Home for a Lifetime

Pardon me. Excuse me. Sorry about that. How many times must I apologize because of poor planning on the part of store designers?

I went to the mall the Saturday before Christmas. I had been avoiding the mall because of crowds, but there was something I HAD to get. You know the drill. Anyway, I braced myself for aggressive shoppers and crowds. Boy was I surprised!

It was early enough in the day for the crowds to still be manageable. Sure, there were lots of people, but they were either already on a line somewhere, or spread out throughout the stores browsing. Whew. I made a beeline for what I needed, found a cashier who wasn’t overwhelmed. Done.

I had a little while before my ride was due to pick me up, so I decided to browse and enjoy the festiveness of the mall. Mistake. Actually, huge mistake. Now it was me and a bag. Allow me to describe myself a little more: not a wheelchair, walker or rollator, just my purse held close to my body and a bag. In addition, I am not a large person. So how come I bumped into everything as I browsed in the stores? It wasn’t my lack of balance or low vision clouding my depth perception.

These weren’t the bargain stores, either, but brand names like Harry and David, Williams Sonoma, Restoration. Product was protruding everywhere. The stores seem to try to make use of every possible square inch, filling it with temptations, signage and tripping hazards.

Has anyone ever done a study on whether sales improve or decline when a store is set up this way? I know my holiday spirit was knocked right out of me and I went to the agreed pick-up point ½ hour early. What would you do? All I can say is “Hooray for online shopping!” where the path is clear, I just have to start a little earlier and know what I want.

Andrea’s blog post entitled “Was it Good For You?” inspired me to discuss a topic we normally wouldn’t discuss here. It’s a touchy subject and not many businesses have the guts to bring it up.

You see, sometimes you just don’t need to buy that daily living aid you’re shopping for. Why? The answer is simple: It’s not right for your needs and it’s going to cause more frustration than good.

The key to avoiding this is to analyze what the problem is and then look for the simplest way to resolve it. For example, say a customer calls and tells me their mother can’t use the phone and wants to know what I’d recommend. Well, I’d respond by asking for more details. Why can’t mom use the phone anymore? Is she having trouble dialing because she can’t see the numbers on the buttons? Is she having trouble holding the handset because she has arthritis? Is she having trouble hearing the person calling her? For each of these three problems I can recommend three different solutions, and several products. The key is the details.

If mom’s only trouble is holding the handset, then a speakerphone or a headset can help. If she can hold the handset just fine, but can’t see the numbers to dial, I’d recommend a voice activated dialer. That is UNLESS she has severe memory issues. The Vocally 3 Dialer responds to pre-programmed commands, and if mom says Bobby but the command is Robert the dialer will get confused. Of course, if the problem is her hearing then there are amplified products I’d recommend.

Our home assessments are a great way to figure out what you need before you buy. They’re written to help you determine which tasks you need help with and they do that without assuming the popular solution is always the right solution. People ask me about the popularity of products all the time, and I always tell them that popular does not equal universal. One hundred people might swear up and down that a product is a life saver, but it might make you homicidal.

Of course, the home assessments are just one way to analyze trouble. You can also get an unbiased third party involved: an occupational therapist. It’s especially important to consult an OT before purchasing something large and difficult to return. We want you to buy gadgets that will work for you. If you’re not sure what this is, give us a call or send our an e-mail. We’ll do our best to point you in the right direction.

Voice activation has improved and has huge potential for people who need accessible solutions, but there’s a long way to go. Being the buyer for Dynamic Living, I have tried out dozens of Voice Activated products throughout the years. Very eager and proud manufacturers send samples of their latest and greatest gadget that is sure to change the world of voice activation. And to tell you the truth, there have been very few that I have been successful in being able to use. For some reason the units don’t ‘hear’ me.

Why can’t they ‘hear’ me? I have a higher pitched and softer voice than most adults and the chip technologies being used in many of the voice activated products I’ve tested have not accounted for a voice like mine. Hence the recognition is spotty at best.

Somewhere along the way we discovered that there are different levels of chips that manufacturer’s can use. For a voice activated product to be usable by me, it needs to have a chip that recognizes children’s voices. Then I can speak a command and it will respond.

Because of the issues that many of these new products have with recognizing my voice pattern, it’s always a surprise and a delight to find one that works for me. One of our best selling products, the Voice Activated Phone Dialer, started off with issues. It would not recognize my voice. But the manufacturer worked with us, listened to our suggestions so that it would appeal to the largest consumer base possible and the end result was a fantastic Voice Activated Phone Dialer! While the cost for manufacturing went up because of the specialized and more sensitive chip, the recognition rate for the Dialer is incredible and the return rate is barely measurable. It’s the perfect example of a responsive manufacturer!