Why Canes and Walkers Are Getting a New Look

With the market power of the 65-and-older set growing along with their population, more businesses are offering walkers, canes, and other assistive products that combine function with style, reports the Wall Street Journal . Industrial designer Patricia Moore says the baby boomer generation is using its spending sway to move away from poor aesthetics, in line with a shift in design among academic circles. Former Apple designer Don Norman says older consumers most often desire devices that do not look like something a frail, invalid person would use. Ipsos research found that 82 percent of consumers older than 55 said their preferred retail brand is out of touch with their aesthetic needs, and Segment International founder Brian McMahon says increasing Internet literacy among seniors is driving them toward more accommodating brands. For example, Danish designer byACRE is making carbon-based rollators — walkers with wheels — as a sleek and lighter alternative to heavy aluminum walkers sold in mobility shops. Anders Berggreen, CEO of byACRE, says his company is benefiting from greater senior Internet use, as well as purchases by end users rather than by their children or caregivers. Moore says the interest in more aesthetically-pleasing senior devices is long overdue. "The real work is yet to be done, but it is being done . . . because we have this new generation of sensitive thinkers who are using head and heart to make a difference," she explains.