Is it better to look good or feel good?

Shoes modeled by famous palliative care researcher KS

I'm reviewing grants for the National Palliative Care Research Center in New York, and always on the lookout for blog material. I can't discuss any of the grants themselves, of course, but some interesting items came up at dinner tonight.

Now I love California, but New Yorkers do have a few things on the rest of the country - they walk everywhere, have great fashion sense, and are first to try the latest cool gadgets.

And perhaps there's a lesson here somewhere here about mobility and older adults.

Take shoes.

Most of the shoes I've seen for older adults are utilitarian and plain. What if shoes for older adults were really fashionable - like those modeled by famous palliative care researcher K.S. in the photograph above? Ooh la la! Would older adults feel better about walking?

Fuel watch from RK's son Tønne

And in this picture we have a cool watch gadget that tracks daily "fuel" expenditure toward a set goal. (This watch belongs to the son of RK from ACS). Would older adults feel better about themselves if they had a cool watch giving them feedback?

by: Alex Smith

Comments

Vineet Arora said…

I love the fuel band! i have a white one. i should add that im always on the hunt for good "OSHA shoes" - comfy fashionable shoes that are not open toed. -Vineet Arora

March 4, 2013 at 8:22 PM

Anonymous said…

My 86 year old mother has some venous insuficiency and her ankles swell from time to time. Other than that, and in spite of her DJD, she is a very active vain woman who enjoys painting, writing and opera. However, it is the swelling of the ankles that causes her the most distress. My explanations that this is just a cosmetic issue insulted her. In retrospecrt, I agree. What if there were stockings that were fashionable or shoes that didn't remind her of her age? She is not an ostrich. she know how old she is and what her limitations are, but she is still very much enjoying her retirement and does not want to be treated like a little old lady.

March 5, 2013 at 10:06 AM

Anonymous said…

Shoes as shown would be wonderful looking and immediately contribute to a fall. Is this much "style" really worth a broken hip???

March 5, 2013 at 11:35 AM

Alex Smith said…

Vineet - not surprised you have the band. Being the high energy person you are, I suspect you expend more energy in an hour than I do in a week!

Second Anon - granted the shoes as shown are not practical enough for many older adults. But we can do better than the equipment that makes a person look like an "ostrich" (thanks for that image first Anon).

March 5, 2013 at 2:05 PM