“It is clear that the media’s obsession with youth often comes at the expense of older Americans. In the quest to target youth, media and marketing have ignored the purchasing power and preferences of millions of baby boomers and seniors across the country.”-- Senator John Breaux, chairman, 2002 Special Senate Committee Hearing on Aging

The above was a quote from 2002 – not much has changed in 2008 the same quote is true.    I am not the only one that has observed ageism in both print advertizing as well as TV programming, and on the web. There are a couple of reasons why the advertising industry has been slow to respond to the older market.    First, the product marketing, writers and art directors, the people who create the majority of advertizing are relatively young; mostly between 25-35. So what do these “youngsters” know about an older marketplace?  Not much, not enough…they create for the demographic they know the best, their own age group. So we can expect a disconnect between what the youth in ad agencies think older people want and what we really want to see. 

Secondly, there is a long-held belief that brand loyalty begins at an early age and that consumers over 40 are “set in their ways” stuck to brands and not willing to switch by the time they are in their 40’s. Again, not true.  The older demographic, over 45, is very willing to switch for quality, best price and good message.  According to an AARP survey, the relationship between brand loyalty and age is largely overstated. The survey found that an individual’s consumer experience, not age, dictates brand choice.  Besides products and technology is changing too rapidly to assume brand loyalty -- many of the products and brands we bought years ago do not exist today. 

Let’s look at the viewership of TV -- it is declining in the 17-40 segments mainly because this group is gravitating to entertainment available on the internet and other media, the younger adult has a preference of downloading entertainment to portable devices and wireless media.  They see TV programming as not interactive and clogged with endless /disruptive advertizing.  The TV broadcast industry is working hard to recapture the 17-40 audience so they ignore programming for the 45 and up.   However, it is mainly the 45 and older who watch TV. The young folks who develop TV programming feel they do not have to keep our attention, they assume we will watch anything they throw at us.

However <sigh> In reality it is not about age it is all about ad dollars, the more eyeballs watching the shows, the more dollars they can charge for advertizing.    So if they make it fast paced, extreme to the sensibility type shows.  Notice that they favor text messaging your vote by cell phone so advertisers can get an instant count on a shows popularity.  People our age call by phone if we vote people under 40 text message.   How can we change this … I have not a clue.
 

My favorite cruise so far has been a seven day journey from Alaska to Vancouver.   We decided to do the “reverse route”.   My husband and I wanted to have the full Alaska experience in the beginning of the cruise when we were fresh and wide-eyed about seeing Alaska for the first time rather than at the end.

We flew to Anchorage and stayed the night in the city enjoying the local flavor of the town.   Anchorage was devastated by an extraordinary 9.2 earthquake in 1964 that destroyed downtown.  You will note that that the architecture of the town reflects a rebuild of the late 60s.  Although the city is on the water  it is not a suitable deep water port for ships, that is why we must meet up with our ship in Seward, about a 4 hour bus or train ride away.

Before our cruise started we signed up for a 3 day “Glimpse of Denali” land tour.  The tour started in Anchorage with a four hour domed train excursion to Talkeetna.    The trip was scenically beautiful, weather sunny and bright.   Upon arrival in Talkeetna we got to walk around the town and stretch our legs.   If you get to tour this little rural town go over to the airport – you will see some unusual planes the locals fly and mountain climbers catch a flight to base camp on Denali from here. 

At the hotel we wanted to hike a bit in the woods but were told that the grizzly bears had new cubs and this was not wise to do in May, so we stayed close to the hotel campus and out of the woods.  The hotel is 40 miles from Denali but we had a spectacular view of the mountain from the main room and deck off the hotel lobby.   The next day after a great breakfast we were bussed back to Anchorage via some wonderful museums en-route.   Nice side trip.

The next day it was on to Seward by bus we arrived at the port and boarded the Seven Sea Navigator, at that time it was under the Radisson brand.  Today it sails under the Regent Seven Seas brand. The Seven Seas Navigator is considered luxury cruising, she offers her 490 guests some of the highest space and service ratios at sea.  This is an all-suite ship, ocean balcony accommodations along with great cuisine.   The cruise has open seating for dining, you can sit alone or with a group or just with another couple at whatever times you decide – there are no early/late seating times and there is complementary wine with meals.   Tipping at the end is not expected because it is added into your cruise payment up front.  The ship is adult friendly with its activities and programs – meaning there is not much for young kids to do.  Nor are there many kids on board.  I think I saw 3-4 teens.   So if you are considering taking the grandkids you might look for another cruise line that caters to all ages and their social needs.

The towns we cruised were Sitka, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan plus spend a day at the Hubbard Glacier.   Each of the towns are unique, Sitka and Juneau are isolated so that all visitor to these town come by cruise ship, ferry or plane.    Sitka can get quite crowded if there are 3-4 cruise ships in at the same time.   For Sitka you have to come in by tender.    In all the other towns the ship will dock.  The towns cater to cruise tourists with similar shops and prices.   Skagway had the most personality, very reflective of the gold rush era and the train tour is not to miss, and we were there on a special day to enjoy an all town BBQ.     In Juneau we flew over Mendenhall glacier to Hole-in the-Wall glacier for a salmon lunch.  By the time we got to Ketchikan it was getting warmer, less snow on the mountains and we were ready to enjoy a few days in the big city of Vancouver before flying home.

If you are considering Alaska – go now before the glaciers melt.   The state is wild and beautiful with abundant nature to see and a spectacular coast line to enjoy.   I loved the trip and would do it again in a heat-beat.
 

Financial Aid to Make Homes Accessible

Excerpts from WSJ article by THEO FRANCIS April 6, 2008

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120742884133292721.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The article states that many existing homes are not easy to modify for age related disabilities.  The article says there are ways to keep costs down, including potential federal tax deductions and assistance from nonprofit and government groups.

Cost of Accessibility

Many existing homes were built with narrow doorways and stepped front stoops, no first-floor bathroom.  Cost of retrofits could be expensive.

External elevators might cost $26,000 or more, while a simple chairlift on a straight stairway could cost $2,500 to $5,000, the Center for Universal Design estimates. Outdoor ramps might cost a few hundred dollars to $2,400 per foot of rise; a wider exterior door could cost $1,600, the group says.

Simpler changes like replacing door knobs with lever-style faucet or door handles and adding grab bars in shower/bath and near the toilet.

Aid from Uncle Sam

Federal tax law can help defray the costs by letting you deduct them from your taxable income as medical expenses. However, only medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of adjusted gross income generally are deductible. A physician should also approve the changes as medically necessary in writing, says Rosanne Grande, a financial adviser in Bohemia, N.Y., who has had several clients make their homes more accessible. The tax break can shrink if improvements increase the value of the home. See guidelines and eligible expenses in Internal Revenue Service Publication 502.

If you receive Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income, you may be eligible for additional benefits for "impairment-related work expenses," or certain costs that make it possible to work. These can include some home-modification expenses as well as wheelchairs, vehicle modifications and even some medications.

Sources of Help

Some long-term-care insurance policies pay for some home modifications, as do some state Medicaid programs. Private health insurance and Medicare typically don’t. For those unable to cover the costs themselves, various organizations, many local, might help, or even do the renovations directly. Some 400 Centers for Independent living around the country can direct residents to local assistance programs, and may offer lists of contractors specializing in making homes more accessible.

 To find local center at http://www.ilru.org/ the Web site of Independent Living Research Utilization.

Another website is http://www.ataporg.org/helpingpeople.asp)

AARP says it hopes to compile a list of tax and other assistance for home modifications by year end.

How to Access Microsoft’s Accessibility Features

Noise Cancellation Gadgets  --  A Good Thing 

A bunch of us gals were at a noisy party last week, I found myself not catching every word spoken. As I drove home after the party, I wondered if my Mother’s warnings about those loud rock concerts I attended in college were coming true. 

I learned that “age-related” hearing loss occurs slowly. It usually starts with problems hearing high-frequency sounds, such as someone talking. It may be difficult to hear things in noisy areas.  So I decided to do two things: make an appoint to check my hearing in general and secondly to investigate hearing technology to protect the hearing I already have.

Noise Cancellation

I am a frequent flyer on airplanes and often take trains into the city. Both are rather noisy; ever notice how difficult it is to hear the movie on an airplane? Thanks to noise-canceling headphones you can dampen the droning sounds created by airplanes, and trains enabling you to hear every note on the soundtrack you are listening to without cranking up the volume and further damaging your eardrums.

There are two ways to block unwanted noise; they are “passive” and “active”.   The “passive” way is to cancel noise by wearing closed-back headphones that cover your ears completely or by using really snug ear-buds.  Passive is like the good old cotton balls our parents made us use.  Passive is inexpensive and does not need a battery or use circuitry.  This method applies a good fit along with foam blockage.  There are many good low-cost brands available at department and electronic stores.   

“Active” noise cancellation is more complex and involves technology.  Basically tiny microphones in each earpiece detect ambient or background sounds, then noise-cancellation circuitry inverts the captured sound, turning the sound waves upside down. One sound “cancels” out the other eliminating the noise pollution and leaving you with the ability to enjoy your music or movie soundtrack.  

Active noise-cancellation has become popular because it delivers a nice environment for your listening pleasure and hearing protection.  It is more expensive because of the technology involved.  However, a good investment if you fly often, ride a motorcycle, mow the lawn or frequent noisy environments like a hobbyist’s garage or attend auto racing events.  

For “active” noise cancellation there are many good brands to choose from.  I tested both the AblePlanet Clear Harmony headset and the Bose QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Canceling® headphones.  They are both very comfortable and really diminish both loud and droning noises.   Both come with a “travel-hardy” protective case.  The headsets can be used for just sound blockage, providing a nice restful environment for reading or napping, especially on a plane or train.  Both headsets come with detachable cords to connect you to your MP3, CD player, laptop or listen to an in-flight movie.

Now that it is auto race season is here, it's important to remember to protect your hearing when at the track while watching your favorite drivers in action.  If you bring your grandchildren remember it is important to provide them with protection for their sensitive ears also.  A good place to find both passive and active noise cancellation ear protection for both adults and children is TheEarPlugStore.com

Whatever methods you choose remember that “perfect” noise cancellation is not possible and you do want some noises to come though like someone speaking to you or a warning sound. Consider the activities to engage in and the number of times your hearing might be at risk or possibly harmed and take measures to protect the hearing you have now.

Analog Cell Phones Shut off on Feb18 2008

Do you have an analog cell phone?   AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Alltel and others will be turning off their analog cell phone networks on Tuesday Feb 18 2008.  

If your cell phone is more than five years old then it might be an analog cell phone.  An unknown number of analog handsets are still in use, primarily by older and elderly adults and the poor.   Carriers think it is less than 1% of all U.S. cell phones; however that could still add to a million phones.

If you have a cell phone you keep around for 911-only, or if a son or daughter has given you their old cell phone because they have upgraded you might be at risk.    

The carriers with analog service currently are AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Alltel. Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA have no analog networks.   

This will also affect automobiles 2003 and older with OnStar installed from General Motors Corp., TeleAid from Mercedes-Benz or Lexus Link are affected also and most won’t be up-gradable. Upgrade kits are available for most OnStar systems from model years 2004 and 2005.

Home alarms, burglar and fire alarms that use an analog network as the sole or backup link between the home and an alarm center are also affected. Homes with analog networks will lose wireless backup alarms; these are alarms that kick in if someone cuts the phone line. Alarm systems using digital wireless are OK.  

The analog carriers have known about this since 2003 and in my opinion have not done a decent  job of letting people know about the shut –off.  

CES 2008

I attend my 20^th CES (Consumer Electronics Show) this year.  This show is enormous and a challenge to see.  Just to give you an idea of the scope, there are 140,000 people attending from 140 countries trying to see 2700 exhibitors in halls that  cover 1.7 million square feet of show space or the equivalent of 35 football fields. My pedometer registered over 23,700 steps each day ( a new personal best).

This year it was all about HDTVs for the ultra-thin experimental OLED screens to an 11 foot TV for someone’s palace (not mine)  42” is fine for me.   Also portable GPS Navigation systems were popular , I saw one from Cobra, the Nav 1 with nice big screen and display and lots of nice options  and versatility like navigation if you are walking or biking instead of driving.

Make your Digital Camera Wireless

A wireless camera would be great to download photos and share them quickly. The company Eye-Fi (http://www.eye.fi/ )has developed a series of memory cards with built in WiFi that automatically converts your camera into a wireless device.  The 2GB memory cards automatically connect to a WiFi network and can download photos to a PC or upload them to social networks or photo-sharing sites. The device is compliant with many popular websites like Flickr, Photobucket and Facebook.  The software that comes with the card takes care of log-ins and passwords and can automatically resize pictures. To photos from your camera to your PC it must be turned on and running the photo managing software.

Wireless Security for Small Homes and Spaces

This is Just too Cute for words!

The Sony Rolly Music Player is just too cute – it is available in Japan for about (US$365) Sony is hoping that with CES they can find American retailers and bring it to the US by summer of 2008.  The Rolly is a really cute dancing egg-shaped speaker that dances and flaps it’s “ears” and rolls around to the beat of the music. With 2GB flash memory, the player can store up to 500 songs, and the battery life allows up to five hours of music playback and up to four hours of music and motion together. The player supports non-secure AAC and MP3.

Receive Memories—You Don't Even Need a Computer

The CEIVA Digital Photo Frame (http://www.ceiva.com/) is a great gadget and gift for a parent or grandparent who might not own a computer.  It plugs into your existing phone line and silently dials a local number each night to pick up new photos sent to this frame, without interruption to your phone service, or charges to the phone line. The CEIVA frame can also be made into a wireless digital photo frame by adding an optional CEIVA Wireless™ adapter.   This way you can share photos as easily as email.

New York to London on the Queen MaryII                                                                                        On my check list of life was to cross the Atlantic on a big ship. The north Atlantic crossing between New York and Southampton on Cunard is infamous and most historic.  My husband agreed it was a trip of a lifetime for him also. So we booked one-way passages in the inaugural year of new Queen Mary 2. We kept a travel log of our adventures that started like this…

May 17 – We flew SFO to Newark, at Newark airport we took the monorail called Air train to the Amtrak station for a 25minute ride to Penn Station.  We checked into the Marriott Marquis, our 31^st floor room overlooked Time Square. We had a late night margarita pizza at the wonderful Johns Pizzeria on 44^th   then off to bed.

May 18, arrival --  Morning dawned a little foggy but from our hotel window we could see the Queen Mary docked over a mile away on the Hudson River; she must have arrived at 6 AM.  QM2 dwarfed the buildings around the shoreline. We left the hotel at 11:30am and caught a taxi to the ship.  The processing to board was very efficient.  By 1:00pm we were in our stateroom on the bridge deck and unpacked. 

The space was a classy but smallish cabin, with a queen bed, desk, TV, couch and table complete with its own outdoor balcony on the port side. There is no “class” arrangement on Cunard as he past – but the more expensive cabins eat in different dinning areas.  We were assigned to Britannia dinning which is where the majority of the passengers dine.

On-board we enjoyed an arrival snack and looked forward to first seating for dinner at 6:00pm.  After a nice dinner with our table of eight strangers, the Mary slipped her moorings and reversed out into the Hudson without tugs.  We turned downriver in our own length and started our cruise to the sea.  It was a warm, crystal clear evening, the lights of the Big Apple shown like diamonds.  We had a magnificent forward view from the observation bridge on deck 11 passing the Statue of Liberty on our starboard side.

The QM2 is specifically designed for the North Atlantic run to Southampton with its foggy, cold and typically rough seas.  The ship is tall but its single smoke stack is rather stunted esthetically.  It was built this way so it could just slip under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge with 12-14 feet to spare.

Security was very high. We were escorted by four small Coast Guard boats and a police boat out of the river and under the Verrazano.  On the bridge were three police vehicles stopping traffic, we think to keep people from trying to toss objects into the stack.   After we cleared the bridge, the shipped stopped -- the coast guard off loaded the 6 sea marshals who were on board.  We then traveled maybe 20 more minutes and just before open sea we off loaded the port pilot.   We are happy for the security being tight on this new ship. Our first impression of the QM2 was wonderful, this will be a once in a lifetime experience!

May 19 – Day 1 out to sea.  When we awoke we are 150 miles SE of Nantucket in a pea soup fog.  The seas are calm, it rains occasionally and the ship’s fog horn blows every 2 minutes.    Our cabin television has a “chart channel” to see our course in real-time and waypoints ahead – we are averaging 24 knots. 

The QM2 has a unique propulsion system.  Four “pods” containing giant electric motors that are mounted below the stern.  Like a propeller driven aircraft, they “pull” the QM2, rather than “push” as in a conventional ship.  Two engine pods are fixed, and two move and steer the ship; the QM2 has no rudder.  Electrical power is provided by four giant diesel engines located just above the keel. Gas turbines located in the smoke stack provide extra juice for top speed.  Six bow thrusters, along the side with the movable steering pods aft provide great docking capabilities; the huge vessel can actually maneuver sideways, no tug assistance is required.

Tonight is our first formal night so everyone onboard is “dressed-to-the nines”. We will have formal for four more evenings and casual on the last evening.  After dinner there is a live musical review in the theater, or blackjack and slots in the casino or a “Ball” for those who like to dance. At 10:30pm the nightclubs opens for the disco set.

May 20 – Day 2,   the weather is somewhat colder and more wind.  Walking the deck is not at all appealing with a 40 knot wind and a 45 F temperature. But there are a few die-hards on the life boat deck doing laps.  We are now off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.  We visited the bridge observation area, the Captain and Commodore Warwick is a very distinguished looking guy, with his gray beard and uniform, he is a dead ringer for the captain of the Titanic!  His father was the Commodore /Captain of the first Queen Mary. The rest of the bridge crew looked like teenagers maybe early 20’s.   Our stewardess (yes they still call them that) is Anna Lisa from Norway; we get fresh linen daily and fresh towels each morning and evening.  That night we eat in the Todd English restaurant, it’s an extra cost but really superb. The Queen has your main dining room and additional dinning venues so we booked a different one each night

The original Queen Mary was long and slim, designed for speed.  That made her quite a “roller”; on one transatlantic trip in heavy seas she would roll as much as 44 degrees and a grand piano in the ballroom got loose and crashed from side to side, destroying itself and all the furniture in the bargain!  The new QM2 has four stabilizers, moveable wings below sea level, so most of the rolling is damped out; in 10-15 ft sea we really never felt any sway or roll.

May 21 – Day 3 dawns cold and overcast.  At 2 pm the captain announces we are at the halfway point in the crossing, just past the Flemish Cap.  There are dozens of activities to choose from during the day, Oxford University lecture series, card game of bridge, Canyon Ranch exercise classes, full length movies, a planetarium show, the library, computer classes and tonight a masked ball at eight.  Pretty glamorous for two engineers from Silicon Valley!  Tonight for us dinner is at Lotus, an Asian restaurant amidships.  The dinner was 15 small courses, nicely presented however a bit bland in taste.  The food favors the British cuisine.

May 22 Day 4 (Saturday) is clear and sunny, the sea is very calm.  My husband got a haircut at the Canyon Ranch salon; surprisingly cheaper than at home!  Canyon Ranch (CR) branding is second only to Cunard on this ship, the restaurants all feature one or more CR spa food selections, the shampoo and soap in the room, and the on-board spa are all CR brand.  We saw a good movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun” in the large theater in the bow.  It seats over 500 and is used for lectures, movies and a 125 seat planetarium.  A very nice theatre in any venue let alone in the middle of the Atlantic.  Dinner this evening was in the Italian restaurant “La Pizza.

May 23, Day 5 our last day at sea.  Its mixed cloud and sun, smooth seas. It is warming up outside, we can see the tip of Ireland on the charts.  We have averaged 26.7 knot on this constant non-stop journey. Lucky for us, this has been an uncharacteristically smooth crossing.    On the very first Southampton to New York crossing  3 weeks prior to ours,  the QM2 had seas up to deck 3, and enough pitch and roll to break dishes, bang some doors and make most of the passengers ill.

After breakfast this morning we went through the complex disembarkation seminar learning about the multiple color coded baggage tags and finding our group meeting points – basically a rehearsal to get us off the ship, through customs, and finding the right busses as efficiently as possible since they will start boarding new passengers promptly at 11:30am.  We must have our baggage packed and out of the room by midnight tonight and be out of our rooms by 8:30AM the next morning.  The ship will dock at 6 AM in Southampton, where she will be re-provisioned and cleaned, take on a new set of passengers and leave for Spain by the end of the day.  She will be back in New York again, in 3 weeks, for another crossing to Southampton.

May 24  Departure --  I wake at 4 am out on our private balcony watching our quiet progress up the English Channel.  By 5 am we turn and enter the river that will take us to the Port of Southampton, our docking time is 6 am, if we arrive even a few minutes early Cunard would have to pay $100K for an extra hour on the dock.  As we arrive, to my surprise the ship turns in its own length, and moves sideways into the pier, docking gently at 6:02am, the Captain is a pro.   By 10 am we have our luggage and on our tour bus heading toward London.  The sky is blue, and it’s in the mid 70’s as we pass through the beautiful English countryside. We arrive at the Royal Horseguards hotel in Whitehall.  Later we stroll along the Thames; we are just across the river from the “London Eye”, a giant Ferris wheel that takes a half hour to make one revolution.

May 31.  After a great week in London the wake up call came a little early; around 1 am the fire alarm went off.  As we fumbled into our clothes and grabbed passports, cell phones and money we heard the fire engines pull up and shouting from the street level nine floors below.  We ran to the fire exit and white knuckled our way down nine floors on a rickety iron scaffolding they call a fire escape.  I don’t know if I was more terrified of a fire or this Victorian structure.  We made it out to the street just as they announced “false alarm”.  Later from Heathrow we had an uneventful flight, eight time zones in ten hours on a big United 777, Business Class back to California.  What an adventure!