The sharing economy for seniors

When attending out-of-town conferences, my friend Sara saves big money by staying in a room at another person’s house through Airbnb. She swears by the lower cost compared to a traditional hotel room and the positive experience of getting to know her hosts.

Airbnb connects people who have space to spare with those who are looking for a place to stay.

The site utilizes a secure payment system and offers a platform for both the guest and host to review each other so that others can benefit from their experience, similar to the way we securely buy items and rate them on Amazon. Airbnb is an example of the rise of the sharing economy, in which people rent beds, car rides or equipment directly from others via the Internet.

The great benefit of this type of economy is that owners make money from underused assets and

Read more

Seniors thrive in adult day programs

Years ago, after my grandmother died, my cousin came to live with my grandfather.

While Grandpa’s daughter shopped for him and did his laundry, his grandson Butchy lived with him and was in charge of keeping Grandpa “safe.” Grandpa had dementia, and his behaviors included fleeing the house in the middle of the night to the cemetery next door and leaving the gas stove on.

Butchy was in the house to keep an eye on him, but most of Grandpa’s day was spent sitting in front of the television with little stimulation.

Butchy prepared meals, but given his limited culinary skills, TV dinners and canned soup were often on the menu.

However, even with his limitations,

Read more
RSS

Archive