Personality Secrets to a Long Life

Researchers Find Centenarians Optimistic, Extroverted, Positive; Some Became That Way Later in Life

By Kathleen Doheny                                   Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
WebMD Health News

May 30, 2012 -- A new study may offer some tips to help you stick around for your 100th birthday.
Try to be optimistic, easygoing, sociable, and conscientious. Don't bottle up your feelings. Suppress the urge to talk ill of others, the new research suggests.

That combination of personality factors seems to describe the secrets of living to 100, says researcher Nir Barzilai, PhD, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y.

Those findings are among the latest from Barzilai's ongoing Longevity Genes Project.

While Barzilai found that those personality factors offer more clues to longevity, he has a caveat: "Still the No. 1 predictor for being a centenarian is if you have parents who are centenarians."

Even so, he is trying to answer the question: "Are the genes that are longevity genes also personality genes?"

The new research is published in the journal Aging.

Longevity & Personality Study

Living to 100 years old is still rare. About 53,000 people in the U.S., or 0.2% of the population, are 100-plus. However, the number of centenarians has been increasing about 8% a year, Barzilai says.

And that has captured his research interest and that of others around the country. "There are several groups doing studies on centenarians," Barzilai says.

Some research has already suggested that centenarians share particular personality traits.

Among them: being extroverted and agreeable.

Barzilai decided to look more closely at genetically based personality characteristics.

He recruited 243 centenarians. He gave them and their family members questionnaires that asked if they had characteristics such as optimism.

He gauged how easygoing they were, how outgoing, and how much they laughed. He looked at how freely they expressed emotions.

He looked at characteristics like conscientiousness, such as a tendency to be self-disciplined.

He looked at neuroticism, a tendency to express negatives emotions such as anxiety, anger, or guilt.

He compared their scores to averages found in the U.S. population.

He also did a validation study to reduce the impact of any mental impairment. Nineteen centenarians and 26 of their children participated in the validation study.

In general, he found those who live to 100:

• Are outgoing
• Are positive -- not the type to talk ill of others
• Laugh often
• Express emotions
• Are conscientious
• Are not neurotic

The link he found is just that, Barzilai says. "It doesn't mean there is a cause-and-effect relationship."

One problem, he says, is they don't have -- and can't have -- a comparison group. "Their friends died years ago, and younger people won't work [as a comparison group]," he says.

One surprise? Some of the 100-year-olds, he found out, were not always easygoing and agreeable, he says. He found that out while talking to some of the centenarians' children.

"There is some adaptation with age," he says. "You try to focus on the good things and not on the bad."

"If they are getting hit [with problems]," he says of his centenarians, "they roll with the punches and they smile. When they are healthy and they get to 100, they are very agreeable.''

The easygoing personalities didn't hold across the board. He tells of one woman's daughter who confided that her mother was mean.

Later, her siblings declined to even talk to Barzilai for the study because they had nothing to do with their mother.

Personality & Longevity: Perspective

"I really believe these are some of the mechanisms [of longevity]," says Daniela Jopp, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Fordham University.

Her own research on centenarians has found some similar links. She reviewed the study findings.

"We know personality has a strong genetic background," she says. Those who live to 100, Jopp says, "seem to have a very special psychological makeup."

Those who age successfully adjust their expectations about health, she has found. They accept a few aches and pains, she says. They don't focus on complaints, such as having trouble sleeping.

Based on her work and that of others, Jopp says for now she can give this advice to those who want to make it to 100: "Don't get too stressed out," she says.

"People who are optimistic and look positively into the future have not only a better time, but it may help them live longer," she says.

In her research, she finds those living to 100 tend to be well aware of their limited life expectancy, but to continue to make plans anyway.

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20120530/personality-secrets-to-long-life



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Some Patients Can Choose To Be Hospitalized At Home

By Judith Graham
May 29, 2012
This story was produced in collaboration with
   
ALBUQUERQUE -- The man's face was pasty, his eyes closed as he lay back in bed waiting for a wave of nausea to pass.  Dr. Elizabeth Ward bent over him after checking his temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen levels and finding that all were normal.

Physician Elizabeth Ward, a provider with Presbyterian Health Care System's Hospital at Home program in Albuquerque, N.M., follows up with Pamela Blondin, whose husband is being treated daily for colitis. (Photo by Rick M. Scibelli for USA Today)

"Would you rather stay home or go to the hospital?" she asked Frank Blondin, 52, who suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease, and had a nasty diarrhea-inducing bacterial infection.

"Home," Blondin responded, without hesitation.

Soon, the doctor was managing a "hospital at home" admission for Blondin -- an arrangement allowing him to receive intensive care and medical monitoring in the quiet of his own bedroom. Medical supplies and medications would be delivered as soon as possible, she told Blondin's wife, Pamela.  A nurse would come within the hour, take laboratory samples, and return later that afternoon and in the days to come.  Ward would check in by phone, visit daily, and help would be available 24/7 if required.

"Hospital at home" programs fundamentally refashion care for chronically ill patients who have acute medical problems -- testing traditional notions of how services should be delivered when people become seriously ill.  Only a handful of such initiatives exist, including the Albuquerque program, run by Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and programs in Portland, Ore., Honolulu, Boise, Idaho, and New Orleans offered through the Veterans Health Administration.

But the concept – which has been adopted in Australia, England, Israel and Canada -- is getting attention here with increased pressure from the national health overhaul to improve the quality of medical care and lower costs. Hospital at home programs do both, according to research led by Dr. Bruce Leff, the director of geriatric health services research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore who pioneered the concept.
In a study of three experimental hospital at home programs published in 2005 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Leff demonstrated that patient outcomes were similar or better, satisfaction was higher and costs were 32 percent less than for traditional hospitalizations.
The initial programs focused on people with four conditions -- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and skin infections known as cellulitis. Presbyterian Healthcare has expanded the list to include patients with dehydration, nausea, urinary tract infections, blood clots, and some artery blockages in the lungs.

Excluded are patients who are medically unstable or who cannot be cared for adequately at home.  "The patient, the family, the nurse, the doctor and the referring physician all need to feel if it's safe," said Dr. Scott Mader, clinical director of rehabilitation and long-term care at the Portland VA Medical Center, which recently treated its 1,000th hospital at home patient. If patients take a turn for the worse, for instance developing chest pain, an ambulance is summoned to take them to the hospital.

'It's Going To Be Very Common'

In most programs, doctors examine the patient daily and nurses and aides come up to three times a day, often for an extended period.  Patients are admitted for three to five days after being seen in the emergency room, referred by a physician or discharged early from a hospital.

Last year, the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates the evidence supporting health care interventions, published a review of 10 randomized controlled studies on hospital at home programs; it found that 38 percent fewer patients in these programs had died after six months, compared to those who underwent traditional hospitalizations.

"Imagine if there was a pill that did that: everyone would want it," Leff said.

"It's a very successful model and in five years, I think it's going to be very common.  But we're still in the early adoption phase," said Mark McClelland, an assistant professor at the Center for Health Care Quality at George Washington University.

Among current plans for hospital at home programs:

• Presbyterian Healthcare and McClelland's center have applied for a Medicare "innovation" grant to bring hospital at home programs to sites in Illinois, Rhode Island, New York, Florida and Minnesota.
• This summer, Centura Health, Colorado's largest hospital system, plans to launch a hospital at home experiment in Colorado Springs, with United HealthCare's Secure Horizons Medicare managed care plan as a partner.
• The Veterans Health Administration has approved funding for a new hospital at home program in Philadelphia and an expanded program in Honolulu, said Kenneth Shay, director of geriatric programs for the VHA.  "This is a very patient-centered model of care that also has the potential to reduce rates of hospital-related complications" such as infections, medication mix-ups, and delirium, Shay said.
• Clinically Home, a commercial venture, has developed a hospital at home model that involves caring for patients over 35 days, combining acute and post-acute care.   Kaleida Health, the largest health care system in western New York, wants to sign on to start a program later this year – if it can convince local insurers to come on board, said Donald Boyd, senior vice president.
  

Resistance from Medicare and private insurers is the biggest problem these programs face.  Traditional fee-for-service Medicare does not pay for hospital at home services, although individual private Medicare Advantage plans may do so.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "appears convinced it's going to add to overall costs" and fearful that providers will admit patients inappropriately, said Erin Denholm, chief executive of Centura Health at Home, a division of Colorado's Centura Health.

For physicians, "doing hospital-level services at home sounds scary" and "it's a big jump" that they haven't yet embraced, said McClelland.  Starting a program requires a considerable up-front investment of time and money, and it's not a priority for many institutions distracted by the pressures of the national health overhaul, he said.  Indeed, keeping beds full is a financial mandate for most hospitals.

That may change as hospitals and doctors form new structures known as "accountable care organizations (ACOs)" that are promoted in the health care overhaul. ACOs call for providers to restructure how medical care is delivered while participating in the financial rewards and risks of those changes.

Presbyterian Healthcare in Albuquerque is New Mexico's largest health care system, including eight hospitals, 36 clinics, a large physician group, five home health care agencies, and its own 413,000 member health plan.

Because Presbyterian has control over how that health plan pays for services, it was able to start a hospital at home program in 2008 with a reliable funding base. As for the motivation, "We are never going to build enough bricks and mortar (institutions) to provide care for all the baby boomers and the elderly who will need it by 2030," said Lesley Cryer, executive director of Presbyterian Home Healthcare. "So, we've got to find alternatives like this."

Patients Appreciate Being Home

On a recent morning in Albuquerque, Dr. Melanie Van Amsterdam, one of three doctors who provide hospital at home care for Presbyterian, stopped in to see Rosa Sota, 76, who had fallen on a doorstep, cut herself above her right eyebrow, and developed cellulitis.

Van Amsterdam set a chair in front of the older woman, who was lying on a couch in her small living room with a pinched expression.  The doctor did a careful examination, then explained the course of treatment she was ordering.

"It's better in my house because if I need to eat, I don't have to push a button. I can go to the kitchen for myself," Sota said, as her husband Ruben nodded in agreement a few feet away. "And here I sleep better because you don't have all the people coming and going and I don't feel so nervous."

For Frank Blondin, care began with a call for help from a home health nurse. Within an hour, Ward arrived, performed a thorough evaluation, obtained the patient's consent for a hospital at home admission, and decided on a treatment for his main medical issues -- dehydration and the infection. Then, Ward sat down to carefully review Blondin's history and medications with his wife and explain that risks were slightly higher that complications would not be dealt with as quickly as in the hospital.

"Is that OK by you?" the doctor asked.

"I'm a little apprehensive because I've had to call 911 so many times for Frank," Pamela Blondin admitted. "But he really wants to be home and I'd much rather have him here.  Even though there's a bit of a fear factor, I have to tell you, I appreciate having the choice."

This article was produced by Kaiser Health News with support from The SCAN Foundation.

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/May/30/Graham-Hospital-At-Home.aspx


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Google Cambridge Pilots Age Engage Program to Help Connect Seniors to the Internet

April 10th, 2012 by Lisa DeCanio
Posted in Google Cambridge

We've all had that conversation with our grandparents, in which we painstakingly try to instruct them – for the eighth time – how to open the internet browser to send an email. Recognizing this digital divide in the way seniors access the internet, Amanda Del Balso, Community Affairs Co-Lead and AdWords Account Manager at Google Cambridge, decided to take action.

After spending time in Dublin last year, Del Balso observed the Google team out there participating in the Age Engage program, which aims to equip seniors with basic internet skills to improve their quality of life. The program, she thought, would be well-suited for the Boston-area, and once returning stateside, Del Balso vetted out a pilot program with the local team at Google Cambridge.

In a partnership with Cambridge Community Television (CCTV), Google Cambridge launched the Age Engage pilot program in December with about 20 seniors attending two, 2-hour class sessions. The classes are unique in that they level the intense love Googlers have for the internet and channel that into one-to-one training for seniors. The curriculum is loose, explains Del Balso, and while the team aims to establish general search and email skills, each student possess a different skill level, and the classes are really tailored to their individual needs.

"The levels of people that come in really vary, so that's where the beauty of one-to-one pairing comes in," says Del Balso. "That student walks away with four hours of one-to-one, intensive tutoring."

As you can imagine, the stories behind Age Engage are pretty inspiring and demonstrate a true sense of community-building that comes with the program. Del Balso describes a story of a Googler helping tutor a woman on Google Maps, and after a few searches, they discovered they live within blocks of one another. In another example, Del Balso helped teach a woman how to upload photos into a program that would allow her and her mother to virtually try on glasses.

"We work on the computer all the time," says Del Balso of the Age Engage staff of Google volunteers. "I think it's a really nice marriage of Google's values of making the internet accessible to all people in a really easy way…It's quality of life improvement in such an engaging way."


The program will be ramping up more classes in the coming months, with the ultimate goal of providing one-on-one tutoring to 250 local seniors before the end of the year. "Moving forward, we're really going to try to focus on improving the in-class experience for the students already coming, and see how we can make it bigger or better," says Del Balso.

For more on the Age Engage program, check out the video below, and feel free to contact googleinthehub@google.com. Oh, and sign up your grandparents!

http://bostinno.com/2012/04/10/google-cambridge-pilots-age-engage-program-to-help-connect-seniors-to-the-internet/

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Beginning the Conversation About the End of Life

from: AARP

Planning well in advance of the end of your loved one's life can help safeguard his well-being and your peace of mind. That planning starts with an incredibly important conversation about death and dying, as difficult as it may be.
See also: Helping Parents Address Legal Issues.
Getting answers to questions about where your loved one would prefer to spend his last days, who will take care of him and what he would like to do to achieve a "good death" are vital pieces of the plan.
The person you are caring for most likely has strong preferences and opinions about their final days and it is imperative that you learn them. Start the conversation by expressing how much you share their desire to stay as independent as possible for as long as possible, and to have their wishes followed after they pass away.
Ask your loved one to consider the following questions:
* Where do I want to die? At home, or in a hospital or medical facility? Surrounded by people who love me, or privately with as little fuss as possible?
* What kind of medical treatment do I want?
* Who do I want to take care of me? Do I have a preference in terms of male or female, or anything else?
* What kind of funeral services do I want? Do I care about an open or closed casket, cremation or donating my body to science?
* Where do I want to be buried? Do I have a burial plot? Do I want to use it or be buried somewhere else?
Then, use their answers to help them assemble advance directives, which are legal documents that explicitly describe their wishes for care near the end. Prepare the two most important directives:
1.) A Living Will: This document specifies their wishes regarding medical treatment, and particularly the refusal of life-prolonging medication when death is imminent.
2.) A Health Care Power of Attorney: This document allows your parents to appoint someone they trust to act on their behalf and make decisions regarding their medical treatment if they are unable to do so.
Give copies of the directives to the key people involved in your loved one's life, with his or her permission.

http://www.aarp.org/relationships/caregiving-resource-center/info-08-2010/elc_beginning_the_conversation_about_end_of_life.html



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Hospitalization and Dementia: The Role of the Caregiver

By Sandra O'Connell

Inevitable as the progression of the disease itself, hospitalization will happen to a person with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia. Physical problems increase with age; studies show that one-third of the people discharged from the hospital are 65 or older. With a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, the chance of hospitalization increases dramatically. Older individuals are more likely to have multiple conditions and weak immune systems. Whether a planned stay or the result of an emergency, the caregiver needs to be prepared to manage a stay in the hospital. Hospitalization is disruptive and frightening for everyone; for someone with Alzheimer's, the hospital is, indeed, a scary place.

You might assume that a hospital staffed by healthcare professionals is a safe environment. Unexpectedly, the hospital requires more vigilance and special skills by the caregiver. The very nature of a hospital and the needs of a person with dementia are not highly compatible.

Hospitalization requires even more care than normal from the family; the following guidelines should help you to prepare for and survive a hospital stay. They are derived from my personal experience during 14 years of caregiving for my husband that included three hospitalizations, two stays in rehab nursing homes and seven trips to the emergency room. My experience is supplemented with that of my Alzheimer's support group and the current literature.
   

Hospital Environment	Patient with Alzheimer's or related dementia
Many are understaffed.	Person needs continued observation and has more needs than a regular patient.
Thrives on information: blood type, test results, symptoms.	Not a reliable source of medical history. May be unable to express discomfort or pain
Relies on protocols, standards, systems for care, and schedules.	Person has little ability to recognize time or control behavior; most likely will not fit into the hospital routine.

1.  Provide coverage 24x7; do not leave the person alone, even (especially) at night.
The hospital routine runs 24x7, and as anyone who has ever been hospitalized knows--does not respect sleep or night time hours. Ask for the rules for overnight visitors and if needed, have the doctor write an order that allows you to have someone with the patient at all times. Some families hire a caregiver to cover the night shift for them; others rotate the responsibility among siblings or a few close friends. I planned coverage for the early evening so that I could go home to eat dinner, nap and shower; then I was prepared to sleep in the hospital room right next to his bed. Remember the patient is already in a world he or she cannot manage; now he or she is in an alien environment with strangely garbed creatures who glide in and out of the room at all hours.

2.  The person with Alzheimer's Disease or related dementia needs an advocate at all times.
Every common hospital routine such as drawing blood, hooking up an IV, going to the bathroom, or being transferred to go for an X-ray is bewildering to the person with dementia and may result in anxiety driven behavior. Pulling out the IV, getting out of bed with a catheter inserted, or refusal to cooperate with treatment may result. Toileting is a challenge in the hospital as there may be a catheter or an IV that involves special care. A person with Alzheimer's is not going to remember that he or she needs help to get out of bed. This can result in falls, torn IVs, and urinary tract infections. During one hospitalization, a technician insisted on doing a test that I had not discussed with my husband's doctors. Only my staunch refusal persuaded the person to leave. As it turned out, she was in the wrong room. Incidents like these may happen during a hospital stay. An advocate who is able to talk with staff and solve problems should be ever-present. If you are fortunate enough to have others helping you as a patient advocate, be sure to leave the records and doctors' names with them.

3.  Do not assume that the staff understands the realities of caring for someone with dementia, much less the specifics of your loved one.
The call button, the device that alerts the staff to come to the room, is useless to a person with dementia. A nurse carefully explained to my husband how to use the call button if he needed anything. He smiled his charming smile and nodded, but did not understand. When I used the button to ask for help to take him to the bathroom, a disembodied voice came from the headboard asking what he needed. I realized then that he would not be able to connect the need for help with the voice, much less articulate that he had to go to the bathroom. Learning to use a call button is typically beyond the learning of anyone with dementia, except in the earliest stage. An advocate has to be there to interpret your loved one's needs and to actively get help.
Fortunately, this situation is starting to change. An article in the American Journal of Nursing described how to recognize dementia in the hospital setting and the impact it has on treatment. "Hospital patients with dementia as compared with other hospital patients experience higher rates of delirium, falls, new incontinence, pressure ulcers, untreated pain...inadequate food and fluid intake, and sleep disturbances." (Recognition of Dementia in Hospitalized Older Adults, Maslow and Mezey, AJN, January, 2008.)

4.  Keep a written record of all medical information.
The hospital thrives on records; be ready to provide all the information they need – repeatedly. Keep a list of medications, dosage levels, doctors' names and phone numbers, past hospitalizations, and current conditions. Your documents help to insure that accurate information is in the records. Realize that each time medical information is transferred, the possibility for error increases. When going from the emergency room to a regular bed, coming from a nursing home to the hospital, whatever the route, verify each time that the medical record is correct. After an illness that involved three transfers and several doctors, I found five errors in my husband's medication records.

One of the advantages of an advocate is that you are there 24x7, so it is likely you will be there when the doctors make rounds. Take notes with each visit, as most likely you will need to coordinate issues among various specialists. This is a critical aspect of the caregiver-advocate role. Keep track of questions as they arise and have your notes available when the doctor arrives, which may be at 7 a.m. or 10 p.m. or anytime in between.

5.  Personalize and manage the hospital environment.
Routine and familiar surroundings are essential to a person with dementia struggling to make sense out of a strange place. The first request should be for a private room; another patient in the room will be incredibly distracting and difficult. Look for ways to personalize the space and provide comfort to your loved one. Bring in a favorite coverlet or pillow, tape large photos on the wall or cabinet; ask if you may provide a drink or food that Mom especially likes. With hospitalization, families may find an outpouring of concern which may result in a lot of visitors. Given the already confusing surroundings, experts recommend limiting visitors. Let people know that your loved one will rest and heal best with quiet and calm.
Since you are staying in the hospital for possibly days or weeks, pack your own bag with maintenance and comfort items which may include: lots of change for the vending machines, toothbrush, reading material, comfortable pillow, change of clothes, water, and snacks. Do remember that hospitals limit the use of cell phones to areas where they will not interfere with equipment.

6. Take time to get to know the nursing staff.
Many hospitals will be grateful for your ongoing presence as it can make their job easier. Help the staff to understand your loved one's preferences—limits as well as capabilities. Be direct about the person's abilities and limitations and identify any specific needs.
"Dad will try to remove the IV, so please put extra tape over the needle."

"My uncle likes cranberry juice rather than apple juice."

"Mom will need to eat more than applesauce before she takes that medication."

Be respectful of the times for bathing, medication, and other hospital routines. Of course, just as you get one nurse familiar with your situation, the shift for the week will change and you start all over. Bring a treat or flowers now and then for the nursing station. Show your appreciation and acknowledge the job they are doing.

As a caregiver for a person with Alzheimer's disease, recognize that a trip to the hospital is highly likely. Prepare in advance as much as possible; have the medical records up to date, be ready with a family member or back-up caregiver who can be an advocate, and pack your bag as you are the constant in your loved one's care.

Highly Recommended Reading:
Acute Hospitalization and Alzheimer's Disease: A Special Kind of Care, booklet available from National Institutes of Health.  www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/acute-hospitalization-and-alzheimers-disease-special-kind-care

Sandra O'Connell was an Alzheimer's caregiver for her husband, Rev. Ralph L. Minker, for 14 years. As a member of the Alzheimer's Speaker's Bureau, National Capitol Area, she has presented programs for a wide range of audiences on Alzheimer's disease, the Healthy Brain, Caregiver Communication Skills, and Research Updates. Sandra has been a guest lecturer in the Geriatric Program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She was the project manager for "Alzheimer's Disease: A Family Matter," a training film which won a Cine award for training documentary

http://www.caregiver.com/channels/alz/articles/hospitalization_and_dementia.htm


"Learn About Senior In Home Health Care in Austin, Texas

Senior Helpers Provides Many services in the Austin, Texas area. We provide a full array of Home Care services for seniors and the elderly living in this beautiful area. Our Home Care Services are provided by bonded and insured employees and all employees pass a National Background check.

If you need Home Care services in Austin, Bartlett, Bertram, Briggs, Burnet, Cedar Park, Florence, Georgetown, Granger, Holland, Hutto, Jarrell, Johnson City, Killeen, Leander, Liberty Hill, Manor, Marble Falls, Pflugerville, Round Mountain, Round Rock, Salado, Spicewood, Taylor and the surrounding areas we are an excellent choice with impeccable references. Home Health Care for your elderly loved ones is never an easy choice but we can promise we will do our best to make it as painless as possible. From our family to yours we sincerely thank you for considering Senior Helpers of Austin Home Health Care Company.  "

Older Inventors Have Better Success With Their Inventions

Becoming the next Edison just might be possible
by: Laura Daily | from: AARP The Magazine | April 3, 2012

You have a great idea, but you need to take it from brain to bank. Now may be the time to try, because your odds of success can increase with age, says Wendy Robbins, a New Mexico based inventor and consultant to other creative types. At press time, about 60 percent of The United Inventors Association of America members were 50 or older, estimates executive director Mark Reyland, and overall membership had grown 243 percent in a little over a year. "Older adults have more experience, plus the insight and persistence to get a product to market," says Jeffrey Dobkin, president of Philadelphia's American Society of Inventors and author of How to Market a Product for Under $500! You can make money, but don't expect to get rich. Sure, after two years of development, George Weiss, 85, of Brooklyn, has sold 20,000 copies of his word game Dabble. But more common are inventors like Sher Gregory, 54, of Dobbs Ferry, New York, who spent 11 years creating her Puffalicious Body Wash System before selling only about 50 units during her January launch.

Don't want to tinker for years? Some online companies can develop your idea, with input from other site users, and sell the resulting product. For instance, after Jim Johnstone, 57, of Urbana, Illinois, sent an idea to Quirky (1-866-578-4759; quirky.com), the company created and sold more than 3,300 of his Thor collapsible ice scrapers. But these intermediary firms reduce your profits. You often must sign over your rights, and you'll reap only a modest share of sales. (Quirky pays 4 cents per dollar for in-store sales and 12 cents per dollar for online sales; Johnstone has earned around $11,500.) That said, you may feel satisfied just seeing your product on shelves. "If you're lucky, you might have a money-making product," adds Johnstone. "But at the very least you are a lot smarter than when you started."

2 Tips for Success

1. Join a local inventors club to get support and advice. Find a group in your area at uiausa.org.
2. Be wary of companies that charge hundreds or thousands of dollars to evaluate your product, say experts. Such firms are often scammers.

Additional reporting by Odochi Ibe.

http://www.aarp.org/work/working-after-retirement/info-04-2012/senior-citizen-inventors-inventions.html

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