Red+Rover+Market+Data

Age: There are 30 million households in America whose head is older than 60. (source: Global Market Information Database http://www.gmid.euromonitor.com)

Back Problems: The weight and bulkiness of objects lifted are major contributing factors to injuries. Workers also frequently cite body movement as contributing to their injuries. Bending, twisting, and turning are the more commonly cited movements that cause back injuries.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that sprains and strains, most often involving the back, accounted for 43% of injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work in 2002. That year there were 345,300 cases of back injuries that accounted for one in four nonfatal occupational injuries involving days away from work. Hands, arms, and feet are also vulnerable to injury during manual handling of materials.

Also in 2002, there were 381,000 overexertion cases with lost workdays (26½% of all lost-workday cases). Most of those cases were due to lifting (208,300). Pushing/pulling and carrying also result in large numbers of overexertion injuries. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

25% of men over 65 experience lower back pain 35% of women over 65 experience lower back pain http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus05.pdf (Center for Disease Control)

Pets: There are about 67 million dogs in North America. (source: Global Market Information Database http://www.gmid.euromonitor.com)

Gardening: 2.7 billion dollar industry for non-riding lawn, garden, and snow equipment (2002 u.s. census) 750 million dollar industry for attachments (2002 u.s. census) http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i333112.pdf

3.2 billion dollar industry for nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores, ~17,000 stores http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0244i08.pdf

Young grandchildren: "According to the U.S. 2000 Census, there were close to 2 1/2 million households with grandparents raising their grandchildren. This figure does not even count kinship caregivers such as people raising their brother or sister's children or, even yet, raising their niece or nephew's children. Fifty-seven percent of grandparents raising their grandchildren are still in the work force and 17% are living in poverty." (Source: http://www.raisingyourgrandchildren.com/)