Of the 308 million or so people in the United States, more than
72 million are now 55 or older. Census figures predict that by
2030, nearly one in five U.S. residents is expected to be 65 and
older. In fact, another person probably turned 65 in the time it
took to read this paragraph (approximately one every eight
seconds).
As these baby boomers retire at a rapid pace, they will be
looking to maintain quality of life in their later years. Most want
to avoid assisted living as long as possible, and many have the
financial resources to achieve that goal. The resulting trend
toward aging in place offers multiple opportunities, most of them
representing a lucrative untapped source of revenue — based
on cash — for home medical equipment providers.
As well as construction designs (think wider doors and level
thresholds), accessible living trends impact various types of
equipment: Think access ramps, stair lifts, overhead track systems,
bathroom products, environmental controls and more.
"Consumers are starting to learn more about these products, and
they realize there are alternatives to selling their homes or
moving into an assisted living facility," says Conor Sullivan,
director of marketing, Harmar Mobility.
To build this business, Sullivan says, "the best place for
DME/HME providers to start is with their existing customer base."
For example, he says, "There's a good chance if a customer is using
a power chair or scooter they could also be in the market for a
vertical platform lift or a stair lift." Advertising in local media
is another good way to find clients, including those who may not
yet need a power chair or scooter but can use assistance going up
or down stairs, Sullivan adds.
The NextGen
Medtrade Accessible Home, built on the show floor at Medtrade
in November, offered attendees a glimpse of the opportunities
available in the accessible living market. The 1,500-sq.-ft. home
featured home health care scenarios in real-life settings with
actual equipment used to provide care. The Heartland Home for Independent
Living, a similar display at VGM's Heartland Conference last
June, also alerted providers to the opportunities in the accessible
living market.
Reaction to the NextGen home was "overwhelmingly positive," says
Sullivan, noting interest from providers who might previously never
have paid attention to products such as lifts.
Start in the Bathroom
Brad Crozier, senior product/brand manager, Moen Home Care, says
his company was also pleased with response to the NextGen home. "It
was another nice destination for our customers to go and see how
products look in the real-world environment," he says.
Crozier even admits there were products displayed in the home
that he didn't know existed.
The bathroom is a good place to start when making a home
accessible, he notes, and Moen offers a range of products to help
ranging from shower seats and grab bars to toilet seats, rails and
single-handle or high-arching faucets that can work along with
low-barrier or no-barrier showers and other features to enable
elderly or disabled residents to maneuver safely.
"The bathroom is definitely a high-traffic area in the home, and
anything you can do to make it accessible will have an impact on
someone who is older," says Crozier.
New technologies such as digital shower controls (that use a
remote control) can be helpful, as can strategic placement of
fixtures and faucets and additional area under the sink to promote
maneuverability. Moen offers the ioDigital system, introduced last
year, which provides precise control of shower temperature and
flow.
To help providers promote such accessible living products, Moen
offers a course on universal design. New products from the
manufacturer include a line being introduced in February that
integrates grab bar functionality with familiar bathroom
accessories such as towel bars, toilet paper holders and
shelves.
"Individuals tend to grab the toilet paper holder when they are
standing up," Crozier notes.
Showing the Possibilities
The success of the accessible home displays at Heartland and
Medtrade offers a lesson that providers can apply by creating a
realistic home environment in their showrooms.
"It's a nice way to show what possibilities are out there," says
Crozier. He advises providers to "create an environment in the
store that allows a customer to picture how [a product] would look
in the home … If you can show it and show how to use it, it's
much better."
Another high-profile company at the NextGen home was EZ-Access,
which partnered with Homecare Products sister division Access One
to show modular access ramps.
"As a manufacturer of wheelchair ramps, we have experienced
record growth in an uncertain economy," says Frank Westby, manager
of business development, EZ-Access. "We are looking at a record
year. DME dealers are coming to the conclusion that they can't
service their mobility customers without providing ramps," he says.
"Anybody offering mobility devices should be offering a ramp to go
with it. When customers buy a wheelchair or scooter they are
looking for mobility. If we don't sell them ramps, we are only
selling them the device, not the freedom it provides."
But Westby sees a Catch-22 situation related to HME suppliers
and the ramps business. That is, providers are not offering ramps
because customers aren't asking for them, and customers aren't
asking because providers are not offering them. However, he notes,
consumers are calling in contractors to build needed ramps; in
fact, Westby says, his company's biggest competitor is wood, even
though building a wood ramp takes longer, involves pouring a
concrete footing and requires a building permit for a permanent
structure.
"In most cases, aluminum modular ramps aren't considered a
permanent structure," says Westby, and they can be installed over
existing steps and other structures without having to rip out
infrastructure. The home owner doesn't have to rebuild the porch,
"and they can take the aluminum ramp with them when they move."
Westby says his company's ideal business model is to sell
through mobility suppliers, but he finds that a lot of contractors
are also getting into home modification and aging-in-place
solutions. One strategy for providers, he says, is to make local
builders aware of the simplicity of installing aluminum ramps
versus building wood ramps.
Westby sees synergy between aging-in-place contractors and HME
providers. "I assure you that the customer who bought that mobility
device is going to buy a ramp, either from you or from the
contractor down the street. In some cases we are making
introductions to connect dealers with contractors. The less the
end-user has to do, the happier he or she is."
Neither should providers be intimidated by choosing the right
ramp for a customer's needs or ramp installation. "We will teach
you as much as we can about what you need to know," he says. "We
will also take the customer's specification and create an
engineer's drawing of what the ramp will be, along with costs,
estimated time to install and the suggested retail price."
The manufacturer encourages providers to exhibit a ramp on the
showroom floor. "Sometimes they avoid talking about ramps because
they don't know where to begin," Westby says.
Overcoming Obstacles
"Putting products in a real-life situation really drives it
home," says Gary Nowitz of his company's participation in the
Medtrade NextGen home.
Nowitz, vice president of lift maker Ergolet, agrees that
selling only a wheelchair or scooter is equivalent to providing
half a solution, and he points out that customers look to their HME
providers as professional consultants for information about what
other products they might need. For example, no one would go to a
construction company for a wheelchair or walker, and it's the same
customer base looking to make their homes more accessible.
But one obstacle to selling lifts, Nowitz says, is convincing
providers that installation is not a problem; it can be as simple
as a site evaluation. Ergolet works with providers to develop
autoCAD drawings to present to customers based on data from a site
accessibility survey. Information needed to put a plan together
includes questions about attic access, whether a system will be
wall mounted, what type of transfer is needed and the ceiling
height.
"The dealer sends a site evaluation to us, we analyze the
information and send an autoCAD drawing," says Nowitz.
Alternatively, the manufacturer can create an animation video to
demonstrate the proposed solution based on photographs taken of the
room with actual familiar objects incorporated into the video. If a
provider can install a stair lift or a modular ramp system, says
Nowitz, "they can do this as well."
Ergolet's products include the Luna overhead track system that
can function as a fixed lift, a portable lift and provide
room-to-room transfer. The company also makes the E Track
wall-mounted lift; the Sole battery-powered mobile lift for
patients who are not weight-bearing; and the Stella sit-to-stand
lift.
Providers are "leaving revenue on the table if they aren't
considering all the possible solutions," says Nowitz. "In many
cases, dealers are going out to offer home evaluations or
assessments before providing a mobility device. It's a best
practice for rehab providers and a perfect opportunity to point out
obstacles in the home."
Some HME companies are training delivery personnel to perform
home evaluations and are using various certification programs,
including the Certified Aging In Place Specialist (CAPS)
designation provided by the National Association of Home Builders
or VGM's Certified Environmental Access Consultant (CEAC) (see
"Homing in on a
New Idea").
All About Solutions
Also on display at the Medtrade home, AbleNet demonstrated
electronic aids for daily living, including switch-activated
systems to enable residents to answer the phone, open a door, turn
on a bedside lamp or fan or change the television channel. The
company offers more than 700 products in five different divisions,
all falling under the assistive technology umbrella and aimed at
allowing people with physical limitations or other disabilities to
maintain quality of life.
For example, someone with a spinal cord injury might drive a
power wheelchair with a head-control and have an environmental
control unit mounted on the chair. Alternatively, a sip-and-puff
straw could be used to dial the phone, change the channel or raise
and lower a hospital bed. There are some 40 different styles of
switches that can be matched up to the ability of the user, says
Thomas Nikola, AbleNet national account manager, environmental
controls.
The company also offers a lower-end Easy-Tech line of
environmental control products.
"The industry is looking at how we can provide independence
cost-effectively," says Nikola. "There is definitely a need for
easy-to-install, easy-to-train and cost-effective systems. There
may be products people are not aware of, so we try to educate them
as much as possible. It's all about solutions: What are the
solutions out there? I still have dealers who tell me, 'Hey, I
didn't know that stuff was available.'"
Adds Moen's Crozier, "When you talk about accessible design, it
doesn't need to be just about old people, but a design that can
benefit people of all ages. As we get smarter about products we
design, they can benefit all ages."
- Read the "Homing in on a
New Idea" sidebar to learn why HME providers should
enter the accessible home arena.
Experts Interviewed
- Brad Crozier, senior product/brand manager,
Moen Home Care, North Olmsted, Ohio - Conor Sullivan, director of marketing, Harmar
Mobility, Sarasota, Fla. - Thomas Nikola, national account manager,
environmental controls, AbleNet, Roseville, Minn. - Gary Nowitz, vice president, Ergolet,
Minneapolis - Frank Westby, manager of business development,
EZ-Access, division of Home Care Products, Algona, Wash.
