Consider packaging. I remember buying products and not needing serrated knives and scissors to get the product out of the package. I bought an electric shaver for my brother who is in the nursing home, and it took 15 minutes to just pry it out of the see-through atom-bomb-proof plastic wrap. It seems to me that we should be making things easier for ourselves, but somehow companies hire bright new young minds, who feel it is their obligation to make changes, and so they do. But, the changes aren't always an improvement. Yes, it's nice to see how a product looks, and yes, there are bad people out there who steal stuff, but how about the honest shopper, who just wants to get the product out of the package without risk of cutting a major artery?

Consider automobiles. Now, when I buy a new car, I need to spend hours with the owner's manual just to figure out the dashboard. I liked the old way of setting the odometer. Just press a button, and it would zero out. I still haven't figured out how to do it on my 2004 Chevrolet Trail Blazer. To figure out mileage for a trip involves study. Too time consuming for me. I wonder who invented the computer-generated dashboard.

People have a misconception about nursing homes. So, I decided to try to dispel the myth that they are depressing places to avoid at all costs. They actually can be fascinating as well as a learning experience. Folks in their final years and the people who care for them are pretty interesting. More later. . .