Granny Gets a Grip – A one stop shop for the Beatles generation
‘It’s disrespectful that society assumes the older generation doesn’t care what something looks like as long as it does the job.’
When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine
Should you ever need a device to help you open jars, where will you buy it? And what about an appealing walking stick? If you feel the cold where can you source good heat pads or heated cushions? If you have trouble bending or reaching, what will you get to help and where from?
The answer is Granny Gets a Grip. It’s an online shop selling only the most appealing, best designed products to help us all as we start needing it.
In 2021 Sophie’s father, Peter, had started to need practical aids to help him live independently and make him more comfortable – but something made her see red – his home of more than 50 years had begun to look like a hospital. Why did grab handles, walking sticks and frames have to look so ugly – all white plastic or grey metal? She spoke to her old friend Miranda – as their house-proud mothers had been firm friends for decades and both battled long term illness. And the idea was born. Granny Gets a Grip is a one-stop online shop for the things we’ll need as we age, chosen to look as appealing as possible without compromising on quality, safety and performance.
As they trawled through so many gloomy products designed for the older generation, it felt as if everything marketed to over-65s was stuck in a post-war time warp, which is so wrong; today’s 70-year-olds were teenagers in the 1960s. They’d grown up with the Beatles and Biba.
So they searched for and tested products – looking for those that sacrificed neither practicality or style. Their mothers had both loved interiors and hated their homes becoming sterile and clinical. All products had to pass the ‘Would mum have liked this’ test! Where they couldn’t find quality products they made their own – such as their linen booster cushions in jewel colours, oak grab rails and ‘The Matty’ armchair tray in a funky, retro design.
There’s still a stigma around ageing and they are hoping that Granny Gets a Grip can be part of bringing about change. ‘We’ve tried to instill warmth and wit on our site – it has a personality, just like the people who use it.’
And, they add, it’s never too early: ‘Our friends started out by saying they’d have a look when they got older. Most have found things on the site that are a joy whatever your age. Have a look!’
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