LOTS of ExpectationsFall Collection 2011

This is my generationThe baby boom generation is defined as the boom in newborn babies that occurred all over the world after the Second World War. In Sweden, this happened between the years 1943 and 1949. This is a career-oriented generation.

It is the first generation that was allowed to be teenagers instead of going straight from childhood to being treated as adults. They have had more money and better opportunities compared with previous generations. It is also the first generation that could get divorced without being a disgrace to the family. Some of them were the initiators of the youth revolution and political protest movements in Europe and the US. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Meryl Streep and Dolly Parton are all members of the baby boom generation.

It is soon time for this generation to retire and to enjoy the final years of life. How do they feel about this and what are their expectations? Can they fulfil their dreams or not? This is what the collection LOTS of Expectations is about.

This is my generationThe baby boom generation is defined as the boom in newborn babies that occurred all over the world after the Second World War. In Sweden, this happened between the years 1943 and 1949. This is a career-oriented generation.

It is the first generation that was allowed to be teenagers instead of going straight from childhood to being treated as adults. They have had more money and better opportunities compared with previous generations. It is also the first generation that could get divorced without being a disgrace to the family. Some of them were the initiators of the youth revolution and political protest movements in Europe and the US. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Meryl Streep and Dolly Parton are all members of the baby boom generation.

It is soon time for this generation to retire and to enjoy the final years of life. How do they feel about this and what are their expectations? Can they fulfil their dreams or not? This is what the collection LOTS of Expectations is about.

Health issuesLimited �nancial means

Loneliness

Facing retirementWhen people approach retirement, they have expectations regarding their final years of life. However, there are obstacles. Health issues will be the most common impediment in the way of their expectations, as it causes problems with activities such as travelling, going out to meet friends and similar activities.

Health issues also have a detrimental effect on a person’s self-esteem and, consequently on his/her identity. Poor health also leads to greater dependence on others, as help is needed with every chores like cooking, cleaning and similar tasks. Sometimes, health problems also limit the capacity for exercise. All this leads to a vicious circle and a shorter life.

Products like crutches and walkers are available but why do they look like disability aids? Could these products be developed in order to become more acceptable to the fashion-conscious generation?

The second largest problem for this generation will be money. The fulfilment of your dreams is often dependent on your financial situation. The baby boomers will not always have the financial means that they expected and thought they would have.

The third most common issue among seniors is loneliness. Many live alone due to separation or partners who have already passed away. Their children are long grown up and many have moved to other cities, or even abroad, to pursue their careers. Human beings have very strong social needs but how can society create new opportunities for lonely seniors to meet other people and interact with them?

Staying healthy

Independence

Health issuesLimited �nancial means

Loneliness

Expectations on retirement

Keeping up a social life

Expressing the personal identity

Active lifestyle

The yellow arrows is what we identified as the baby boomer’s top five expectations on retirement.

The grey circles are obstacles in the life of the ageing population.

Where they cross is where the life situation can be an issue when trying to reach the expectations.

Our storyFive of these baby boomers who are about to retire from work start thinking about what they want to do during their retirement and how they will be able to do it. The first thing that comes to mind is the social aspects of life. Many of them are single and their children are long grown up. And now, when they quit their jobs, they will miss the social context that they have taken for granted.

They would like to have a roommate or life partner or to live in a place with others in the same situation. None of them wants to live alone. This is where the idea of communal living is born. Gather a few friends and buy a house together. The friends realize that there are several advantages to this lifestyle. It comes with lower living costs, as many expenses are shared and the home-help service can show up more often as more people in need of assistance live at the same location. Experience and knowledge is shared among the friends and things like cooking become more fun and a social activity.

In this collection from us at LOTS Design we show you parts of what the baby boomers lives could look like and how their problems could be solved.

On his way to the kitchen, Ron stops at the Communi-Gate where he meets his grand-daughter Doris who runs around in the living room in the family’s house in Amsterdam.

Good Morning Doris!How are you today?

Grandpa!

Love in a wall!Talking through the Communi-Gate - a large video door integrated in the interior, with all the necessary online functions - feels like living together with our loved ones, even if they are hundreds of miles away.

The friends all knew each other before they moved in together so their home does not feel like a retirement home. They own the house and the whole living area is customised to their needs. This is Ron, 67. Among other things, he is interested in new technology, which he tries to use as much as possible in his everyday life. In this case he is talking to his grandchild Doris through an online video-call service. A little while ago, she showed him that she had learned to walk.

Ron often calls his friends and relatives in this way to play games, share a meal, listen to music or just keep in touch, without really doing anything in particular. This makes interaction with people feel more casual.

In this application the video call acts as an open door, which, of course, can be closed by both parties without anyone being offended.

1st Expectation: Keeping up a social life

A place just like home!Medical tourism is a term that describes the rapidly growing practice of travelling to other countries to obtain health care; however, limited financial means may be an issue. By developing the couch surfing phenomenon to a travelling and health service we call SafeSurf we can meet the demands of the baby boomers. Exchange accommodation, including safe travel, and the service and medical assistance that people are used to having at home, is a safe and cheap service for new generation of traveller.

This is Maria, she is 76 and throughout her life, her chief interest has been to travel. She would like to keep that up, or even travel more, after retiring. Since her financial situation has changed she uses an online-based senior couch surfing service.

What distinguishes it from a traditional travel agency is that she contacts other seniors around the world with the same kind of accommodation directly and arranges exchange trips herself.

This means that the accommodation at the destination is the cheapest possible and that there will be people waiting for Maria when she arrives, which she thinks makes the trip more of a social experience. Things like medical assistance will be available at the destination as she will live in joint accommodation, just like at home.

In other words, it will be cheaper than the traditional way of travelling, it will be more of a social experience and Maria will feel safer with her health routines taken care of at her destination.

In a couple of days Maria is swapping accommodation with a gentleman in Florida for a couple of weeks.

Maria’s roommates are getting excited about meeting the man from the US!

2nd Expectation: Staying healthy

Walking to me?!

The baby boomers are used to a high standard of living, which makes them very different from their parents’ generation. For example, when the knees start hurting or while recovering from a fall, the baby boomers will place greater demands on the style of the crutches or walking frames. Let us present the Walking to me crutch, in response to these requirements.

3rd Expectation: Active lifestyle

FashionAbelAbel is the fashion-freak among the friends. He used to work for a large clothing company as a trend analyst. He now lives with his friends and has good access to travelling and a better economy than before.

Something that still has a negative impact on his mood and self-esteem are the products he uses daily. His problem these days is that he gets a pain in his right knee when he walks long distances. This is why he needs some kind of extra support when walking.

He can’t imagine himself with a traditional walking frame or grey plastic crutch just to be able to take a walk. These products remind him of the fact that he is getting older and they do not match his personality at all.

“Why do these products have to look like this,” he wonders? “Is it really so hard to make them look like accessories that I can be proud of using? Just because I am getting old I won’t stop being cool!”

The shaft is twisted 90 degrees and ends with a rounded tip to provide a smooth rolling motion when moving forward.

The thin, curved shape combined with a flexible material provides shock-absorbing qualities that minimise damage to the nerves in the palm.

The tip is coated in rubber for shock absorption and improved grip on slippery surfaces.

By pressing down the face of his watch, Edward’s smart phone sends an alarm to the emergency center with his GPS position.

Watch Out!Wearing a big safety alarm device on your wrist - just in case you would need it - is anathema to someone who still feels like a teenager!The Watch Out,with integrated alarm, GPS and communication functions, allows seniors to stay young at heart. Always.

Meet Edward, a music loving senior who enjoys every minute of the day. He loves to take long walks down-town while listening to old Kenny Rogers classics on his iPod. He’s got the mind and spirit of a teenager but the physical condition of an old man.

Since his wife passed away last year Edward has been feeling gradually more insecure when taking his walks by himself. His balance isn’t what it used to be and he’s afraid of not being able to get up if he falls or finds himself in a situation where he can’t call for help, if needed. But he would never put a big grey safety alarm on his wrist! He feels too young and he doesn’t want to distinguish himself as a person who is dependent on it to get through the day. He just wants to feel a bit more confident on his own.

Just recently Edward got a new watch for his 70th birthday from his cohabitants. A watch much like the classy one he had back in the 70s. But this one has a built-in safety alarm. When he presses down on the face of the watch, it sends a command to his smartphone to call the emergency centre. The watch also acts as a speaker, so Edward doesn’t have to have his phone within reach if something happens. If he’s unable to talk to the emergency centre they will still receive his position from the phone’s GPS coordinates and come to his help within minutes.

Edward wears his new watch with pride and just filled his iPod with more country music to last on the now even longer walks.

4th Expectation: Independence

Mark always keeps his Halo in his pocket. He doesn’t need to put on his reading glasses just to be able to read the menu in the dimmed light at his favourite resturant.

Mark my words!The baby boomers belong to a generation used to expressing itself. This puts demands on the tools they use to facilitate daily life to reflect their personality.With the Halo - a magnifying glass with an integrated light, always accessible in the pocket, we have given the possibility to grow old in style!

Just like his friends Mark really enjoys having company, although he also likes to sit on the porch by himself and read books. He often reads in the evening, so he needs some kind of light to be able to see. Mark also wears spectacles but he is fed up with them getting thicker and thicker as his eyesight deteriorates.

A forgotten style indicator is back in an updated version to solve Mark’s situation, with dignity!

5th Expectation: Expressing the personal identity

“A forgotten icon of high social status is experiencing a rebirth. Halo is a handy little helper when it comes to reading in general, or when light is insufficient. It helps people find things in the dark, and since it is quite small it could and should be brought along at all times. Using OLED technology, activated with the push of a button, this almost jewellery-like product gives a strong yet energy-efficient beam of light. The light is slightly yellow to be easier on the eyes compared with a white light. It comes with a high-quality leather cover that keeps it clean and prevents damage. The string at the bottom end is easily attached to the inside of a pocket so the user won’t forget it anywhere.”

With the press of a button an OLED-ring will enlight what you are reading. Just like the traditional monocle you can attach the chain or string to the inside of your pocket to always be sure where you got it when you need it!