. These people have completed a 5 course
home modification program at the University of Southern California. |
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I Want That! |
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 And we'll wrap up this techy-stat filled bulletin
with a nod to the upcoming
Silvers Summit
and Digital
Health Summit at the  Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
by taking a look at this laptop that we hope will quickly move from concept to
store shelves:
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Talk to Us |
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Your rants, raves, suggestions and stories are always
welcome...especially the raves! Seriously, tell us what
we can do to help bring you the information and access to other
resources you need to best age-in-place, in the home and community of
your choice. Send your comments to
talktous@aipathome.com or click here to
fill out our online form. |
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