Marketing to seniors? That market is changing
It's not just the health care and senior housing markets that will be noticing the change - if they haven't already. Just about any business selling products or, especially, services to seniors will find a market of customers far more keen on staying at home than moving to senior housing.
What that means for your particular market is worth some thought - maybe a planning session that includes your management team.
Pat Keplinger has been helping seniors downsize as they prepare to move to typically smaller, senior-focused quarters - often a part of continuing care communities where seniors begin with independent living and are guaranteed places as (and if) their health deteriorates.
Founder and president of Carol Stream-based Downsizing by Design LLC, Keplinger estimates she and her staff have worked with 500 clients over the past six years.
What she's noticing is that seniors increasingly prefer not to move. Aging in place is the terminology; as many as eight or nine out of 10 seniors "want to stay in their home," Keplinger says. "They don't want to move."
The issue, adds Mary Kay Buysse, executive director of the National Association of Senior Move Managers, Hinsdale, is making the home seniors may have lived in for decades safe for individuals with age-diminished capabilities.
"Home is no longer the safe place to be," Buysse says. NASSM, consequently, is developing an aging-in-place certification program for its 1,000 members.
Not every business owner will see opportunity as the population ages, but think about the possibilities as Keplinger shares her assessment process when a senior wants to stay put. Among the issues Downsizing by Design reviews:
• Can the senior reach household items used every day - without relying on a step stool to reach higher shelves? It's easy for an older person, who perhaps has balance issues, to fall off a step stool, Keplinger says.
• Similarly, what's in the under-counter vanity? It's often difficult for a senior to reach down and get items in an under-sink vanity.
• Throw rugs - easy trip items - should be discarded.
• If a walker is being used, doorways may need adjustment. Furniture placement may need changing. Coffee tables should be removed; they clog space and are easy to trip over.
• How does the senior get out of bed in the morning?
• The bathroom may need redoing. Are there grab bars in the shower area? Is entry into the shower, or tub, safe?
• Easy-to-use lever doorknobs are a plus for older hands. Cameras that let family members see how the senior is navigating are beneficial. Stair lifts may be necessary. Medication devices that are more than a daily packaging of pills often are important.
Your role as a business owner? Three starter suggestions: If yours is a restaurant business, consider Tuesday home delivery of a special senior dinner, with a special rate. Handyman? Seniors often need simple repairs done. Book store? Offer a selection of large-print books for seniors.
• © 2018 Kendall Communications Inc. Follow Jim Kendall on LinkedIn and Twitter. Write him at Jim@kendallcom.com. Read Jim's Business Owners' Blog at www.kendallcom.com.