Program helps stores see obstacles for older shoppers

Stores are realizing it's good business sense to cater to seniors' needs.
TOLEDO (AP) -- Sam Burnett walks through the grocery store, looking to make sure the aisles are wide, the canned goods are within reach and prices are easy to see.
Burnett is a secret shopper of sorts -- a volunteer who evaluates whether stores are "elder friendly."
Agencies that cater to older adults in 11 cities nationwide participate in a program that checks businesses and public places and advises them how to remove the obstacles that older people face.
Noticeable changes
The changes are noticeable -- pharmacies adding benches to give shoppers a place to rest, grocery stores taking big containers off the highest shelves and restaurants training employees on the special needs of older customers.
"Once they began to hear what our concerns were, they started to pay attention," said Burnett, a retired school administrator.
The Elder Friendly program began in Portland, Ore., in 1995. Since then 190 businesses in the area ranging from auto repair shops to funeral homes have been deemed accessible and accommodating to older adults. They're also listed in a directory that's distributed all over town.
Businesses ask to be evaluated. The program isn't meant to be punitive.
In the beginning, businesses were reluctant, said Becky Wehrli, executive director of Portland's Elders in Action.
"A lot of them didn't understand why they should target the older market," she said. "They didn't know what the benefits would be for them."
No longer a problem
That's not a problem anymore.
"We've made it a point to say elder friendly is good for all customers," Wehrli said. "Mothers with young babies want wide aisles and easy access to restrooms, too."
Older adults also represent a fast-growing segment of the population. It's expected that their number nationwide could nearly double in the next 25 years and that one in five Americans will be over age 65.
Stores are beginning to see the value in attracting those customers.
"Besides being the right thing to do, it's good for business," said Gary Huddleston, a spokesman for Kroger Co.
The grocery chain offers older customers their own keys to its motorized carts so they don't have to stop at the customer service desk. Its new stores are designed with wide aisles and restrooms near the front.
Glayda Sutter, 84, said the Kroger store in Toledo that she shops at could use a bench so that older shoppers could take a break.
"I know some people that won't come because it's too much walking," she said.
Restaurant chain's changes
Shari's Restaurants, which has about 30 locations around Portland, replaced the springs on its doors after hearing about how heavy they were for older customers.
Some of its restaurants dedicated parking spots for seniors only, said David Archer, a company spokesman. The changes were a result of suggestions from Elder Friendly volunteers.
"They look at it from different eyes," Archer said. "It makes sense."
The program has spread to Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Muskogee, Okla.; Gainesville and Brunswick, Ga.; Waterloo, Iowa; Oakpark, Ill.; Albany, Ore.; and Montgomery, Ala.
Wehrli, whose organization helps other agencies start Elder Friendly, said budget cuts facing many social service groups and the daunting task of adding a new program have hindered its expansion.
The Areawide Aging Agency in Oklahoma City started the program a year ago and has certified 20 businesses.
A hospital added mirrors at its cafeteria buffet table so that customers in wheelchairs could see all the offerings. Following a review, a toy store realized it needed to clear bulky displays out of aisles.
Crafty solution
A craft store created a catalog to show what items it has on a second floor that is accessible only by stairs. Store employees then retrieve the items the customer wants.
Even the agency's office needed a fix, said Jeton Woody, director of the Elder Friendly program. A few volunteers complained that the building's doors were too heavy, so automatic doors were installed.
"Seniors call regularly to find out if a certain business is certified," Woody said. "They want to shop at places that are elder friendly."
Burnett, 72, is one of 20 volunteer shoppers with the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio. The program, which is in its second year, has limited the evaluations to grocery stores.
Teams of three or four people visit the stores at different times of the day, usually during a two-week period. Stores don't know they're coming.
They fill out a 13-page evaluation, noting such things as whether the stores had consistent lighting and a helpful staff.
Assistance
Marilyn Freeman, 74, said finding employees willing to lift heavy items into her cart is important, and it's a big reason why she shops at a Kroger store in Toledo.
"They're good about that," she said, adding that she won't go back to a discount place near her home that wouldn't offer her assistance with a heavy carton of root beer. They're going to lose a lot of money if they don't help us," she said.
Once the evaluators have finished looking through a business, they meet with store managers to talk about what they've found and suggest improvements.
Only three of 26 stores in the Toledo area haven't passed the test.