A helpful resource of "What's New" articles, stories, and reports from a wide variety of organizational and media sources...

2019

• The 9 Big Design Trends of 2019                                                                        Design leaders at Microsft, Ideo, Pentagram, Gensler, and more weigh in.

• 3 Ways Millennials Differ from Generation Z in 2019 TrendsThere's a lot of confusion around who actually "counts" as each of these, and what the generation after millennials is.

• 2019 Show Features First-ever Accessible Garden     
  For the first time in 60 years, The Colorado Garden Foundation featured a garden display themed around accessibility at the 2019 Colorado Garden & Home Show.

• 7 Essential Trends That Will Shape Product Design in 2019    Businesses that design and manufacture products are facing more (and higher) consumer expectations than ever beefore.

• Senior Housing: What Type is Right for You?     
  The first step to finding the best senior housing is understanding what types of options may be available and what assistance those options can provide.

• 12 "Must Have" Products for Elderly Living Alone in 2019     
  But living alone has its challenges. That's why we put together a list of the top selling "must have" products for elderly living alone in 2019.

• The Reality of Person-centered Design     
  “Person-centered design” is a positive trend in the evolution of senior living, but how to implement it, exactly, is open to interpretation.

• Design of Tech for an Aging Population     
  In collaboration with the New England-Israel Business Council (NEIBC), a panel of experts discuss technologies for the aging population. 
  

• 7 Innovations Changin+g the Aging Experience     
  The emerging market of innovations designed to enhance and enrich the lives of seniors can benefit many people of all ages and abilities through their application.

2018

• Products and Services Help Elderly Maintain Autonomy
  Offerings from companies lilke Flexsteedl, Philips, Honor, and American Staqndard help meet the varied needs of seniors.

• Older People Projected to Outnumber Children
  By 2030, all baby boomers will be older than age 65. This will expand the size of the older population so that 1 in every 5 residents will be retirement age.

• Growth of the Aging Population
  The United Nations predicted one in six people globally will be over age 60 by 2030, compared to one in eight people over age 60 in 2015. By 2050, the prediction rises to one in every five people.

• Growing Senior Population Will Drive 2018 Industry
  To better accommodate the influx of older, frailer residents, providers will need to move toward the medicalization of senior living.

• Baby Boomers Are Aging–And Designers Need To Adapt
  With the explosion of the elderly population, designers are facing a challenge–and an opportunity–to deliberately design products that accommodate the changes that come with age.

• 6 smart home gadgets perfect for families with small kids
  Your smart home can cater to your kids too.

• Smart Home Tech is Bbooming
  Smart homes are going mainstream, but 'The Jetsons' era isn't quite here yet

• Older People Projected to Outnumber Children
  The year 2030 marks an important demographic turning point in U.S. history according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Aging in Place | Growing Old in Your Own Home
  Would you like to live in your own home for the rest of your life? You’re not alone.

• Smart Home Design Ideas for Aging-in-Place Clients
  Many design concepts today focus on aging-in-place consumers and state-of-the-art technology.

2017

• Seniors Housing Shortage is Getting Worse
  If the senior housing problem hasn’t reached crisis proportions yet, it will if nothing is done to increase the supply.

• New Housing Options for an Aging America
  As America ages, housing and community development allies work together to develop new choices for seniors.

• Aging in Place Design - Not Just for Seniors
  As we spend years creating a home, nobody wants to move away for reasons outside their control.

• Universal Design 2017 Conference
  Human diversity, functionality and sustainability have become fundamental when creating social inclusion.

• Aging and Negotiating Social Stigma: Stereotypes & Stairs
  Negative age-stereotypes can foster biopsychosocial health consequences within older adults.

• Let's Fight the Stigma Around Ageing and Frailty
  Focusing on the physical deficits of old age means we are not paying enough attention to other aspects of health and wellbeing.

• Senior Residents Are Changing the Stigma on Aging
  Senior residents at Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg are changing the stigma on what it means to age.

• The Stigma of Growing Old Needs to be Challenge
  Designers need to overcome deep-rooted stereotypes and take on the challenges presented by ageing populations.
  

2016

• Accessibililty, Usability, and Inclusion                                                          It is most effective to address them together when designing and developing websites and applications.

• How City Design is Adapting to Older Populations
  From almshouses to driverless cars, the future of urban housing and mobility may just be shaped for and by the elderly.

• The Senior Housing Crisis
  A growing population of senior citizens, many living on meager and decreasing budgets, contend with a limited supply of housing.

• Fresh Designs for Boomers
  Tempered by new realities following the Great Recession, the nation’s 78-million Baby Boomers are once again primed to challenge the establishment.

• Consumers Driving Aging-Friendly Housing Market
  But professionals need to know and understand exactly what they’re doing before entering the market.

• Boomers Driving New Era of Medical Chic
  Who decided that affordable healthcare products had to be ugly, uninspired, and insensitive?

  Top Ten Inclusive Design Lessons
  It is about understanding and developing empathy for the user, which is fundamental to IBM Design Thinking.

• Top Community Features for Baby Boomers
  While many in the real estate industry focus on millennial buyers, older generations still have a lot of purchasing power. 

• Healthcare Design
  Clinic Design Wants: How Do Boomers and Millennials Compare?

• Romancing the Boomer
  Designing Apps That Resonate With Older Users.

2015

• Creating Age-Friendly Cities
  A global movement to make cities more age-friendly has benefits for people of every generation. Here is how some aging-services providers are participating.

• The New Old: High-Tech and Design for Aging
  When cities make an effort to accommodate “aging in place,” they typically end up with designs that benefit younger residents too.

• How Cities Can Design for Aging Baby Boomers
  The health care system is scrambling to develop the products and services to meet the physical needs of the aging population.
  

• How to Renovate Your House to Age in Place
  Many of the features that allow you to age in place can benefit people of any age who live in the home.
  

• Meeting the Housing Needs for an for an Aging Population
  We'll need to start preparing for the coming age wave and taking
  advantage of opportunities it presents.
  
  
• Aging Population in China Creates Business Opportunities
  China presents a facinating case for meeting the social and economic challenges of ageing populations.

• Age-Friendly Community Initiatives
  A paradigm shift in contrast to Public policy and programs for older adults.

• Ways Older People Use Digital Technology Differently
  Most tech workers are really young, so it’s easy to see why most technology is designed for young people.

• Technology Innovations that Could Help the Elderly
  Longtime designer Barbara Beskind offers her ideas for innovative products that could make a big difference.

• 10 Essential Tech Tools for Older Adults
  New technology is making it easier for older people to stay in touch with far-flung family, live independently, and get help when they need it.

2014

• 6 Design Concepts From IDEO That Rethink Aging
  As life expectancy changes, the way we think about getting older is changing, too. IDEO asked its offices to come up with a series of designs that addresses that problem.

• Is This the Future of Design for Aging?
  Yes, several university programs combine design with research on aging – specifically, the needs of people with mobility, vision or dexterity issues.

• 7 Innovations Changing the Aging Experience
  Entrepreneurs around the world are waking up to the emerging market of innovations designed to enhance and enrich the lives of seniors.

• Aging in Place Kitchen Design
  A well-thought out kitchen design can seamlessly complement the lifestyle of older adults and seniors and make everyday living easy.

• Older Adults and Technology Use
  A unique exploration not only of technology use between Americans ages 65 or older and the rest of the population, but within the senior population as well. ignored.
  

• Aging Implications for Food Science and Technology
  The single fastest growing demographic in the food industry worldwide remains largly ignored.

• Multi-Generational Marketing
  One the biggest French clothing brands has essentially succeed thanks to their multi-generational strategy marketing.
  
  
• Gadgets for Seniors: Best Gear for the 60+
  Technology and gadget companies are recognizing the unique needs of an aging population. We look at the best gear.
  
  
• Are Boomers Agng Poorly?
  Boomers are much less likely to smoke, have emphysema or get heart attacks. But in lots of other ways, the picture's not so great.
  
  
• Baby Boomers Sicker than Parents' Generation
  Baby boomers have more chronic illness and disability than their parents and aren’t as healthy and active as most would believe.

2013

• Urban design for the aging                                                        In 2030 one in four Canadians will be over 65. Urban planners must act now to create livable, accessible communities to meet demand.                                                                                  

• Preventing Falls in Old Åge is Essential
  Guidelines from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) provide solid, research-backed advice for how to treat falls and, perhaps of greater importance, how to avoid them in the first place
  

• Boomers Reinvent Home Remodeling
  Remodeling homes for baby boomers is one of the biggest trends in the home industry today. The building industry is reinventing building techniques that incorporate design.

• Can Technology Reinvent How to Care for Seniors?
  As America ages, figuring out effective ways to take care of more and more seniors in their homes is a growing challenge.
  
  
• How Boomers Will Change the Economy"
  This burgeoning population means an increasingly lucrative market for products and services focused on the elderly.
  
  
• Super Bowl ADs Disappoint                                                  Super Bowl commercials failed to demonstrate an understanding of how contemporary consumers think and behave.

• Transgenerational Seat in 'Secrets of Aging' Exhibit
  Lear Corporation's innovative seat designed for aging displayed as part of exhibit at Boston Museum of Science.
  
  
• For Modern Retirees, There's No Place Like Home
  Their desire to stay in one’s home as long as possible grows along with an interest in living in big-city neighborhoods.
  
  
• Retirees Talking about Multi-generational Housing
  Many choosing to live side by side with people of all other ages, including singles, childless couples and families with children.
  
  
• Top 10 Trends in Senior Housing for 2013
  Further signs of recovery and the slowly improving housing market will drive the next decade in senior housing and living. 

• Multi-generational Living Rises
  Those living in multigenerational households admit there are challenges, but most say the benefits outweigh them. 
  
  
• NYC - Sun City  Its Not
  As the population aged, some apartment houses have morphed into NORCs — naturally occurring retirement communities. 
  
  
• Aging Trends Affecting Business
  What are you doing to reach out to the baby boomers? Will your business be able to take advantage of this demographic?
  
  
• Invisible Grandparent at CES 2013
  Products that could be attractive to the estimated 65 million grandparents are hardly mentioned, much less targeted.
  
  
• Second-Generation Americans, By the Numbers
  U.S.-born adult children of immigrants–the second generation–are better off than immigrants. 
  

2012

• Upstart Designers Aim for Ageless Products
  As baby boomers prepare to celebrate their 50th birthdays, upstarts are "fighting this battle against big, beige, and boring."
  
  
• Today's Seniors Not Keen on Retirement Housing
  That means big changes to neighborhoods across the country, since today's 65-plus population isn't too keen on moving into retirement centers.
  
  
• More People Choose to Go Solo
  More seniors living alone isn't a cause for concern but a sign that "old age" is being redefined as people live longer, healthier lives.
  
  
• Remodelers Aim for Aging Boomers
  As the oldest boomers turn 65 at a rate of about 10,000 a day, their homes can challenge stiff joints and waning eyesight
  
  
• Five Misconceptions About Marketing to Boomers
  Common misconceptions that marketers have of one hundred million baby boomers that feel ignored, belittled and overlooked.
  
  
• Old Age in China Is a Fledgllng Business Opportunity
  China's largest property developer is testing whether this rapidly aging nation will pay for Wetern-style retirement living.
  
  
• It's Not My Kind of Cab
  An older New Yorker hates the new higher taxis. They are harder to get into! The older cars were much more convenient.
  
  
• Older Women Star in Style
  From ad campaigns of the biggest brands to entire blogs devoted to street wear, older women are ecoming strly icons.
  
  
• UN Says World Faces Aging Population Time Bomb
  Urgent acton needed to cope with rapidly aging population of people older that 60 that will surpass one billion within a decade.
  
  
• Design Awards Enable Aging in Place
  Elegant, cost-effective senior-friendly home solutions recognized by AARP and the National Association of Home Builders.
  
  
• Mature Market's Style Power
  Luxury brands  are waking up the power of the older woman. Is it possible that these days 80 is the new 20?
  
  
• Architects Focus on Aging Population
  As towns deal with the housing needs of their aging population, architects are delving into what the aging population means.
  
  
• Why Boomers Buy and Enjoy eReaders
  Boomers are 19 percent more likly  to own a Kindle or Nook than members of any other adult generational cohort.
  
  
• Transgenerational Effect of Antibiotics
  Navada research team first to show transgeneratonal effect of antibiotic.
  
  
• Transgenerational Trend: New Fans for Fresh Fare
  Baby Boomers and their children agree on a new trends for food that transends generations: Make it fresh.
  
  
• Mobile Health Monitoring
  The smart phone may be the future of medicine because people already seem "surgically connected" to one.
  
  
• Apps Every Boomer Should Know
  Being "in the know" is a badge of honor for Boomers. Here are eight free phone aps to punch away on.
  
  
• Cycle Sitting on Your Park Bench
  The cycling couch wins the International Design Award Baden-Wurttemberg with the Focus Silver Award.
  
  
• Mobile Health Monitoring
  The smartphone will become the sensor that will help people take better control of their health through precision tracking.
  
  
• Fitness Gadgets that Actually Work
  Getting fit is often an exercise in getting good data. These fitness gadgets help you lose wieght through motivation.
  
  
• Transforming Old Age & New Technology into Business Innovation
  There is not a shortage of technology being developed for old age. So why haven't well designed products flooded retail shelves?
  

• Ten New Year's Resolutions to Help You Age Successfully
  Successful aging means taking charge of your personal wellbeing so that you can continue to live a vibrant, independent life, regardless of your age.

2011

• Octogenarians Rule Design
  Each of the "new 80-year-old" designers creates art, illustration, typography, and design that reject the stereotype of diminished capacity.
  
  
• The New Target Demographic: Baby Boomers
  Boomers are dedtyermined to keep old age from creeping up on them— and Corporate America is listening.
  
  
• The New Old Age
  Early lessons in how hard it is to be old—how long everything takes, how much some of it hurts, and how a caregiver must slow down.
  
  
• Age-Restricted Market Returns
  Since the market fell out of the age-restricted housing market, older buyers taking advantage of discouonts, free upgrades and low interest rates.
  
  
• Needs of an Aging Society
  Long-term investments in public health prevention strategies, medical care and education requires some rethinking of our social order.
  
  
• Ease-of-Use Kitchens & Baths
  Products are  moving toward easy-to-use design with an eye on aging baby boomers.
  
  
• Remodel Now and Avoid Accessibility Problems Later
  About 80 percent of Americans age 45 and older prefer to "age in place." .
  Manufacturers and contractors are responding with new products.
  
  
• Tech Savy Baby Boomers
  There is a common misconception in our society that Baby Bomers are not interested in technoogy, or even that they are afraid of it.
  
  
• Attractilve Products for Aging Boomers
  Universal design turns toward high design to attract Baby Boomers who want to remain in their homes as long as possible.
  
  
• A New Age for Older People
  As the  government launches a consolidation on age discrimination, we need to make ageism just as unacceptable as racism and sexism.
  

• Design for Social Innovation?
  Can schools teach designers how to solve the world's problems? New MFA program encourages "Design for Social Innovation."
  

• Grandpa's Gadgets Now in Vogue
  Upscale companies are beginning to offer "aging in place" products to boomers who care more about style than their parents did.
  

• Age-Empathy Suit Comes From M.I.T.
  The M.I.T. Age Gain Now Empathy System (AGNES) helps designers and marketers better understand older adults and create products for them.
  

• Builders Eye Retiring Aging Boomers
  Developers again tailoring homes and communities for retiring baby boomers looking for a wider variety of in-home conveniences.
  

• The Seismic Shift in U.S. Aging
  Baby boomers began turning 65 in January, heralding a seismic shift in demographics worldwide and profound implications for society.
  

• It's Not Easy Being Gray
  An age-empathy suit from the M.I.T. helps product designers and marketers better understnd older adults and create innovative products for them.
  

• Aging is Worth its Challenges
  Australia's Productivity Commission's recent report on aged-care highlights the choices we need to make if gains are to be realized.
  

• Multigenerational Households
  Putting three generations under one roof has become a growth industry of the recession and our aging society.
  

• A New Wrinkle for Boomers
  When baby-boomers entered the workforce they began to shape America's economy and politics. They're doing the same as they leave.
  

• New Inclusive Playgrounds
  Playground manufacturer providing inclusive play experiences that meet all children's needs in the same place in a variety of ways.
  

• Boomers to Reshape Housing Market — Again
  Today, 77 million aging Baby Boomers are a returning force in housing, and builders and developers are planning for their comeback.
  

• Elder Tech: What's Important?
  Buying the latest cool thing for Mom and Dad is not the way to make technology work for them—fulfilling basic wants and needs is.
  

• Only 11 Percent Devoted to Elderly Studies
  The National Institutes of Health devotes only 11 percent of its $31 billion budget to studies directly involving health of the elderly.
  
  
• How Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Eye the Aging
  The consumer electronics trap is set and Baby Boomers are squarely in the crosshairs at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.
  
  
• What Consumers Will Demand in 2011
  Experts who take the consumer pulse agree—there's been a power shift, and consumers are more in control and more fickle than ever.
  
  
• Electronics Manufacturers Eye America's Aging Boomers
  Boomers are squarely in the crosshairs of consumer technologies showcased at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show.
  
  
  

2010

• Marketing to Boomers: Don't Call Us Old
  There's a reason you don't see many products marketed as "senior-friendly" or "good for boomers" – nobody woould buy them.
  
  
• Freeing Form From Function
  Liberating design from functionalism, the microchip has given designers the chance to radically redefine objects and make them more humane.
  
  
• Attractive Products for Aging Boomers
  Boomers think they're different from those wo came before them. they plan to "age in place."
  
  
• The iPad Leads Apple to the Elderly
  Forgiving of mistakes, the tablet's ease of use and intutive interface makes it appealing to senior citizens around the world.
  
  
• Moving to Music Helps Reduce Falls Among Older Adults
  Music-based multitask exercise programs may lead to improved gait, balance and a reduced rate of falling.
  
  
• Think Design in Four Phases
  Shared to help keep them behind ingrained habits and behaviors are almost second nature to many designers and link their ability to originate ideas and innovations.
  
  
• 'Villages' Concept Taking Off
  The explosive growth of the USA's older population is fueling a grass-roots "villages" movement in neighborhoods across the country.
  
  
• Under a Generational Shadow
  Self-absorbed, self-indulged, and self loathing, the baby Boomer generation may step out of the Greatest Generations historical shadow.
  
  
• New Revised ADA Regulations
  On July 23, 2010, Department of Justice revises ADA regulations, including its ADA Standards for Accessible Design.
  
  
• How Age Friendly is Your City?
  Starting next year, 10,000 Baby Boomers a day will turn 65, yet no single model exists for making a city, suburb, or neighborhood age friendly.
  
  
• The Looming Boomer Tsunami
  By 2050, nearly 90 million Americans will have passed age 65. As they grow in numbers, experts seek ways to handle the coming boom.
  
  
• 'Continuing Care' Center Woes
  The 2008 financial crisis and recession reminds retirees to be careful when choosing to move into a continuing-care retirement community.
  
  
• Aging Boomers Changing the Design of Homes
  The homebuilding industry thinks that aging will be the second-biggest influence on home design in the next few years.
  
  
• An Old Age Home All Your Own
  Ruling out a retirement community and choosing to "age in place" is becoming increasingly popular in Westchester and elseware.
  
  
• Boomers  Cought in the Middle
  Baby Boomers born between 1952 and 1958 describe 'old' as being
  w-a-a-a-y-y-y out there in the future. Are they self-delusional?
  
  
• Scary Aging Population Stats
  The average age of the world's population is increasing at an unprecedented rate and that smell on the horizon spells trouble.
  
  
• Connectile Dysfunction
  Addressing the disconnect between intent and action can be a key approach for developing products for at-risk populations.
  
  
• UC Students Innovate Walkers
  Twenty-four industrial design students from the University of Cincinnati's school of design are redesigning mmobility aids for the 21st century.
  
  
• Design Awards Enable Aging in Place
  Homes designed to be suitable for elderly occupants, made senior-friendly when they were built, rather than trying to retrofit them.
  
  
• Students Innovate Better Canes, Crutches and Mobility
  University of Cincinnati industrial design students have teamed with the College of Nursing to redesign items for both comfort and care.
  
  
• Public Bathrooms Reinvented
  The New York based firm Smart Design explores Universal Design in Public Bathrooms—the first video of a two-part series.
  
  
• Attractive and Functional
  Making a home suitable for older occupants is becoming a mainstream part of the home remodeling business.
  
  
• Grandparents Going Digital
  How to help grandpa get his tech on. Some of the highest growth rates in broadband use are happening among the elderly.
  
  
• A Coming Elder Revolution?
  The implications of an aging world viewed with alarm. When 10,000 people a day reach retirement age, how will society support them?
  
  
• Help for "The New Old Age
  Easier E-mail for the older generation. An e-mail system that no senior can resist: no logins or links, no ad boxes or news flashes.
  
  
• Student Designs Escalator Accessible to All
  Press a button to make escalator stairs move together to form a platform for weelchair users and people carrying bulky loads.
  
  
• An Aware Car for Boomers  
  Your next vehicle might automatically check your pulse, help with steering—and tell yoou to put down our cellphone.
  
  
• Making Suburbia More Livable 
  Here's how towns are beginning to 'retrofit' their neighborhoods—and what your community might look like in the future.
  

2009

• Aging Gracefully
  Manufacturers are creating elegant new products tht enhance comfort and safety without sacrificing aesthetics or suggesting old age.
  

• An "Aware Car" for Boomers
  MIT's AgeLab researchers focus on building a safer car that leads to a forever-youthful lifestyle.

• Make Surburbia More Livable
  Age in place communities sprout up across the country. This WSJ article explains why.
  

• In Search of Innovation
  Nine new ways of looking for and recognizing the next great opportunity "before your competitor does."
  

• Go With the Flo.™
  Arizona State University's College of Design students and faculty recognized for their transgenerational toilet design concept.
  

• Expanding Our Impact
  We've joined the advisory team of AIPatHome.com, specialists in age-in-place technologies, universal design homes and product education.

• Cell Phones for Seniors
  View a movie about a new cell phone designed for active seniors complete with big buttons and handy speed dials.
  
  
• Grandma's in the House
  Millions of families have three or more generations living under one roof. This AARP article explains the many advantages of transgenerational design.

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