Our friend Michelle Seitzer at SeniorsForLiving.com last week shared a survey from the National Council on Aging (NCOA). The report compared the outlook, physical health, financial concerns and technology use of adults over 60 with those aged 18-59.
The NCOA proved their marketing savvy by producing an infographic for the time-pressed / visual learners.
Great “snackable” content. 50+ marketing pros can prove their savvy by reading the full fact sheet. You’ll find inspiration for your marketing outreach programs.
Survey says that a majority of seniors expect their health to stay the same in the decade but they aren’t investing in the activities to make that happen:
“Less than 1 in 5 seniors has received guidance in the past year to develop an action plan for managing their health and nearly 7 in 10 seniors with one or more chronic health conditions were not encouraged by their health care provider to attend community programs to help with their health.”
Putting it into action: Partner with a local hospital or physician for a program that sends 65+ers home with a 5-year plan for better health. Senior living communities should showcase their own healthcare experts on the panel of speakers.
Marketing inspiration: PARKER (The Francis E. Parker Memorial Home, in New Jersey, and its associated residential communities and day center) will this fall host a series on Humor and Health. The action-oriented programs feature an outside speaker while emphasizing PARKER’s offerings and their concept of ” aging as a natural stage of life to be celebrated with compassion and enthusiasm.”
Survey says that adults of all ages are not confident their community is doing enough to prepare for the needs of an increasing elder population.
“Nearly 1 in 2 (49 percent) seniors believe their community is doing enough to prepare for the future needs of the growing senior population, compared with 45 percent of adults ages 18-59.”
Putting it into action: Pen a series of blog posts and/or letters to the editor showcasing how your senior living community is looking ahead and helping the larger community be prepared. Are your executives and residents serving on boards or forums devoted to this topic? Are your team members respresenting the needs of the aging population at local chambers of commerce? If so, make this leadership known to your stakeholders and prospects.
Marketing inspiration: Westminster at Lake Ridge gathered local, regional and government agencies for a networking event around senior care. The CCRC also has hosted an event on the future of aging featuring a local Congressman and the head of the Area Agency on Aging. Westminster at Lake Ridge is making sure they’re recognized as part of the solution by making themselves part of the conversation.
Survey says that 83% of seniors feel technology use is important for older adults. However,
“34 percent of seniors cite “I don’t understand how to use it” as a barrier preventing them from using more technology.”
Putting it into action: Offer Tech 101 classes for your residents AND seniors in the larger community. Host a senior tech rally at your location. Team up with a local college for a win-win program (the students gain service hours, area seniors gain knowledge and confidence).
Marketing inspiration: This programming idea has been successful for communities such as North Hill in Needham. Not only do they run regular technology and social media classes for residents, an “intro to iPads” class that was open to anyone in the Boston area “sold out” immediately. So they added a second session. Attendees went from “I don’t understand how to use it” to “I feel great about North Hill”! And the sales team had a wave of new, qualified leads to work with.
Next steps:
– Get the NCOA infographic via SeniorsForLiving: http://bit.ly/16WkgVd
– Read the fact sheet: http://bit.ly/1cTPfbv
– Improve your marketing outreach programs: http://bit.ly/13yUlFZ