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Economic Multipliers (150)
Do you know what these are?
They help CREATE wealth in systems.
Anticipating the future (re. wheeled transportation) could be a huge economic multiplier for future generations.
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You can learn a lot about what future generations will need by taking people to doctor’s appointments and observing the intricacies associated with limited mobility or wheelchair transportation in any kind of vehicle.
Based on my limited experience, these are services that I believe will have extraordinary value in the future (and may ultimately be ‘add-ons’ to many existing businesses):
Rent a ramp.
Rent a motorized wheelchair or scooter.
Rent a self driving car which is specifically designed for motorized wheelchairs or scooters.
Rent a ramp may not be particularly practical since ramp costs are not excessively high in comparison to many other things and if people need a ramp, they may need it for a long time. Recognizing needs, some community organizations build ramps so people can stay in their homes and some not-for-profit organizations finance construction while taking non-interest liens against properties. If the properties are sold, lien ‘replacement money’ helps finance new ramps. Individuals who can pay off ‘ramp loans’ over time don’t have to worry about a property lien and individuals who can’t don’t have to worry about the equity in their property being whittled away by accumulated interest.
Few individuals imagine using a motorized wheelchair or scooter in a home if they have some ability to walk. I observed one time though that an individual most likely would have been more active and enjoyed life more if the steps and energy they saved for key tasks could still have been saved for those activities and a motorized unit could have been used for a lot of other things that they ultimately gave up. They couldn’t be convinced.
Some individuals prefer the option of renting when it comes to anything motorized so they don’t have to worry about maintenance, can contact a designated service representative at any time and can get an immediate replacement if something is not working. I met one individual who had a scooter in his garage and a scooter in his home. Partially wheelchair bound for decades (yet able to negotiate a few steps), he’s lived an active life.
I hope companies recognize that self driving cars aren’t for the young and mobile who need to continually hone their cognitive and reactive skills. Self driving cars are for the person or family who needs to get someone to medical appointments who is willing to give ‘new technology’ a chance.
Taking people to medical appointments is an interesting task:
Most people have almost no appointments annually: Some people have one or more a week.
Some could go alone yet want a person to go with them to make everything easier (getting dropped off by the door; helping remember instructions and followup appointments; making the trip safely; getting any necessary prescriptions).
Some have no choice but to get assistance: They aren’t allowed to or are incapable of driving and safely negotiating the whole trip by themselves. They can live independently with a little bit of extra help.
Some simply want company and a trip to the doctor is also a trip that covers other tasks: shopping, a meal away from home and/or other stops.
The older generations in the community where I live have established rather extensive networks to help them get to medical appointments when extra assistance is needed. Some of those networks rely upon public transportation which is constantly stressed for resources, some rely upon volunteer drivers through established channels like the Red Cross (stressed for volunteers and vehicles and gas money) and many rely upon personal formal and informal contacts: through organizations, family and friends.
As the aging population expands and medical advances allow individuals to stay more mobile, the nation can expect that more people, time and resources will be needed to deal with the shifts … unless we are able to find alternative ways to do things.
If companies can offer older individuals a path to ‘keep driving’ … even if they personally are unable to do so themselves, I expect there will be a ready market.
The younger generations and businesses who don’t necessarily have the flexibility to be totally flexible when medical issues crop up have a vested interest in making sure new networks and new paths get established which make sense based on all that we know today.
And the older generations have a vested interest in making sure there are affordable and flexible options as we transition to a society where parents have lesser numbers of children to rely upon, people live longer with a much higher quality of life and everyone wants easy access to good medical care.
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