"Gerontrepreneur Profile: Susan Schreter, Caring Products"
Professor David Demko, PhD
AgeVenture News Service
"I'm not a rocket scientist, but I designed a product that's being used on the space shuttle," says Susan Schreter, founder and president of Caring Products International (NASDAQ: BDRY). Although she is not even remotely involved in the aerospace industry, whenever any astronaut goes on a space walk, one of the first things they put on is a Rejoice brand advanced bladder control product manufactured by her Seattle-based company.
In 1991, Schreter left her career as an investment broker to create a more dignified product for her grandmother who suffered from urinary incontinence. Working from her apartment, she designed a prototype and used her financial savvy to raise over $2 million to fund development and testing of her high-tech alternative to bulky adult diapers.
Today, Schreter's patented Rejoice products are carried in more than 10,000 stores across America. "Wearing adult diapers can restrict activity and frequently discourages many people from even leaving their home", noted Schreter. "I knew I could make a better, more fashionable solution that could be worn undetected.
Rejoice looks and feels just like conventional cotton underwear with deceptively slim, disposable, absorbent liner. Since NASA approved her Rejoice product for Space, astronauts can now conduct extended Space walks for up to ten continuous hours at a time without discomfort. Urinary incontinence affects over 15 million Americans with more than 30 percent of people over age 55 living at home experiencing some degree of diminished bladder control.
Profile recommended by J.P. Lincoln, Beverly Hills, California.
Dave Demko, AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
David Demko reports on lifestyle issues and trends in Aging America.
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