Leslie Newlife

A Few More Useful Tips on Caring for Seniors During the Summer

Taking care of an elderly individual? Summer can present its own unique issues when it comes to senior living and care. Below are some tips you can use to keep your loved one safe.

  • Beware of Insects

Many insects abound during the summer. Some may potentially be able to cause harm to your loved one. Rodents can carry diseases as well. Try to make sure your home is free of them. Get an exterminator to get rid of insects and rodents, and use bug repellents when outside, to keep away mosquitos and other insects. It is a good idea to ask your loved one’s doctor which repellents are okay to use.

  • Be Careful of Allergies

Does your loved one have any allergies that you should be aware of? Do they need to take any medications to help them deal with them? Be sure to find out, and always watch out for local allergy warnings.

  • Keep Their Medications Safe

Medications often require that you store them at a certain temperature. If the temperature where they are stored is too hot, then they may not be as effective. Find out the required storage temperature for each of your loved one’s medications.

  • Make Sure Their Food is Fresh

Food spoils faster in the summer. Make sure that their food and drinks are always fresh. Always keep food and drinks in the fridge when not being used. Ask your loved one’s doctor about the temperature of the foods and drinks you feed them. Hot meals are important, but if it’s extremely hot outside, then it may be better to give them cool foods and drinks instead.

  • Watch Out for Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia and heat strokes can be dangerous, especially during the summer heat. Watch out for symptoms, such as increased body temperature, heavy breathing, nausea and vomiting, and headaches. In some cases, individuals may experience an inability to sweat adequately, while others might struggle with dealing with excessive sweating, especially in their hands, which can be uncomfortable and slippery. This can affect handling objects and even compromise mobility. Get your loved one out of the heat and call for medical help if you see something out of the ordinary.

By using these tips, you’ll make the summer a safer and more enjoyable time for your loved one!

 

How Inbound Marketing Can Work for Senior Living and Care Communities

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Even though the demand for senior living and care communities is growing, the online marketing reach of these companies is often very limited. In today’s environment, inbound marketing can provide a more reliable and cost-efficient method for attracting leads.

What Exactly is Inbound Marketing?

Traditional marketing consists of tactics in which you are reaching out, or trying to grab a person’s attention at the right time. These are often strategies that require casting a wide net, using print advertising, direct mail marketing and broadcast media. Inbound marketing attracts those people most interested in senior living and care to you by providing the content and information those individuals need and want.

Inbound marketing will make use of your blog, social media channels and email newsletters, and produce content for your target at every stage of the buyer life-cycle. This means capturing a person’s attention at the earliest point in the decision-making process, holding their attention, becoming a trusted resource and guiding them to become customers. However, it does not end there. Inbound marketing will also turn your customers, fans and followers into promoters as they share the useful and helpful information you create.

Below are some steps to help you get started:

  • Create Customer Personas

You likely have a good bit of information on demographics. Customer personas take that information to the next step of identifying specific wants, needs, values and essentially the things important to your ideal customer. What things does the majority of the people living in your community have in common? Are the more interesting in on-site activities or group travel? Essentially, you are identifying what is important to your ideal customer for the basis of your content creation.

  • Develop a Content Calendar

This will include social media posts, blogs, newsletters and other digital marketing methods. Take time to consider the questions your personas are asking and the kinds of things they love and talk about. As an example, you may want to write content talk about social opportunities for senior singles, highlight a popular 60s cover band, or list the best local restaurants. You can then blend in other content with a more traditional marketing message.

  • Design a Distribution Plan

No matter how well-crafted the content is, it has no value if people are not reading your posts or watching your videos. Make sure you are sharing your content across multiple channels. Post a link to your blog on your social feeds. Embed your video in a blog post with a corresponding article. Additionally, don’t be afraid to re-share content a week, a month or even a year or more after initially published. While it varies based on the platform, the half-life of online content is very short. Anything you can do to extend it will add value.

  • Convert Your Audience

Throughout the process, your audience will likely need several conversion events. Visitors will convert into prospects, prospects into leads and leads into customers. You will need a well- designed website that helps guide prospects to strong calls-to-action and optimized landing pages. Provide incentives encouraging visitors to subscribe to your e-newsletter, follow on social media or schedule a visit. This gives you the ability to market directly and with a more personalized message.

 

Why Your Senior Living Community Website Needs More Landing Pages

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How many landing pages does your senior living community website have? Is it 10, 5, 1 or even none? Most online marketers understand the need for landing pages, but some just don’t have enough of them to generate significant lead generation. This is one area that most senior living and care agencies are falling short of when it comes to their online marketing efforts.

  • What Exactly is a Landing Page?

Here is where some people become confused. A landing page is a specific type of web page designed to capture a visitor’s contact information, in exchange for some offer. It could be something as simple as acquiring an email address in exchange for a free subscription to your monthly senior living newsletter. Or, it can be something more significant, like a $50 gift card to a local restaurant in exchange for scheduling a walk-through of your senior living community. In any event, it gives you the ability to continue marketing to your website visitor.

  • Don’t Create Missed Opportunities

There are far too many senior living and care agencies that are sending traffic from their search, social media and email marketing to their homepage. This creates many missed opportunities. When you are sending highly targeting traffic to your senior living website, you need a highly targeted and optimized landing page to generate a conversion event. For example, if you are running a Google AdWords PPC campaign advertising an exceptional senior lifestyle, what is the website visitor supposed to do when they reach your homepage?

  • Know What You Want a Website Visitor to Do

Knowing what you want a website visitor to do will make it easier for you to guide them to that outcome. A landing page will prompt them to complete the action that you want. Once you have their contact information and permission, you then have the power to market to them more directly with personalized messaging.

  • How Many Landing Pages Do You Need?

The answer is more is always better. According to a study shared by HubSpot, websites that increase the total number of landing pages to 10 or less receive no improvement with lead generation. However, those who increase the total number from 10 to 15 increase conversion rates by 55 percent. This increase in conversion rates spikes further when a website has 40 or more landing pages. Why? It’s because more landing pages mean more conversion opportunities, greater variety in the marketing messaging and enhanced targeting.

Facebook Pro Tips: Building a Social Media Community for Advertising, Marketing and Sales

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Whether you are a new business or senior living community trying to establish your Facebook community or a large business looking to expand, taking a step back and re­-evaluating your community management strategy can help regain your focus and social media, advertising, marketing and sales success. Below are some foundational tips to always keep in mind.

  • Building a Fan Base

You probably put thought into every status update, every image and every video, but how do you make sure your content gets seen? First, be sure to fully integrate your website content with your Facebook account. You should have contact links on all pages and hyperlinks and share buttons on each individual piece of content. Next, find industry­ relevant groups on Facebook and introduce yourself. There are audiences out there already looking for your content, you just need to let them know where to find you.

  • When to Post

Test Facebook post times during high activity hours at the beginning and middle of the work­day and late in the evening for night owls. Finding your post time sweet spot takes audience awareness, patience, testing and tweaking. Try to consider your audience’s lifestyle when imagining when they might have time to engage on Facebook, then give them something to engage with!

  • What to Post

When crafting your Facebook content, keep the 80/20 Rule in mind.This means that 80 percent of your content should be helpful, engaging content relevant to your audience’s wants and needs and only 20 percent of your content should be brand or product promotion. This content balance helps maintain your reputation as a valuable resource without coming off as a commercial. Use relevant, trending hashtags in your posts to gain additional, organic reach. Try to avoid posting too many “like­ baiting” memes; these may underperform due to newsfeed algorithm filters. Focus instead on posting content that is interesting to your community.

  • How Often to Post

To maintain a valuable information flow for your Facebook community, strive to post at least three to five updates per week. Once you have established your peak hour post times, maximize on all of those engagement opportunities. It is a good idea to also space out a variety of post types for maximum visibility.

To check out New LifeStyles’ Facebook page, click here!

Senior Caregiving: Tips to Maintaining Patience

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As the baby boomer generation ages into their 60’s, 70’s and beyond, some caregivers in the United States are finding their responsibilities heavier than ever.

The aging of the baby boom generation could fuel a 75 percent increase in the number of Americans ages 65 and older requiring nursing home care, to about 2.3 million in 2030 from 1.3 million in 2010, according to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) projects in a recent report.

If you find yourself entrusted with the care of an aging baby boomer, we know you will do your best to bear your responsibilities well; however, even the best of us struggle with patience on trying days. On days when everything just seems overwhelming, try to keep the following tips in mind.

  • Communicate Well

So much of our interactions hinge on the ability to communicate well. This is especially true when working with older generations. When dealing with your loved one, it is preferable to ask him/her questions and what their preferences are instead of order him/her around. Also, use “I” instead of “you” language and offer choices to your loved one instead of simply issuing commands.

  • Refrain from Arguments

When dealing with challenging situations, like episodes of Alzheimer’s or Dementia in your loved one, caregivers should refrain from arguments whenever possible. Instead, you should respond compassionately to the fears and concerns being expressed and do what is in your power to address these needs.

  • Take Time Away for Yourself

Failure to rest and recharge will often lead caregivers to extend themselves beyond their abilities to bear under the load. Be sure to take regular time away from your responsibilities, in order to allow yourself room to recover your physical and emotional equilibrium. Also, you may consider getting help through Respite Care at a senior living community or with Home Care/Adult Day Care. As a caregiver, with the financial resources, Respite Care is a highly recommended way to get a mental and physical break from the rigors of taking care of a loved one.

Whether you manage a team of caregivers or work as a caregiver yourself, consider how best to put these tips into practice. In so doing, you could greatly enhance the level of care available to those within your sphere of influence.

5 Signs That a Switch from Home Care to Nursing Home Care May be Necessary for Your Loved One

Families may care for their loved one at home for as long as possible, or the senior may remain at home independently with caregivers coming into the home or at an assisted living community. Sometimes, due to aging and illness, it may become necessary to consider nursing home care because home care is no longer appropriate. Below are some signs that the current level of senior living and care no longer meets the needs of your loved one.

  • Worsening Health/Chronic Illness

If your loved one is suffering from health issues that continue to worsen, it may become increasingly difficult for their caregiver(s) to keep up with their care. Severe medical issues may require a higher level of care that can’t be given at home.

  • Excessive Difficulties with Daily Living Skills

Your loved one may begin having sufficient difficulties with daily skills, such as bathing, toileting and dressing him/herself. Early on, it may be possible for them to continue to live independently with a caregiver to assist them with these things, but aging, illness and mobility issues may make it more difficult for these tasks to be completed.

  • Caregiver’s Health is Declining

If your loved one is living with a family member/caregiver, the person providing the care may experience significant strain to his/her health, due to the constant demands of caring for an aging/ill adult. The caregiver may develop significant health issues of his/her own that may prevent him/her from being able to care for others. If there is no one else who is able to care for your loved one, then it may be necessary to consider nursing home care.

  • The Caregiver Can No Longer Manage the Demands of the Senior’s Illness and Declining Health

The strain of caring for a loved one may become increasingly difficult as his/her health declines. This may make it difficult for the caregiver to juggle their other responsibilities, such as family and work, while dealing with their loved one’s declining health.

  • Financial Strain
If your loved one continues to live at home or in an assisted living community, there may be an excessive amount of cost for in-home caregivers, home modifications, medical expenses and anything else that may be needed. If your loved one lives with family, they may have a lot of costs that they are not prepared to handle. Sometimes, seniors and their families can’t afford home care and find that nursing home care is more cost-effective.

Preparing Physically and Emotionally for Retirement

You have most likely considered the financial aspects of retirement living. Calculating anticipated income needs and how to meet them is important and you can make plans and take steps toward financial security during retirement. However, preparing for retirement involves more than just looking at the financial side, you must be prepared in all aspects. Below are some ways you can prepare for retirement physically and emotionally.

  • Preparing Physically 

For many who have spent years sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day, a more active retirement lifestyle may be physically challenging. You may find yourself doing more relaxed activities, such as knitting, drawing or reading. Or you may dive into retirement with excitement for new-found freedom and a bucket list of things to do. Activities like home improvement or local trips that used to be confined to the weekend can now be done multiple days a week.

If you are anticipating a more active lifestyle in retirement, then taking steps beforehand, such as going for walks, doing regular exercises or improving your diet, can help you prepare physically to be more active during retirement.

  • Preparing Emotionally

Preparing emotionally is another area that is often overlooked during the pre-retirement phase. Retirement can bring major changes in relationships and in how a person perceives themselves. One relationship that often encounters some strain in the early days of retirement is with a spouse. If you and your spouse spend most of the week away from each other, then suddenly spending all day together can be a source of tension. One way to prepare for this is for you and your spouse to spend some time before retirement discussing what you anticipate retirement being like and how you envision spending your time. A frank discussion may reveal different needs and expectations for doing things together versus doing things independently and can help you start retirement with expectations that are in sync with your spouse.

Preparing for retirement can include thinking about and identifying a new purpose in life. Whether it is volunteering, trying new hobbies, spending more time with family or part-time work, finding a purpose in retirement can help you be excited about getting out of bed in the morning.

As you prepare for retirement, try to make a financial plan and don’t forget to prepare yourself in other areas. Being physically ready for a more active lifestyle and being ready for changes in relationships and identity can help you start retirement on the right foot.




Marketing Your Community and Products to Seniors

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Although more and more seniors are using the Internet for their news and even getting on Facebook as a way to stay in touch with their families, some of them still like to have a paper in their hands. Marketing your community and products to seniors online is great, but having physical copies of your information is a good idea too.

Marketing through a doctor’s office is an effective way of reaching a senior. Many seniors have regular appointments with their doctors and many times are looking for something to read when they are waiting for their doctor to see them. They could read something like a magazine that’s available for them in doctor’s offices and hospitals.

When designing your ad piece, ask yourself the day­-old question about how your product benefits seniors. Think long and hard about your call to action and keep the purpose of your product or service fresh on the minds of your consumers.

A direct mailer is also a proven age old strategy and going back to the basics of letters and snail mail is an excellent channel of marketing. This either in print ad form or an effective sales letter. A television ad is another method that would reach a senior. Daytime spots are cheaper than primetime spots and for the leisurely senior, this is perfectly fine.

Another good channel to market through is family of seniors or their caregivers. A lot of people in the industry want to see their clients succeed and live a fulfilling life. How does your product benefit that agenda?

These are many effective ways to reach the senior market. Try to keep emphasis on the benefits they receive from your product or service and remember to respect those living in their golden years.

For information on being included in the New LifeStyles guide, click here.

Senior Caregiving: Parenting Your Parent

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We never expect to become parents to our own parents, but as they age, their need to hold onto their independence conflicts with our responsibility to make sure they are safe and receiving the best care.

It’s hard to know exactly when it’s time to transition from being a concerned child to becoming the parent. You see signs that cause you concern, but you’re not sure if it’s just normal aging or something more serious.

Sometimes, our parents’ health slowly deteriorates, which makes it hard to know what steps to take and when. Other times, a sudden health crisis will push us across that line and we find ourselves instant parents to our parents. However you end up in the situation, below are a few suggestions that can help ease your journey.

  • Be Prepared and Take Advantage of Available Resources

Be as prepared as you can be. You never know what lies ahead, but there are resources available to help caregivers, such as New LifeStyles. Also, try researching all of the available government and state assistant programs. Even if your parents are not yet in a situation that concerns you, it’s better to prepare yourself.

  • Be Patient

Your parents’ dignity should always be considered. They probably won’t like being taken care of because losing their independence is the hardest thing for them to accept. There will be times they resent you, but always be patient with them. Consistently and respectfully explain to them why you’re doing what you’re doing.

  • Ask for Help

You know your limits. If you find yourself stressed out, ask a family member or friend to help you. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask for help sometimes even an hour to yourself can help.

  • Take Time for Yourself

Take time to relax or go out and don’t feel guilty about it. Caring for a parent can be physically draining. We all deserve and need downtime. Schedule time for yourself to do something relaxing ­ even if it’s doing nothing. Sometimes, we just need to do nothing in order to recharge.

  • Talk to Someone

Caring for a parent is sometimes harder than raising children. We are used to depending on our parents. The role­reversal is an emotional roller coaster. Talking it out with a friend or even a professional can help get you through any emotional pain.

Lastly, know when it’s time to consider other options, such as a Nursing Home, Home Care or an Assisted Living Community. If you find yourself unable to provide the care that your parent needs, it might be time to consider a Senior Living Community where they will receive the care they need in a setting that is right for their individual situation.

Senior Caregiving: Helping Your Loved One Declutter

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As we get older, we can have the tendency to collect things, some necessary and some that we can completely do without. So it is not uncommon for seniors to end up with a lot of clutter. Perhaps you have been wondering what you can do to help your mom, dad or loved one declutter their living space. Below are just a few ideas to consider:

  • Be Patient and Understanding

Although you might see a big mess, your loved one sees treasured memories and keepsakes. Try not to take over the home, rather, include your loved one in the entire process.

  • Don’t Rush the Cleaning Process

It took a long time to accumulate all of the items in your loved one’s home and it will take some time to go through everything. Plan on taking a day, or even weeks, to get the entire cleaning/decluttering job done.

  • Ask Family and Friends to Join You

More hands will make the work lighter and go by faster. It will also give your loved one an opportunity to spend time with relatives. If there are any heirlooms or keepsakes to be given, they can take care of it at that time.

  • Consider Hiring Outside Help

Think about getting someone to keep things organized, in addition to helping declutter. Also, if you hire someone who is accustomed to working with seniors, they will be more sensitive to your loved one’s feelings during the whole process.

Although the task at hand may be difficult, it can be done. Rather than focusing on how long it will take, patiently work toward the desired outcome – a clutter-free environment that is safer and more peaceful for your loved ones.