Wednesday, December 3, 2008

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http://s.wsj.net/article/SB122826077605073813.html

As Baby Boomers age, appliance makers are re-tooling their offerings. At General Electric, young employees are being trained to design for an older generation. WSJ's Paul Glader reports. (Dec. 2)

Nancy Hursey considered such features when she and her husband Francis recently shopped for appliances for a $72,000 kitchen remodel of their West Hartford, Conn., home. Mrs. Hursey, 61 years old, wanted appliances that would be easy on her arthritis and back problems. "I played with all the doors [on the ovens] to make sure they weren't going to be a problem for me," she says. She chose a double-convection oven that GE had redesigned so the doors could be opened more easily.

The Hursey's also chose a redesigned GE refrigerator that offers additional lighting, following advice from their interior designer, Laura Bordeaux. Ms. Bordeaux says she has been recommending that older clients avoid buying gas cook tops since an older client lit a shirt on fire when leaning over a burner.