macies. For instance, CVS now hangs
magnifying glasses from shelves
and uncovers windows to feature
brighter, natural light. Store layouts
are also improving: Walgreens (along
with CVS) has lowered shelving and
reorganized products so older consumers don’t have to reach too high
or bend too low for popular items.
Target has increased the font size on
pharmacy labels. And drugstores are
selling more consumable products
(such as salads) in single-serve packages, which can appeal to older shoppers who live alone.
“These are new trends we’re
seeing,” says Steve Perlowski, vice
president of industry affairs for the
National Association of Chain Drug
Stores. He adds that companies have
implemented changes for older cli-
ents after years of planning: “They’ve
done it to make stores more shop-
pable and more visually appealing.”
Retailers aren’t the only ones
scrambling to make you happy. San
Francisco–based First Republic Bank
has replaced heavy doors with auto-
matic ones and added higher chairs
with firm cushions, after employees
noticed that some older clients had
trouble rising from plush sofas. “It’s
a big shift,” says Lori Bitter, president
of Continuum Crew, a communica-
tions firm focused on older con-
sumers. “We’re starting to see that
designing better for older people is
better for everybody.”
Older workers are the
fastest-growing segment of
the employed population—
and now they’re also injured
more often. U.S. postal employee Jerome Garrett, then
51, broke his neck (and later
had a massive seizure) when
a 70-pound box fell on his
head from a conveyor belt. Two years later the
Decatur, Georgia, resident lives with a brain injury
and constant pain.
Garrett’s story is extreme but hardly unusual.
Workers 55-plus made up 17 percent of nonfatal
injuries on the job in 2009—up from 12 percent in
2003—according to a new report from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most suffered “acute traumatic injuries” such as fractures and
sprains. And when older workers get hurt, they face
added hurdles: “It takes them longer to return to work
once they recover, and their injuries are more severe,”
says Dawn Castillo of the CDC’s National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health.
So is your workplace a hazard? Watch for problems
such as unsecured cords and objects, Castillo says.
Clean up spills, and wear sturdy shoes and other appropriate attire. If you have vision trouble (which can
lead to tripping), talk to your doctor. And report safety
issues to your employer. —Leslie Quander Wooldridge
Don’t Get
Hurt at
Work
Trends
Daily tasks can lead
to devastating injuries
Falls on
the same level
(like tripping)
Overexertion
Contact with
objects,
equipment
Falls to a
lower level
Source: CDC
CIVIC SLACKERS Today’s kids may know more about supreme pizza than the Supreme Court: A new federal report finds only 7 percent of 8th graders can describe the three branches of government, and only 27 percent of 4th graders, 22 percent of 8th graders, and 24 percent of 12th graders are “pro- ficient” in civics. Uh-oh. Guess there’s always Google. —L.Q. W. Ah, Youth! (SOMETIMES WE DON’ T MISS IT)
FROM TOP: ILLUS TRATION B Y KAGAN MCLEOD; ILLUSTRATION B Y JOHN UELAND. CIVICS SOURCE: NATIONAL CEN TER FOR EDUCATION STATIS TICS
12 AARP THE MAGAZINE
