Thursday, April 26, 2007

Connectivity For the Residents in Your Building

Seniors continue to be the fastest growing group of people crossing the digital divide, using the Internet to reach out to their friends and family, explore new interests, take courses, plan travel, and using cyber space to keep mentally and socially active.

Seniors want to be connected; they expect to be able to connect. To attract them to your property, you have to provide connectivity.

Many senior living sites try to meet this connectivity expectation by setting up a couple of computer work stations in a "computer room" or corner of a common room. Residents come to the computer room, log on, and connect; reminding us of the very early days of the telephone, when hotels would have dedicated "telephone rooms" for their guests. But can you imagine asking your residents to come to a "telephone room" whenever they wanted to make a telephone call? The same is true when it comes to using the Internet.

Owners who have dedicated computer rooms in their buildings report that computer rooms do not expand computer/Internet usage beyond the current "active" group of users and do not promote increased social interaction, in fact, residents seek privacy for their Internet "conversations" and are actually less likely to use the room when other users are present.

Like the telephone, an Internet connection belongs in every room. And for the same reasons, privacy, security, comfort, and convenience.For the cost of outfitting a typical computer room, you can give 160 residents the skills and equipment needed to access the Internet from the safety and privacy of their own unit.

Plus, once your building is wired and connected, you, as the owner/operator, can use the system to:

  • Communicate events, reminders, menus, health-related and other appointments, etc. to your residents
  • Cut distribution costs on marketing material
  • Communicate with family member decision-makers and physicians
  • Document staff/resident interactions
  • Generating additional revenue
  • Create activities for the residents to develope content
Enhance your building’s attractiveness and competitiveness by giving all your residents the advantages of Internet connectivity. It’s easy. It’s affordable. It contributes to your uniqueness within your marketplace.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Cigna Offers Seniors Free Online Health Services


What a fantastic opportunity this is for Cigna Healthcare's senior members. Here's one more reason why your residents need to be connected to the Internet, and trained to use it, so they can become more collaborative with stakeholders in their lives.

Just think what a wonderful benefit this is for seniors who have limited mobility or live far away from their Provider's office. This service truly improves the quality of life for seniors as they age and gives them access to resources they need without having to leave the comfort of their home.

TSH gives Cigna a BIG High Five for launching this FREE service. Cigna really knows how to take care of its aging customers. Hopefully other Providers will follow suit . . . .

BB
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April 11, 2007

Cigna HealthCare for Seniors on Tuesday announced that it will cover electronic visits and other online health services at no cost to patients, the Business Journal of Phoenix reports. Cigna will use McKesson's connectivity system, RelayHealth.

Cigna Medical Group, Cigna's physician network, in mid-2006 began offering online services at its 17 health care centers in Arizona. Patients can use the RelayHealth service to schedule or cancel appointments, refill prescriptions, request lab results or a referral, e-mail their physician and manage their personal health records online.

Senior plan members will be able to access the online health services at no cost, but other Cigna members will be charged a fee, the Business Journal of Phoenix reports.

Bob Carroll, vice president and chief operating officer for Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, said e-visits will improve access for patients who might have limited mobility or transportation options (Business Journal of Phoenix, 4/10).

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The Future of Assisted Living

Editorial
New Study Sheds Light on Future of Assisted Living
by Berry Brunk

“The [seniors] housing industry needs to change its sales and marketing message to place more emphasis on these communities as places that enable residents to get more from life, rather than places to receive care. It is not being suggested that grandiose promises of entertainment and excitement be made, but rather the elements that provide a sense of community, friendship, belonging, enjoyment, fun, education and continuing life need to be stressed more.”

That’s one of the conclusions from a new study of the opinions, attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of seniors recently published by the National Investment Center (NIC). This survey updates two earlier waves (in 1997 and in 1998) and so has a historical perspective often sorely lacking in such studies. Based on telephone interviews with 4,511 households headed by someone 60 years of age or older, the survey looks at everything from seniors Internet usage (28%) to what proportion of seniors expect to move into which type of senior housing.

The survey’s data shows that there has been a significant increase in the percentage of seniors who are aware of the different types of housing options open to them. At the same time, there has been a decrease in the perceived desirability of moving into a senior-focused housing community. With one exception: active adult communities.

The data indicates that seniors clearly prefer to age in place—and the average time in their current residence keeps going up. In fact, one of the report’s conclusions is that: “the proportion of households moving to seniors housing communities (particularly the market-rate, non-rent-subsidized seniors housing communities that predominated in serving the 60+ households who participated in this study) appears to be growing more slowly—and in almost all likelihood no faster—than the growth of households in the target age group.”

That’s not totally bad considering that Census Bureau projections show the 85+ population (the most likely consumer of assisted living) growing 21% over the next five years. Yet that’s still less than 4% annual compound growth on a comparatively small base of 1.4 million Americans 85+.

Looking at data from all three survey waves shows that, compared to years past, significantly more 60+ seniors are thinking about “some time” moving to a retirement community but the decision to move is being postponed in favor of aging in place.

The Editorial published in the previous issue of Technology for Senior Housing talked about ways aging consumers will use technology to support aging in place—smart houses, “carebots,” expanded home care services and telemedicine opportunities etc. Clearly, as the NIC study documents, moving to service-intense congregate living communities are not at the top of the preference. What is at the top of the list is “independent living communities.”

First challenge: Stop trying to bring consumers to the care and focus on developing independent living housing that is also smart in both technology and design so it can support the owner/renter’s desire to age in place as long as humanly possible.

Second challenge: Market the social and personal growth opportunities, rather than the care opportunities, made possible by senior congregate living.

[Note on the NIC study: Unfortunately, this excellent study is not available on-line. Copies of the survey and other research conducted by NIC can be ordered through the NIC web site, www.nic.org. The full name of the study is: NIC National Housing Survey of Adults Age 60+, Volume III. NIC, founded in 1991, “facilitates efficient capital formation for the seniors housing and care industries through research, networking, and providing business and financial information.”- Ed.]

Friday, April 6, 2007

A Coming Crisis - Fewer Medical Students Choose Geriatrics

Study: Not enough doctors for the aging

WASHINGTON, April 4 (UPI) -- The number of medical students choosing geriatrics is going down at the same time the number of seniors is going up, a new U.S. study says.

By the year 2030, an estimated 70 million Americans will be older than 65, but in the last decade the number of certified doctors specializing in treating older patients has declined from 8,800 to 7,100, according to a study released Thursday by researchers at the University of Cincinnati.

New geriatricians are also not forthcoming, the researchers said. From 1999 to 2006, the percentage of medical students entering family medicine, which includes geriatrics as a subspecialty, dropped 6.3 percent.

In addition, only two-thirds of geriatric fellowship positions were filled last year, the study found.

Doctors in other specialties who sometimes treat aging patients also said their training was inadequate.

The primary reason, according to the authors, is money. In 2006, the average student debt of a new doctor was $113,000. The relatively low salaries for geriatric specialists combined with the additional years of schooling required are discouraging medical students from pursing the field.

The perception that the work is unrewarding is also a factor, said study co-author Elizabeth Bragg, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati.

"Most people think working with older adults is depressing," she said. "Also, the procedures aren't as 'glamorous' as in other specialties," Bragg said. "There needs to be a big shift in attitudes when it comes to care for the older population."