Where is the Good Looking Commode and Other Durable Medical Equipment?
Why is so much medical equipment that more and more consumers are purchasing for their homes - not for an institution - look so cold and blah? Check out McKesson's web site for example. YUCK. . . . couldn't they dress up their shower chairs and commodes a bit (like the one above)? Maybe some color . . . .tell me why this is the best commode . . . Could we have a little bit of creativity folks . . . just a little.
Famed designer Michael Graves, who also is paralyzed, said this in an interview at Caring.com in response to why this is such a neglected area of design:
. . . . there hasn't been any competition. The makers just want to get it out on the market, even if it's only half right. But you can't act that way. I remember one of the design magazines had a competition for product of the year, and the only one in this area was a wheelchair. They gave it first place because there was nothing else. And it was just awful. The judges didn't know and the designer didn't know.
Someone is going to get this design stuff right, and people are going to buy their products. Note to McKesson and other durable medical product provides . . . you're creating a consumer product . . . more people want to live at home . . . Give us some new options.
2 Comments
We couldn't agree more! Luckily, there have been advances in some areas, such as grab bars (like Healthcraft's Invisia line and GreatGrabz) and bath seats (some lovely wood style seats). But in many DME categories, everything is still so...well...medical! Part of the problem could be that consumers aren't very vocal in this area. Some users of the products may not want to talk about it, may be embarassed, or may not realize that they deserve more. Caregivers are probably just happy they have something that fits their needs. At Dynamic Living, Inc (and AdaptMy.com), we search daily for products that make life easier and are always thrilled to find such products that actually look good too. We hope that manufacturers see the market growing enough in this area that they start thinking about a pleasing design as well as utility.
As a health care professional who recommends DME on a daily basis, I couldn't agree more. Many clients do not want to purchase the recommended equipment because of the look. They do not want to put an institutionalized looking piece of equipment in their home. There is no reason why it all has to be so blah looking. Kevin
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