MATURE MARKET HEADLINES POSTED 3/2/99
Gum Fighter Dentures Go Out For a Bite
Do your teeth go out whenever you eat? If so, you've probably got gum-fighter dentures. Those unreliable substitute teeth that keep you from enjoying a meal. Why doesn't someone do something about this problem? Well, they have. You just didn't know about it until now.
From the beginning of time, says Michael Mackenzie, people have suffered with dental problems, ranging from excruciating pain to the loss of their entire set of biting bones. Mackenzie is the author of a new book, "Lower Denture Problems: the world's only self-help book on dentures". Despite modern advances in denture technology, just about every denture wearer experiences a problem or two every now and then. And who knows when these embarrassing moments will occur?
One fundamental flaw in dental design lies in the construction of the lower denture, says Mackenzie. Most dentists can't do much about this problem. So the author has taken it upon himself to resolve the problem. His self-help book is the only one in the world to address this subject, says Mackenzie. Written from the patient's point of view, the book features new trouble-free denture design, which the author believes eliminates the fundamental cause of denture problems. This design (patent pending) is detailed and made freely available for readers to use. Is this practicing dentistry without a license? Hmmm. Not sure. But I guess if your gums are killing you, and there's no help in sight, I guess you might be willing to at least consider any available option. Never-the-less, it's probably worth a discussion with your dentist before taking matters and, in this case, your teeth, into your own hands.
The book also discusses the history of dentures, common cures and remedies, and a few case studies. "Lower Denture Problems" is scheduled for release this April form BookMasters Inc, Ashland, Ohio. 136 pages. $19.95.
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.
Teeth Tips Address Elder Dental Concerns
Her Teeth Are Like Stars, They Come Out at Night
Dental Poll Offers Oral Report on Boomers
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Tax Credit May Trigger LTC Insurance Boom
The cost of caring for an Alzheimer's victim in a nursing home for just one year is $40,000. But what is the cost if that Alzheimer's victim is being cared for at home by family caregivers? Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. Family caregivers, while serving without pay, still must be expending somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000 in time, material, and monetary resources. That means these families need financial help. And U.S. Representative Nancy Johnson couldn't agree more.
Johnson has joined forces with representatives from the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Alzheimer's Association to release a new study confirming that U.S. families are the backbone of the long-term care system, providing care at enormous personal cost. Other sources estimate that as much as eighty percent of all eldercare is provided by the family. That means if the family fails to continue their caregiving role, society is in big, and expensive, trouble. And the outlook for the future looks even worse. For example, the 78 million baby boomers make up 29% of the nation's population. At that rate, society can expect an estimated 14 million boomers to have Alzheimer's disease during the next 50 years. That's an expensive epidemic.
The new caregiver study, "Who Cares? Families Caring for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease" counts at least five million American households tending to loved ones with Alzheimer's. It also found that Alzheimer caregivers suffer high levels of physical strain and emotional stress in addition to the tremendous financial burden. "The report begins to show us how costly Alzheimer's caregiving can be, both financially and emotionally," says Johnson. "Millions of families face the daily challenge of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's and they need our help."
"These results are sounding an alarm that something must be done to assist those who undertake the emotional and financial strain that comes with caring for those with long-term illnesses," says Johnson who will introduce legislation to provide families with some protection against long-term care costs. Johnson's legislation is titled the "Long Term Care and Retirement Security Act", and it would create a tax credit for the purchase of long-term care insurance as a low-cost means of helping families cope with caregiving.
AgeVenture believes that the very idea of a tax credit for long term care insurance must have some health care insurance executives ecstatic, absolutely ecstatic.
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.
Women Continue Caregiver Tradition
AHCA: Boomers Need LTC Plan ASAP
Alzheimer's Research Is Everybody's Business
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Eldercare Trend Grey, Global and Growing
These days, just who fills the role of caregiver for grandma? Another grandma, of course. Surprised? Don't be. Older people, age 60-plus, throughout the world are playing an increasingly important role in caring for relatives, according to a new report from the Census Bureau. "There is a perception that older people typically receive care from younger people," says Victoria Velkoff, author of a publication on "gender, aging, and caregiving". The image of the caregiver is changing. "In many cases, the elderly are themselves the caregivers, whether they are caring for a spouse, a sibling, a child or a grandchild."
The report also found that in many developed countries in the West, older women are much more likely to live alone than are older men, partly because they are more likely to be widowed than are men. Other highlights of the study:
- Spouse provides primary care.
For many older people, their spouse provides their primary care. This
occurs in both developed and developing nations, for both men and women.
- Family feel the squeeze.
Pressure on the so-called "sandwich generation" -- the generation of
people who find themselves simultaneously caring for elderly parents and
their own children -- will increase in the next 25 years in most developed
nations.
- Burden shifts from developed to developing countries.
Developed countries are currently home to the majority of those age 80
and older, or about 36 million people. By 2015, however, the balance will
switch, with the majority of those 80-plus residing in developing countries,
projected to be about 63 million people.
- Developed nations favor institutional caregiving.
Institutionalization of the elderly ranges from 1 percent to 10
percent in developed nations, but is less than 1 percent in most
developing nations.
As developed nations cope with the phenomenal growth of their older population, global trend watchers can expect to see developing nations borrow many of the age-related programs, policies, and services designed by developed nations. This profile was produced by the Census Bureau's International Programs Center, with the support of the U.S. National Institute on Aging.
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.
Worldwide Gains in Life-Expectancy
World Assoc of Alzheimer's Disease Scientists
Older Women's Market Is Sleeping Giant
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Boomer Callers Take Note of Hold-Music
Nearly all of us know what it's like to be put on "musical hold." Call almost any
customer service number, and you can expect to hear at least a few bars of insipid elevator music
before an operator picks up. The question is: Do you hang up or do you keep holding? That may depend on your gender and what type of music is playing, according to University of Cincinnati professor of marketing James Kellaris.
Professor Kellaris, who has studied the effects of music on consumers for more than 12 years, teamed with Sigma Research Management Group of Cincinnati to evaluate the effects of "hold music" for a
company that operates a customer service line. The UC researcher and his colleagues tested four types of on-hold music: light jazz, classical, rock and adult alternative. Study participants
were asked to imagine calling a customer assistance line and being placed on hold. They were then
exposed to "on hold" music via headsets and asked to estimate how long it played.
Here's a summary of what the study discovered about callers on-hold.
- Hold time seems longer than it is.
No matter what music was played, the time spent "on hold" was generally
overestimated. The actual wait in the study was 6 minutes, but the average estimate was 7 minutes
and 6 seconds.
- Light jazz makes the hold-time seem shorter.
Time spent on hold seemed slightly shorter when light jazz was played, but the effect of music
format differed for men and women. Women reacted more positively to the music than did men. Women also felt the hold-time was shorter during light-jazz hold-music.
- Classical music produced gender differences.
Among the males, the wait seemed shortest when classical music was played. Among the
females, the wait seemed longest when classical music was played.
- Rock hit rock-bottom.
Rock music was the least preferred across both gender groups and produced the longest waiting time estimates.
"The rock music's driving beat kind of aggravates people calling a customer assistance line with a
problem," said Kellaris. "The more positive the reaction to the music, the shorter the waiting time
seemed to be." "So maybe time does tend to fly when you're having fun, even if you're on musical
hold." Unfortunately for companies operating on-hold lines, men and women have different ideas
about what music is "fun." "The possible solution, Kellaris jokes: "If you're a male, please press
one. If you're a female, please press two. If you are in a bad mood, please hang up and try later."
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.
Boomer Couples Cling to Role Stereotypes
ASHA Helps Hard-of-Hearing Hear
Gender Biased Trips Favor Men
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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