Marketing Senior Services: Let’s Lose the Platitudes

Recently I was invited back to Wisconsin to speak to the Wisconsin Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. They wanted to know more about 2 things- how to get more private pay clients, and my thoughts on how we, as senior providers, can do a better job of marketing our businesses to seniors and adult children of aging parents. For this column, I’m going to talk about the marketing piece…and this is only the tip of the ice-berg.

I want to let all of you in on my marketing strategy…one that DOES work, but you have to be able to move away from the “norm” a bit.

Do you know what a “platitude” is? A platitude is sort of like a “given”….for instance… for all of the phrases below, if you can say “Well I would hope so!!” then the phrase is a platitude. All of these come directly from advertisements in the Yellow Pages- and are advertising senior services of some kind- independent living, assisted living, nursing home, home care, etc. I did not make this up.

“Well I would hope so!!” List.

• Luxurious dining.

• We treat residents like family.

• Quality Care.

• The BEST in Senior Living. (as opposed to what?)

• Senior Living at it’s Best! (see any similarities here?)

• Spacious apartments.

• Courteous, compassionate staff.

• Park-like setting.

• Resort-like services and amenities.

• Elegant dining.

• Luxurious Retirement Living.

• Full service retirement living.

• We care. For You. (???)

• Care is our business…..

• Life away from home can be more enjoyable than you ever imagined….(nursing home ad)

If you are a consumer who has never worked in the senior services industry and has never place a loved one into any form of care, do these phrases or words really educate you about anything? Every ad is almost identical. They say nothing really. Unfortunately, we also have a large population of adult children of aging parents who have no idea where to turn for services and resources (not their fault), and the Yellow Pages is the first place they look to find help. Ugh.

Let’s move away from the platitudes….and start educating consumers instead.

So, my recommendation is this- if you want to build your database of qualified prospects, and you want to have plenty of business, fill the rooms, fill the beds, etc….then you or your organization needs to become the trusted resource in town.

Websites like www.ultimateseniorservice.com offer free ezines taht teach senior service providers how to market exceptionally well.

Try this. The next time you run an ad or send out a newsletter, make an offer.

Offer a FREE REPORT on the Top 20 Questions You Should Be Asking Before Hiring an In-Home Care Agency…or, Top 20 Questions You Should Be Asking Before Deciding on a Nursing Home (Independent Living Community etc).

Make sure you actually WRITE a free report on the top 10, 15, 20 questions people should be asking, and keep it simple, 1-2 pages max.

Before you make such an offer, go back to my previous columns where I talked about “inside reality” vs “outside perception”. Make sure those match up before you tell people what they should be looking for in a good service.

If you are the facility, or organization that chooses to educate your local community on topics related to what good quality care REALLY means, how to pay for long-term care, what legal documents consumers should have (like DPOA etc), then the community will begin to trust your organization.

Take a look around at the competition in your area. What are THEY doing to educate the community on a regular basis? How can you differentiate yourself from them? Offer something that they haven’t even thought of yet…lose the platitudes and become an educator. As consumers we can use all the help we can get.

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Image taken on 2010-08-10 14:48:35 by Windsor Senior Living.

Leading Senior Care Company Reveals Record Growth Amid Tough Economic Times

February 15, 2010 – Through the brutal economic climate of 2009, most businesses found it tough to grow and prosper – but Senior Helpers, the nation’s fastest growing provider of in-home care for seniors, is a remarkable exception.

2009 was a banner year for Senior Helpers, as the company saw revenue swell more than 225 percent and its number of total franchises increase by over 25 percent, for a total of 280 individual locations in 39 states at year’s end. This strong growth and expansion helped Senior Helpers climb Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 list for the third consecutive year – landing at No. 2 on the magazine’s “Top New Franchise List” for 2010, up from No. 7 the year before, and ranking No. 27 on the “Fastest Growing Franchise List,” up from No. 33 at the beginning of 2009.

“When we founded Senior Helpers in 2001, we knew there was a growing need to give seniors high quality care in their own homes,” says Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers. “The senior care industry is growing, and that trend is projected to continue for years to come. Our franchisees are some of the best in the industry, and our company’s accomplishments would have been impossible to achieve without their full commitment to and faith in Senior Helpers.”

Over the past year, senior care has remained a resilient sector of the national economy.

Reasons for Success:

Senior Helpers was able to pair the industry’s momentum with a growing desire among aging adults to stay in their own homes.  One recent survey found seniors fear going to a nursing home more than dying.
In this shaky economy, in-home care is a much more affordable solution for senior care than assisted living communities and nursing homes.
Numbers from The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics show a rapidly aging U.S. population.  Predictions indicate one fifth of the total population will be 65 years of age or older within 20 years.

“So far, our timing and our execution have proven to be successful in establishing Senior Helpers as a recession resistant business with the ability to grow,” Ross says. “We’ve developed great tools and support programs for our franchises, which enable them to thrive and allow the system as a whole to prosper. These rankings and recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine are a tremendous source of pride for all of us, and they position Senior Helpers as a dynamic national leader in the senior care industry.”

For more information on Senior Helpers, visit http://www.seniorhelpers.com.

For more information on Senior Helpers’ Entrepreneur Magazine rankings, visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/seniorhelpers/321615-0.html.

About Senior Helpers

Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who wish to live at home as opposed to a nursing or assisted living facility. The company has 280 franchises in 39 states throughout the country and offers a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care.

Eco Friendly Assisted Living Facilities Go Green with Care

Eco friendly ways of living are becoming more popular and more important to people. Creating eco friendly <a title=Assisted living facilities at Great Places! rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=http://www.greatplacesinc.com/features/AssistedLivingFacilities.aspx>assisted living facilities</a> or <a title=Adult care at Great Places! rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=http://www.greatplacesinc.com/features/AdultCare.aspx>adult care</a> homes are next on the list. You may think becoming more earth conscious just means recycling or re-using paper or plastic. However, for the homes that have that decided to become eco friendly it is so much more than that.

Green Construction
The first step in creating an eco friendly assisted living facility is constructing it in such a way and with such materials that are going to be environmentally friendly. From inception, green materials are chosen and decisions are made about each aspect of its construction. Generally buildings that are built in such a way are known as green buildings and are built with renewable materials, efficient in the way it is built and efficient with the energy used to build it and the energy that is generated within.

Green Systems
Upon completion of the eco friendly facility, decisions are made regarding the systems used indoors as well. From the green materials to the air, water and laundry purification, all are going to be chosen with the environment and resident’s health in mind. This will protect the environment and its resources while removing daily toxins from residents. Creating a pure air quality would also be considered when determining the types of green systems to establish. The benefit of being eco friendly up front in the construction is that it can save a lot of energy costs in the long run. This savings would hopefully spread to the overall cost for each resident.

Green Options
To further the eco friendly environment, all amenities are also made to go green. Facilities that offer Beauty salons or Barber Shops are considered when making the change to an all green facility. This might include any food served or items given to residents at any time. Each facility might make the call on how far it wants to go to stay green. However, residents should be aware that an entirely eco friendly assisted living facility may be more expensive because of the additional cost of making these green options a reality.

Living in an assisted living facility or any senior living facility that is go green can have many potential health benefits while being more safe and friendly to the environment. When considering the types of assisted living options, look into what they are doing to stay green. While many older facilities may not have been built with eco friendly systems in mind you can ask questions regarding what they may do in the future or how they can change their current systems to accommodate resident’s needs in this area. Assisted living facilities should want to provide a healthy, productive environment for its residents. If going green is going to be more economically beneficial in the long run there is no reason that they wouldn’t choose that option when presented with it.

Consider too the ways you can go green in your own home. Little things can help you save energy, conserve resources and promote good health for you and your loved ones. Look into the green options you have so you can begin to make your difference.

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Starting at $495 mo. Pre-Lease at $395 mo. Ask about our pre-lease specials (First month FREE). Reduce injuries with Walk-in-Bath-Tubs or showers. Complete full handicap accessibility. 55 and older community opening October 2010. Located between Caldwell & Nampa on Cleveland Blvd. Nearby shopping at Wal-Mart or WinCo. On-site access to public transportation. 3/4 mile walking path surrounding community. Community Center and activity coordinator. Elevator access and exterior storage for each unit. All appliances including Washer/Dryer combo. Non-smoking and pet friendly community. On-site manager and maintenance personnel. The Oasis welcomes referrals from all Agents and Property Managers. Referral fees paid for New Tenants.

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Seniors Rejoice at New Anti Agism Law

Good news for all those senior baby boomers out there or anyone else of seniority living in the UK. You may or may not be aware, but on Sunday 1st October 2006 an important change in UK employment law come into effect. The new legislation will offer hope to anybody who has felt they’ve been discriminated against in belief that they are too old to continue working. It is hoped that this new law will promote ageism to be as serious and as unacceptable as racism or sexism.

So what does this all mean? Well, one of the biggest changes to be implemented is employers will no longer be able to force compulsory retirement before an employee reaches 65. Before October 1st it was quite common for employers to set there basic retirement age at 60, but not anymore… However, it’s unclear as yet whether the compulsory retirement age of 65 will remain or perhaps be scrapped altogether. Unfortunately, we won’t find this out until 2011 when a formal review will take place.

Due to the ever lightly pension crisis facing many people living in the UK, the ability to work until 65 now offers some rest bite at least. That’s not to say working that long is a good thing, as given the choice I’m sure most people would like to take earlier retirement, but at least seniors can no longer be discriminated against for working longer if they so choose.

While it’s commonly thought the new ageism legislation will make a difference, it’s a shame more wasn’t done by removing the compulsory retirement age of 65 altogether.

Special Vitamin Needs For Seniors – Do Seniors Have Different Nutritional Needs?

It is often assumed that as one grows older one naturally grows wiser and is therefore more aware of the importance of eating a nutritionally well balanced meal.

However, in reality most seniors do not make the right food choices and are unable to get the required amounts of vitamins and minerals their bodies need in order to delay the onset of various debilitating conditions that include the signs of aging.

As one grows older , the body’s capacity to effectively use nutrients slows down. To add to it most elderly people suffer from numerous illnesses due to which they need to take constant medication that adversely affect the way the body breaks down the nutrients from food.

Even in today’s highly developed and advanced society there are surprisingly many seniors who continue to remain undernourished. This is because most seniors living alone don’t feel the need to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and also don’t bother to exercise daily. These are the very reasons why they are so susceptible to various vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

The most common deficiency among seniors is that of Vitamin D. This vitamin is essential not only for children but also for adults because it helps the body in absorbing calcium that keep the bones and teeth healthy. Insufficient amounts of vitamin D lead to bones becoming brittle, soft and eventually causes Osteoporosis.

Another condition most seniors are prone to suffering from is that of oxidation damage caused by free radicals. These are unstable particles that, when left on their own, run throughout the body and destroy the healthy cells. The process of oxidation is the same that causes rust to form on cars.

The process of Oxidation can be prevented by consuming adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. This is because they are the best sources of antioxidants that help in neutralizing the disruptive free radicals and inhibit the damage they cause in the body. They also contain beta-carotene’s and a number of important vitamins including Vitamin A, C and E. It is indeed surprising that very few seniors consume the required amounts of fruits and vegetables.

As healthy cells become damaged, seniors increase their chances of developing heart diseases,arthritis, certain kinds of cancers, cataracts, Parkinson’s disease amongst others. Antioxidants help to keep the immune system functioning properly. As the healthy skin cells break down , skin loses its elasticity, begins to sag,wrinkle and look older.

Alzheimer’s disease is also quite commonly found among seniors. This disease has been found to be linked to the deficiency of Vitamin K in the body. Consuming adequate quantities of this vitamin is important because it helps the body’s blood clotting mechanism function properly.

The list of ailments caused due to vitamin deficiencies is endless. Therefore, it is important that everyone regardless of their age realize the importance of providing their bodies with all the right nutrients in order to keep fit and stay healthy.

Senior Citizen and 50 Plus Retirement Future

The fact that many seniors are not ready for or properly funded their retirement futures does not come as surprise. In fact most seniors surveyed over the years have admitted that fact. Between the ages of 36 and 65, about 75% do have some kind of retirement plans at their place of employment but still only about 21% feel they will be able to retire comfortably.

Now you would think that knowing all this that we would prepare better as we approach retirement to improve our situation. But, the truth is that most will change nothing and continue to do as always. Most will keep their retirement contributions at the same rate as always. Only 18% will increase their contributions while another 19% actually decrease their contributions.

On top of all this, most seniors actually have no idea how much their retirement will really cost to retire in comfort. I can understand that with medical coats alone going up 4 times the rate of inflation, how can they. Even the seniors who feel they can expect to retire in comfort have no idea how much it will actually cost them. There is an old saying that goes something like “how can you get to where you want to go if you don’t know where your going.

One of the biggest problems seniors face hasen’t even been mentioned. The cost of health care related issues. Most already know that medicare will not cover all health related issues. Many seniors feel they will need to work till they drop and feel they can rely on employer funded health plans well into their retirement years. The economic situation we find ourselves in today requires we do more for ourselves. A local company just announced they are going to cut back 7800 jobs. Who do you think they will look at first? Think maybe the 50+ will be the first to go?

Now I am sure that many will be able to continue to work well into their retirement years But many will be faced with the least desirable option they have. That is the need to depend on friends and family and perhaps charity in their retirement years.

Now I don’t think that much of what I’ve been writing about comes as any surprise to most of you but sometimes reading about what you already know makes you think about it more seriously. Doing nothing about this situation is not an option you want to make. Bankrupycy in the ranks of the senior citizen generation is at an all time high with no end in site. Bankruptcy in the over 75 age group is up over 400% in recent years. So with seniors living longer today than ever before, whatever your situation is now will only get worse if you do nothing.

So, what to do? More and more seniors are turning to the computer and the internet. It’s been said that seniors rule on the internet. With 20 million plus wired seniors . They surf longer and study the sites they explore in more depth than their counter parts. Plus they are doing more than keeping in touch with friends and family. In fact it’s been said that seniors rule the internet.

Since many of you are already using the computer/internet for whatever reason, Why not start a small home based business with internet marketing. The internet is an endless source of information and, I am sure you can find something of interest you could market. There are tons of affiliate programs out there that would no require a ton of money to get started nor any investment in inventory or anything else usually associated with starting a small business. The only thing you will need to learn is Marketing. Some affiliate programs tell you they will do it all for you or give you a ton of tools to help you to promote. But folks, they can’t do it all for you and the only thing the tools will help you do is spend a fortune of time and money trying to use them. Marketing is the life blood of any business, online or offline. There is no way around it if you want to be successful.

Fortunately, we now have a new process to turn to and learn and the learning curve is a short one because you don’t need to know it all to start. I certainly didn’t and still don’t, but I started and thats all you need to do. Attraction Marketing is the only process we need to know to market sucessfully. What this process will teach you is how to use those tools we talked about. You will learn how create a web of content that will spread through out the internet with fingers all pointing back at you and your product whatever that may be. Within a short period of time you will have people coming to you wanting to join you, already knowing what it is you have to offer. You are now the hunted and not the hunter.

The best part is that what you learn and start to apply it, you will see that much will be at no cast or very low cost to accomplish. Also the time it will take to reach your goals will be only a matter of months and not the years it would take to accomplish your goals doing it any other way. Since many of us are or will soon will be, on a fixed income, anything that will save us time and money is a good thing. If your are considering marketing on the internet, or have been doing it for a time with little results, this is the best process of marketing there is and as far as I am concerned, the only way to market. It is for me.

Thank You

Gerald Lewis

Families Urged to Keep Alert for Signs Seniors Need Help

April, 2009 – Watching your once active parents or other relative decline into someone who needs constant care is heartbreaking and overwhelming.

But with 36 million seniors living in the U.S. and the population projected to double, caring for an elderly loved one is a reality most people will face. That’s why Senior Helpers, a leading provider of in home senior care, advises learning the signs your senior relative needs assistance.

“It’s much better to arrange for help for an elderly family member while they can still be part of the process rather than during a crisis because it gives everyone time to make thoughtful decisions,” says Peter Ross, CEO and Co-Founder of Senior Helpers, the nation’s fastest growing franchisor of in-home senior care. “Seniors often believe getting help means being moved out of their house and that’s where the resistance comes in. But many times in home care is a better option.”

Senior Helpers’ elderly care experts remind people to respect a senior family member’s pride and dignity when discussing the need for assistance. Approach the topic with respect and understanding and express concern for the family members’ safety. The warning signs could be indications of many issues. If there is a concern it’s important to contact a doctor.

10 WARNING SIGNS A SENIOR RELATIVE NEEDS ASSISTANCE.

The house is cold, the telephone is cut off.
Losing track in a conversation, forgetting the names of children, grandchildren, the day of the week, etc.
The death of a spouse.
The refrigerator and cupboards are half empty even though you know the relative can still get out.
Personal hygiene is poor.
Constantly making excuses when asked to go somewhere or do something, or wanting to be alone.
Sudden weight loss.
Never cleaning or delaying home repairs.
Failure to take prescribed medications.
Behavior changes.

“The best way to keep track of a senior family members situation is to keep in touch with them and this is one time where being nosy is justified,” says Ross. “Visit or call often and use one of the warning signs as a way to approach the topic if needed.”

For more information about Senior Helpers, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com/

 

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