The Business of Aging

The Airlines and the Aging Population: We're Sorry Old Man, You Can't Use This Bathroom. Please Return to Steerage.

I was recently on a coast-to-coast @UnitedAirlines flight where an older man in his mid 80s who was sitting a few rows behind first class needed to use the bathroom but the drink cart prevented him from walking to the back of the airplane. So he walked into first class to use the bathroom. A flight attendant turned him away.

I was shocked.

When I googled the topic it didn't surprise me to find plenty of similar stories.     Here is one I read on an online travel site:

"Sunday night, on American Airlines, I watched a flight attendant rush to stop an elderly gentleman (who was sitting directly behind First Class), and send him allllllll the way to the back of the plane to stand behind 8 people to use THAT bathroom. Several people in First Class smiled or gave a thumbs up to the flight attendant."

I'm not sure what shocked me more. The story or the user comments such as "You get what you pay for. When someone pays 10-20x more for a ticket, they should have their own bathroom. Plus, once the old man gets to use it, others inevitably will try to bend the rules."

Wow.

That 85 year-old man likely fought wars to preserve the freedoms the young stewardess enjoys - the same stewardess who denied the man access to the bathroom. I felt so bad for the man. And I felt tremendous anger toward the airline.

But I realized that my anger toward the airline was an emotional response to a policy I did not agree with. Yet, the airlines have every right to have such a policy.

But it's a bad policy that reveals just how ill prepared most businesses are for the changing demographics of this country. 

Here are some facts about the aging population (in the USA):

- The older population--persons 65 years or older--numbered 39.6 million in 2009 (the latest year for which data is available). This is about 13% of the U.S. population - roughly one in every eight Americans.

- By 2030, the older population--persons 65 years or older--will number about 72.1 million older persons (more than twice their number in 2000). This will be about 19% of the U.S. population.

Lets assume an airplane has 200 passengers on board. If the demographics of the passengers matches the USA then by 2030 we can expect that nearly 40 "coach" passengers will be over the age of 65. And many will have some sort of physical limitations. And some will have some sort of bladder control issues (10% of people over 65 do). So clearly the airlines will have to adapt to the needs of what is going to be an important customer base - older passengers.    

I'm not alone in recognizing this marketing fact. Here is what Stephen Shaw had to say about this topic in his book Airline Marketing and Management: 

"Clearly, the product that airlines offer will have to evolve, with more provision being made for disabled passengers and those needing help at airports. In terms of subtler changes, the travel industry may have to adjust its promotional policies. In advertising to promote leisure travel, the industry still focusses on images of fun-loving younger people……."

Even airports need to adapt - from changing the physical layout of airports (you can't expect a 65+ year old to run to a gate a mile away on a short layover) to providing more accommodating procedures and seating at security screenings (e.g., more benches where people can sit down to remove and put on their shoes).

And it is not just the travel industry.

It is  very clear to me is how unprepared most businesses are - especially services businesses - for the growth of the aging population.

Every industry needs to adapt to the needs of older customers - from product design to customer service (patience). Not doing so will alienate this important (and large) customer group and result in significant lost revenue.

On the flip side, businesses that start NOW to accommodate this demographic group will reap the rewards and gain a competitive advantage. And those that delay will find themselves falling further and further behind.

Creating a Functional and Appealing Senior Space

Most senior spaces, if focused on function over form, start to resemble medical facilities characterized by neutral shades, sparse decoration, and almost no effort to disguise items that remind seniors of their health conditions. While it’s indisputable that seniors need certain pieces of furniture and layouts in their spaces, these elements don’t have to be devoid of style and attractiveness. The following tips for designing successful senior spaces are both practical and sensitive, helping you to make the most of a room or building to satisfy seniors’ needs and desires.

Getting the Functional Elements in Place

• Stairs are an obvious challenge to seniors, so keep everything they need on one level of the home. If you’re preparing to have a senior relative live in your home, you can convert an office or college son or daughter’s bedroom on the first floor into a bedroom for your senior.
• To enhance a senior’s sense of independence, lower countertops for those confined to wheelchairs so they can continue to participate in activities like cooking.
• If possible, create a “wet room” instead of a bathroom for your senior. This means eliminating all curbs and obstacles in the bathroom so that seniors with wheelchairs or other mobility aids can use the shower more easily. A drain in a gently sloping floor can help accomplish this. You might also consider placing slip prevention mats in the shower area.
• Make sure that you have traction strips on any stairs or walkways outside your house so that your senior won’t be confined to the house in bad weather.
• Low storage areas are a must. They should be well above knee level, but still within reach of someone in a wheelchair. Make sure that you have these storage areas in kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom areas.
• Install railings and grab bars. If you have stairs and your senior isn’t wheelchair-bound, some railings on both sides of your stairwell can help increase their mobility from one level to the next. Grab bars should be installed for wheelchair-bound seniors to enable them to pull themselves to a standing position. They should be located near the shower, toilet, and other areas that might warrant standing up.

Incorporating a Pleasing Aesthetic

• When painting areas designed for seniors, choose bright colors and stay away from neutrals. You might consider using colors that evoke memories, so try to picture an area that your senior enjoys and paint with those hues. Ceilings don’t have to be white and trim doesn’t have to blend in, so don’t be afraid to add some extra interest with contrast.
•  Choose colorful window treatments to help brighten up a room. You might look for fabrics that have bold patterns to keep a room’s appearance attractive.
• Try to evoke a vacation theme like a lakeside cottage or beach resort. Although this may be difficult to achieve with functional senior furniture, you can use creative lighting, bedspreads, pillows, sofa and chair coverings, and other decorative but unobtrusive items like posters and framed pictures to enhance your theme.
• Consider adding a large corkboard to your senior’s bedroom wall. Pictures of favorite memories, a calendar, and other mementoes can be placed on the board for your senior’s enjoyment.

 

Author: Alexis Bonari, a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at  First in Education, researching areas of online education. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Where to Live When We Get Old. Help!

The Wall Street Journal Sunday does a great job at covering a variety of "elder" care topics week to week. This week's topic was Woes of 'Continuing Care' Centers.

The article provides not so much a critique on CCRCs (continuing care residential community) but things to consider when researching them, determining if they are the right option for you (or your loved ones) and how to go about selecting one.

The same WSJ Sunday has another article (from their sister magazine SmartMoney) titled Picking a Nursing Home which gives some good advice on finding and evaluating nursing homes. 

We have many options on where to live as we age - right? (I'm not talking geography)

Well, sort of but not really. The big four include:

1. Stay in your house/condo/apartment and as your needs increase bring in hourly help for meal preparation, assistance with activities of daily living, companionship, etc.
2. CCRCs
3. Assisted Living
4. Nursing Homes

Other options include cohabitation (dad moves in with the kids) and the really interesting (and sometimes bizarre) trend of co-operative arrangements.

While I am a huge proponent of aging in place (at home) I am aware that this option may not be for everyone - by their choice or otherwise - e.g., it is not a realistic option when your caregiving needs become too much for one or even two people to manage (the final stages of Alzheimer's).

One problem I have with the senior care marketplace is how representatives from each housing option seem to market their products as if their option (i.e., assisted living) should be the ONLY option you consider. 

Selecting a "place" to age is complex. So many factors go into it - personalities, physical and mental health needs, family dynamics, money, etc.  And people usually transition from one option to another. They start out at home, move to assisted living and then maybe to a nursing home. Making these "where to live" choices requires a lot of thought, preparation and research and unfortunately a lot of families don't put enough effort into it - or are unable to.

This is why I see a growth in truly "independent" services that educate families and individuals on the various senior housing options and guide them through the evaluation and selection. A buyer broker if you will that has no ties to any particular option nor takes placement fees or commissions from chosen options.


The closest we have to this type of service today for the masses are employee benefits like work-life or EAPs but most individuals in the country do not have access to such services. Another option is geriatric care managers (probably the best option) but they are expensive (up to $100 an hour) and not everyone can afford them. Then you have the Administration on Aging which is wonderful but like many government agencies providing support to the public it is understaffed and quality of support is inconsistent.

Maybe a solution is a type of supplemental insurance product geared toward evaluating and selecting caregiving options as we age.

I don't know but I do know there is a huge business opportunity for anyone who can figure it out.

Now if we can just pay for it once we do make the decision - but that's another topic.

Senior Friendly Mobile Phone Roundup

This senior friendly mobile phone roundup comes from our guest author, Ellen Geotz, a writer for  AllAssistedLivingHomes.com  and GuideToNursingHomes.com. It's quite useful.

Over the last year the number of senior friendly mobile phones on the market has increased, and in the last few months a number of new models have debuted or been announced. While most mobile phones seem to target the younger, tech savvy demographic, there is a small faction of mobile phones that look to have a focus on marketing towards seniors citizens. Some of the mobile phones on the market are even hearing aid compatible, which make it easy for seniors to hear properly, but there is still a chance the senior will have an interference that may cause static buzzing sounds. There are a variety of options when shopping for a senior friendly mobile phone, and each one has a unique set of features that help make it easy to use. Below we have a roundup of some senior friendly mobile phones that have been recently released on the market.

Samsung Jitterbug J - Earlier this year Samsung showed off the Jitterbug J in Red mobile phone at CES 2010, and it was launched to help support the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women movement. If sales go well for the Jitterbug J in Red, then Samsung will donate up to $500,000 towards the AHA's Go Red For Women movement. There are a variety of features on the Jitterbug J line of mobile phones which make it one of the most senior friendly options on the market. These include Jitterbug's 24-hour LiveNurse service, health and wellness apps, and “Daily Health Tips” application. Additionally it has a large keypad and display, Bluetooth, and no contracts or prepaid hassles. For only $99, the Jitterbug J is a great deal for a senior friendly mobile phone. 


Amplicom PowerTel M6000 - Released in the U.K., the Amplicom PT M6000 has a large 2 inch color display, large buttons, and a fall sensor that triggers and emergency call. In addition, the mobile phone has amplified volume on the ringer and headset, plus it is fully hearing aid compatible. This senior friendly mobile phone is reasonably priced at £119.00, plus £3.99 for delivery.

Motorola i365 - This mobile phone is larger than most of the options on the market for seniors, as it is designed to be much more durable and rugged. This is not to say you can drop it frequently, but the sturdy design gives the appearance that this phone does not have to be handled in a delicate fashion. The display is a bit smaller than other senior friendly mobile phones, at only 1.62 inches, but the sharp colors help to make everything easy to read. All the buttons on this phone have a rubberized covering, which makes it easier to use, but the button size is not very large. The Motorola i365 is available in most areas in the U.S., and the price is only $99.99 for those who get a new 2 year contract.

Just5 - This mobile phone has a clear mission to be extremely easy to use by offering big buttons with a very nice layout. Additionally the volume is much louder to allow for a better user experience for seniors. In an emergency, seniors can preset up to five phone numbers for critical contacts like 911, family, friends, and doctors. When a senior presses the Just5 emergency SOS button, it sends a text with an urgent message to these five numbers, then it dials them in prioritized order. While some marketers focus on bringing the most high tech mobile phone to consumers, others have a more basic approach, and want to simplify things to differentiate themselves in the market. The Just5 will run $119.99, which is a not too expensive for a sleek and simple senior friendly mobile phone.

Samsung Haven - The senior friendly Haven mobile flip phone from Samsung is aggressively attacking the market, with Verizon Wireless offering it for only $39.99 with a two-year agreement. It has a 2.2-inch display, large adjustable fonts, and good sized buttons to make it easy for seniors to use. Some of the other senior friendly features are medical management tools, dedicated 911 keys, and ICE (In Case of Emergency) buttons.

Clearly, the mobile phone industry is starting to answer the need for senior friendly mobile phones.  In a world where people expect quick and easy communication from any location with the push of a button, mobile phones continue to impress and saturate the market.  As the generations of mobile phone users start to enter senior living homes, we should expect to see even more advancements in cell phones for the elderly.

About the Guest Author:

Ellen Geotz is a writer for  AllAssistedLivingHomes.com  and GuideToNursingHomes.com.  She grew up on the east coast and spent 10 years working in assisted living homes during her 20's and 30's before taking a break to raise her 3 children. Now that her children are in college, Ellen uses her knowledge of senior care to help her write about all of the latest industry news. Ellen is a fabulous seamstress, and when not writing about the senior care industry, you can find her sewing away on her latest fashion creation.

Bankers Use Elder Care Programs to Service Boomer Clientele

The first line in this Wall Street Journal article titled Beyond Estate Planning: Bankers Tackle Elder Care    says it all:

"If you are looking for help caring for an older family member, you might try giving your banker a call."

Many private banks and trust companies are introducing services to help older clients (or parents of younger clients) sort out medical bills, hire in-home care or even manage the sale of a home. Sometimes the bank charges an additional fee for such services; in other cases, they are included in the asset-management or trust fees families already pay.

Banks, and the financial services sector in general, were pioneers in bringing work-life or family friendly benefits to employees in the 1980s. The reason? Demographics and Money. What else? Banks tend to employ large numbers of female employees and as record numbers of women re-entered the workforce in the 1980's banks were quick to realize the important role that child care benefits played in recruitment and retention.  

So it is not surprising that banks are the early adopters for elder care benefits. What is surprising is they are now using them not just to retain employees but customers - e.g., wealthy baby boomers! 

Smart move. Really smart move.

Some examples:

• Wells Fargo's private-bank Elder Services program provides help to older clients and their caregivers.
• Merrill Lynch's family-office group offers "Stand Ready", which helps clients organize all the details of their lives in case they suddenly become incapacitated.
• Bessemer Trust offers "health advisory" services.
• Northern Trust has beefed up its training in the family dynamics involved in long-distance caregiving.
• Broadspire Care Management, which contracts with bank trust departments and wealth-management firms to provide geriatric-care management, says it has seen referrals rise 10% to 12% a year for the past three years.

"This is not just a matter of revenue. This is a matter of developing an intimate, trusted relationship with the client," says Joseph Coughlin, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab.

Check out the article for more details.

New Media Relations Functionality Added to HRmarketer.com and SeniorCareMarketer.com Software

 We have a number of really cool new features being added to our HRmarketer.com software and SeniorCareMarketer.com software this summer, starting off with the just launched Media and Relations module that enables marketing and PR professionals to centrally manage, track and report on their media and analyst outreach campaigns.

Currently, you can distribute press releases, send pitches and monitor editorial calendar inquiries directly from the software's media database, which profiles journalists, analysts and bloggers in the HR and senior care/boomer markets. Each profile includes the journalist’s preferred contact method, specific coverage areas, social networking accounts and an up-to-the-minute listing of their “Tweets.” Detailed editorial calendars are also shown for their related media outlets.

This new media and analyst relations feature allows users to centrally track their outreach activities, including press releases sent to the respective contact, pitches and inquiries. You can also track follow-up activities with scheduled reminders that can be seamlessly added to your s personal Outlook, iCal or other third-party calendar software.

I recorded this little demo from my home office the other night - pardon the informality - which provides a nice overview. This video is recorded from the HRmarketer.com platform.

Enjoy - if you are at SHRM next week stop by our booth #318 for more info or just to say hi.

Telecare: Packaged Technologies to Help Peope Age in Place. Very Cool.

An article from the Asian Leader titled "Home care service using technology launched"   discusses how technology can be used to help people age in place. Nothing really new (in terms of technologies) are discussed but how they package the technologies is what's interesting.

The packaged services are called "Telecare". In fact, there is an association dedicated to the concept in the UK - its called the Telecare Services Association. In their words:

"…..elecare is as much about the philosophy of dignity and independence as it is about equipment and services. Equipment is provided to support the individual in their home and tailored to meet their needs. It can be as simple as the basic community alarm service, able to respond in an emergency and provide regular contact by telephone. It can include detectors or monitors such as motion or falls and fire and gas that trigger a warning to a response centre staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year…."

The West Sussex county council  is an example of how one community is implementing Telecare equipment, enabling their  residents to continue living safely and independently in their own homes and communities. The equipment can raise an alert to a call center, monitor a person's wellbeing and environment and trigger a warning if this changes, and can provide immediate feedback to help with memory problems. It is hoped the equipment will prevent hospital admissions and support residents discharged from hospital to return home safely.

Telecare equipment enables vulnerable people to use technology, such as community alarm and pendants, fall detectors, movement sensors, medication dispensers and bed and chair sensors. But it can also help people communicate and stay mentally healthy. Examples of Telecare products may include:

• Bed and chair occupancy sensors
• Emergency caller buttons
• Enuresis sensors
• Epilepsy sensors
• Fall detectors
• Flood detectors
• Gas detectors
• Lifeline boxes and alarm triggers
• Passive infa red (PIR) detectors
• Property exit sensors
• Smoke detectors
• Temperature sensors
• Memory aids
• etc…………

Again, nothing new but the value is how they are all packaged together and delivered into the community. A benefit to ALL.

Anyone want to start a USA version of The UK's National Telecare and Telehealth Association? 

Opening Day - Aging in America 2010 & Boomer Summit

SeniorCareMarketer.com is at the annual Aging in America conference and Boomer Summit this week. We are exhibiting, sponsoring and speaking. I will try and give a daily update as time permits.  

As I have said before, any company that markets products or services relating to the aging population must be at these events.  They are two of the best.

This morning I participated in a panel discussion/workshop titled Entrepreneurship & New Career Opportunities within the Boomer Market. Other panel members included:

Mark Miller, President, 50+Digital, LLC
A.D. Frazier, COO/Co-founder, BOTH
Beth Sanders, Founder & CEO, LifeBio.com
Jeff Williams, President, Bizstarters.com LLC

This was a great session that provided a lot of practical information for anyone doing business in or thinking about doing business in the "senior care" marketplace.

Mark Miller did a fantastic job moderating this event and summarizing  the opportunities in this growing market.  Mark also reminder everyone that the 55+ demographic posts the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity.

Jeff Williams, an expert on starting a business after 50, says "In the corporate world, one person can fire you. But to be truly "unemployed" as a self-employed person all of your customers would have to "fire you", and I don't think most of us are so stupid as to let this happen." Jeff discussed how boomers who have been downsized will have to accept the new reality that they may never again be employed with another Fortune 500 company - and that this is not necessarily a bad thing. 

A.D. Frazier, the CEO of a very interesting start-up called BOTH (Back of the House) spoke about how his company can help any solo practitioner (the majority of businesses) get started (incorporating, business plans, web hosting, billing, etc.) by outsourcing all non revenue producing activities. I wish I new of BOTH when I started my business ten years ago!

Finally, Beth Sanders took us through the early days of her start-up, LifeBio. LifeBio simplifies the publishing process so that anyone can create their own book of life's adventures. Customers create an autobiography or the biography of a loved one by using LifeBio's carefully-crafted questions or by using our Memory Journal or other reminiscence products. Beth discussed how she created a scalable business by utilizing innovative distribution "partnerships" - something any business, regardless of size, can benefit from.   

 

Some Thoughts on Boomers, their "Retirement" and the Companies That Market to Them.

I came across two interesting articles I wanted to share - and why the information is important to companies selling products and services relating to the aging population.

"The Census Bureau forecasts that the 65-and-over population will rise from 38.7 million in 2008 to 88.5 million by 2050 and that the 85-and-over slice will swell from 5.4 million to 19 million. The actual size of this "age wave," though, could reach tsunami proportions, if a December study from the healthcare policy journal Milbank Quarterly turns out to be prescient. It predicts an average American life span of 86 years for a man and 93 years for a woman by 2050—more than a decade longer than now—and a grand total of up to 108 million seniors."- Excerpt from January 25, 2010 U.S. News and World Report article.

The first, Why Baby Boomers Should Rethink Retirement, from U.S. News and World Report discusses how seniors today are living more independently, dying less from lengthy and debilitating bouts of cancer, and are happier than they were in the past (according to a 2008 University of Chicago study). The article goes into pretty good detail about the impacts of an aging - and active - population on the individual and society as well as the challenges it brings to public policy.

The second article, Economy Forces Changes in Thinking about Retirement, discusses the economy's impact on senior housing including smaller homes, increased emphasis on bike paths and walking trails (and decreased emphasis on greens and fairways), a shift away from traditional "warm weather" retirement destinations, and the types of design features the 55+ population wants in their homes.

Some lessons from these articles:

When it comes to marketing to an older demographic group, strategies that may have worked in the past will not work with aging boomers.  This is new territory for a lot of companies because historically people over the age of 50 have not been highly targeted by marketers because their spending power was minimal.  But as a group aging boomers will have double the spending power of today's 60-70 years olds, will not consider themselves "old", are affluent, and will live independent and active lifestyles well into their 70s and 80s and beyond if they are healthy.

All of these changes will have a dramatic impact on how company's market their products and services - all companies, as well as how employers recruit and retain older workers.

Staying Relevent With An Aging Population. An Elderhostel Case Study.

The blog 50-Plus Marketing (from consulting firm 20plus30) had a great post this week titled Elderhostel makes a fascinating marketing case study.

It is about how Elderhostel, a travel and educational organization for older adults, is trying to reverse a decreasing enrollment trend that has led to the organization losing millions of dollars this past year.

One problem is the age of their average customer has risen to 73 from 68 over the last ten years. In other words, through attrition alone they are on a downward spiral as they are losing relevance to the market they desperately need to sell product to - older Americans. And ironically, this is the fastest growing, largest and wealthiest demographic in the US. 

Not good.

So what are they doing?

A lot but the three biggest changes are:

1. A name change. They are now Exploritas.
2. Their top line messaging is now "Educational Travel in the U.S.A." with a tagline of "Adventures in Lifelong Learning".
3. They removed their age restrictions. No longer do you have to be at least 60, now anyone 21 or older will be able to participate.

I hope it works but removing the age restriction is a huge gamble.

I am in my forties but I am quite familiar with Elderhostel because my mom was a loyal customer up until her death last year. She loved Elderhostel! It was basically an educational vacation where you went to nice destinations and learned something by taking courses. She had a blast and enjoyed meeting new people.

But I'm not sure she would have enjoyed hanging out with 20 somethings - or even forty somethings. And vice versa. So this is a risky marketing strategy. In fact, I was surprised to see on Exploritas web site that in the section "Browse by' my choices were:

• Location
• Interest
• Date
• Activity Level
• Catalog
• Map

But not "age".

Interesting.

Anyway, I do hope their marketing strategy works because they have a great product.

Just about every business in the US needs to pay attention to this "case study" because:

1. If you don't currently include older American's in your target market you need to. The aging population is the largest, wealthiest and fastest market segment in the US. You can't grow your business by ignoring this demographic.
2. If your target market is limited to "older American's (like  Elderhostel's was) you need to realize that today's older consumers make buying decisions far different than yesterdays older consumers. Continuing to market today like you did yesterday will lead you down the same path as what Elderhostel has experienced. I'm not saying you need to do a 180 degree turn like Elderhostel did and include all age groups in your target market but you do need to repackage your products, branding and marketing to remain relevant to the Boomer market.

And that is the marketing case study all businesses will face the next several decades.

Interesting stuff - and a challenge all marketer's should love and embrace.