Appliances re-engineered for Baby Boomers

December 5, 7:59 AMBaby Boomer ExaminerPaul Briand

Previous Next

5 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Baby Boomer Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

A new generation of household appliances is being created to better address the growing aches and pains of aging Baby Boomers.

Whirlpool, for example, has developed a pedestal as part of a clothes dryer to reduce bending over, thus reducing strain on aching backs. Its dryer and washing machine feature large knobs for easy grabbing. Both General Electric and Siemens have stoves that prevent boil-overs.


WSJ photo of Whirlpool dryer with pedestal

The Wall Street Journal this week did an extended story on the subject of home appliances and Baby Boomers. As the story notes:

"The offerings are largely geared for the roughly 76 million baby boomers - born between 1946 and 1964 - who control the biggest share of purchasing power for the roughly $25 billion U.S. appliance market," said the article.

"And many of these people are demanding appliances that help them cope with the aches, pains and other infirmities they confront as they grow older. In addition, more than half of Americans are expected to have elder-care responsibilities within 10 years, and many will likely want their homes to be senior-friendly."

Each of the manufacturers uses techniques to test or simulate their appliance in use by someone who, for example, has arthritis.

Whirlpool tested its design ideas with people who are deaf, blind or arthritic. GE, according to the WSJ, has "empathy sessions" during which its young engineers gear up in a way to simulate some infirmities: they tape their joints and where gloves to simulate arthritis, they put cotton in their ears to impair their hearing, they wear special glasses to simulate sight problems such as macular degeneration, and they put corn kernels in their shoes to make walking more difficult.

As one GE spokesperson told told the Journal: "When you've got designers that are 25 or 30 years old, it's very hard for them to understand what someone in their 60s or 70s experiences."

Wall Street Journal video of appliance testing: