http://www.bbc.co.uk/looknorthnecumbria/content/articles/2007/09/18/ln_grey_matters_feature.shtml
Brilliant design isn't it~
Greys Matter - new technology helps older people
Look North's Colin Briggs has been investigating a number of areas where technology and new thinking is either making, or about to make, a real difference to people's lives.
How many times have you heard it - sixty is the new forty; buzz words like Silver Surfers; and marketing catchphrases like Greys Matter?
The truth is that thanks to better diet and modern medicine, more of us are living longer, healthier lives. Sounds great doesn't it? But there's always a downside - some of us are going to need a little bit of help.
The Look North special report series Greys Matter is taking a look at how new ideas are either making, or are about to make, a real difference.
And because the market is growing, the cost of the technology needed is tumbling.
Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a test-bed kitchen which could tell us when we're out of something, or just running low. It could even display recipes using a screen.
Not only that, the same kitchen will tell us when we've left the tap running, the kettle on or, possibly, alert a carer should we need assistance.
Look North in the kitchen of the future >
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On the mobility front you'll be relieved to know there's a price war looming on stairlift technology which will enable more of us to stay at home without spending a fortune.
We also examine a "wheelchair in a pod" idea which would provide help for people who only need a wheelchair occasionally.
Look North's report on staying mobile in old age >
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And in a third piece we look at a new trend in housing - specialised apartment blocks for the over 55s only.
When the children leave home, increasing numbers of parents are selling up, downsizing and enjoying life with the money left over.
One couple who live in an over-55s development >
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Far from being forgotten these days, greys really do matter. And as more of us get older, greys will matter even more.
