Exclusive CLTC research: LTC not strong in relocation decision.Grandma has hit that magic age--over 65--when the house is too big and lonely. It's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to move to something smaller. Saving money might not be a bad idea, either. So she starts looking into retirement communities in lower-priced regions, such as the south or northwest. Wherever she moves, it must have necessities such as shopping centers shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into , recreation areas and nearby family or friends. But access to long term care is not on the elder woman's list of "must-haves" as she decides where to relocate--despite the fact that it's something she'll likely need now or in the near future, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. results of a telephone survey of more than 1,000 consumers performed for Contemporary Long Term Care in April. The national survey, conducted by Princeton, N.J.-based Opinion Research Corp., asked respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. if access to long term care would influence their decision if they planned to move to a lower-cost area of the country. In the case of those 65 or older, 53 percent said no. Their baby boomer baby boomer also ba·by-boom·er n. A member of a baby-boom generation. Noun 1. baby boomer - a member of the baby boom generation in the 1950s; "they expanded the schools for a generation of baby boomers" boomer colleagues, age 55 to 64, weren't far behind with 50 percent giving the concept a thumbs down. In contrast, only one-third of respondents age 65-plus and 41 percent of those age 55 to 64 included long term care in their relocation RELOCATION, Scotch law, contracts. To let again to renew a lease, is called a relocation. 2. When a tenant holds over after the expiration of his lease, with the consent of his landlord, this will amount to a relocation. decision-making decision-making, n the process of coming to a conclusion or making a judgment. decision-making, evidence-based, n a type of informal decision-making that combines clinical expertise, patient concerns, and evidence gathered from , according to the survey. "That definitely strikes me as odd," said Gina Basha, marketing director at The Academy, an independent living community in Boulder Boulder, city, United States Boulder, city (1990 pop. 83,312), seat of Boulder co., N central Colo.; inc. 1871. A Rocky Mountain resort and a suburb of Denver, it is the seat of the Univ. of Colorado (1876). , Colo. "I think anyone would think about the availability of health care at any age." "It's a sense of independence that most people have, even at that age" said Garth garth n. 1. A grassy quadrangle surrounded by cloisters. 2. Archaic A yard, garden, or paddock. [Middle English, enclosed yard, from Old Norse gardhr; see Kullman, marketing director for Savannah Savannah, city, United States Savannah, city (1990 pop. 137,560), seat of Chatham co., SE Ga., a port of entry on the Savannah River near its mouth; inc. 1789. Commons, a senior retirement community in Savannah, Ga. "Most of them think they're never going to need these kinds of services." So what do you do if you have a population that doesn't think it will use what you have to offer? Market to them anyway, according to industry experts, and take nothing for granted. Your odds are best with ... While older participants' responses to CLTC's survey left people scratching their heads, other groups fell more in line with what retirement facilities would like to hear: * More men (48 percent) than women (43 percent) said they would include long term care in their relocation decision-making process. But more women (44 percent) than men (40 percent) said they would not. * In most parts of the country, people said they would include long term care access in their decision to move (48 percent in the north central states, 45 percent in the south and 46 percent in the west). Only in the northeast did more people say access wasn't a factor (45 percent). * The wealthiest households--annual incomes of $50,000 to $75,000 and $75,000 or more--were most likely to include long term care access in their decisions to move (56 and 52 percent, respectively). * Long term care access was slightly more important to people whether they were in metropolitan (45 percent yes vs. 42 percent no) or non-metropolitan (44 percent vs. 42 percent) areas. * The question was not an issue among the three races surveyed--Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic Hispanic Multiculture A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race Social medicine Any of 17 major Latino subcultures, concentrated in California, Texas, Chicago, Miam, NY, and elsewhere . Pluralities favored inclusion of long term care access in their decision-making (46, 48 and 46 percent, respectively). * The larger a respondent's household, the more likely the respondent In Equity practice, the party who answers a bill or other proceeding in equity. The party against whom an appeal or motion, an application for a court order, is instituted and who is required to answer in order to protect his or her interests. found access to long term care important in making a move (45 percent to 49 percent in favor, depending on number of people at home). Only single-person households found the idea less important (52 percent saying no vs. 34 percent saying yes). * The older the children in a household, the more likely the respondent considered long term care access important (average 51 percent yes vs. 35 percent no). Get the word out No matter what group you market to, you won't succeed unless an effort is made. Advertise in newspapers, magazines, newsletters and any other place that seniors may view regularly. Robin Davies, marketing director at Canterbury Tower, a high-rise independent living facility in Tampa, Fla., said the local newspaper is one of her most effective methods of drawing potential residents. "The senior citizens read the Sunday paper Sunday paper n → (periódico) dominical m Sunday paper n → journal m du dimanche from front to back," she said. "If they don't do it on Sunday Sunday: see Sabbath; week. , they'll do it on Monday, because ... they're retired." When promoting The Academy to residents of Boulder and surrounding sur·round tr.v. sur·round·ed, sur·round·ing, sur·rounds 1. To extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle. 2. To enclose or confine on all sides so as to bar escape or outside communication. n. areas, Basha said she concentrates on three factors: it is a retirement community, not a standalone stand·a·lone adj. Self-contained and usually independently operating: a standalone computer terminal. facility; its historic background as a former 19th-century Catholic girls' school Girls' School was a single by Paul McCartney and his former band Wings. Written and produced by Paul McCartney it was the other side of the double A-side with Mull Of Kintyre,and was the band's sole UK number one, spending nine weeks at the top in December 1977 and January ; and its connections with the local university. "1 focus our efforts on being published in newspapers and magazines," she said. "That has provided more interest than any ad that I have ever done." Kullman said his facility also benefits from its history in Savannah. "People who have lived here for any period of time generally know what Savannah Commons is," he said. "But that still doesn't prevent us from advertising in local seniors magazines, taking out occasional newspaper ads, doing direct mail and sponsoring local events. It's pretty much how we stay in touch with all these people." Debbie Will, director of community relations 1. The relationship between military and civilian communities. 2. Those public affairs programs that address issues of interest to the general public, business, academia, veterans, Service organizations, military-related associations, and other non-news media entities. for Sunrise Sunrise, city (1990 pop. 64,407), Broward co., SE Fla., a residential suburb 8 mi (13 km) W of Fort Lauderdale; inc. 1961 as Sunrise Golf Village. It is a major office and commercial center and the site of Sawgrass Mills, one of the largest malls in the United States. Cottage of Bismarck and Sunrise of Bismarck, both in Bismarck, N.D., stays in touch with doctors at the local hospitals. She regularly invites physicians and social workers to see the two locations. "They are (among) our biggest referral sources," Will said. "We need them to come and see what we're all about." Nothing beats good old-fashioned word-of-mouth, Davies said. "We advertise in a few local magazines, but it's not our caliber," she said. "We do it because you never know." Most retirees do not migrate out of state when they "settle down." According to U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States Bureau of the Census data, 81 percent of the 7.9 million seniors age 65-plus who relocated re·lo·cate v. re·lo·cat·ed, re·lo·cat·ing, re·lo·cates v.tr. To move to or establish in a new place: relocated the business. v.intr. during the last half of the 1990s remained in the same state. Nearly 60 percent stayed in the same county. "You're not going to get a lady from 50 miles away to move here because her friends are not going to get in the car and drive," Davies said. "They're going to stay where their friends are and their church is. That's why most places draw from within a small radius around them." Kullman said he limits marketing for Savannah Commons to a 50-mile radius. "We get a few people from outside Georgia who call for information," he said. "But most people in that age group (65-plus) are living in a place that they really don't want to move from." Those who do leave the state are often transplants Transplants are an American punk rock/rap rock supergroup. They formed in 1999 when Tim Armstrong of the band Rancid played his friend and roadie Rob Aston some beats he had made using Pro Tools and asked Rob if he would consider contributing lyrics. who return to their hometowns. "You get the couple who was born and raised here, then moved out of state for 20 to 25 years because of the husband's business," Davies said. No state knows the migrant mi·grant n. 1. One that moves from one region to another by chance, instinct, or plan. 2. An itinerant worker who travels from one area to another in search of work. adj. Migratory. retiree scene like Florida, which has been one of the leading destinations for the elderly since the 1960s. As of 2004, 17 percent of the state's 17.6 million residents were 65 or older--the highest proportion in the nation, according to the Census Bureau. Although it still led the country in net gain of elderly during the last half of the 1990s, Florida actually had a net loss in the number of "oldest old," those age 85-plus, the bureau reported. States such as Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma, which had a healthy influx of the over-65s, also saw their most-elderly citizens migrate away to once senior-unpopular locales in Rhode Island Rhode Island, island, United States Rhode Island, island, 15 mi (24 km) long and 5 mi (8 km) wide, S R.I., at the entrance to Narragansett Bay. It is the largest island in the state, with steep cliffs and excellent beaches. , Connecticut, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maryland. Researchers believe this is another example of the elderly returning to their roots. As such, retirement communities should attempt to draw from as far away as possible, experts noted. In that effort, nothing beats the Internet, Basha said. "I linked our Web site to as many search engines as possible," she said. "From that exposure, I get more call-ins, inquiries and emails than from anything else. I get inquiries from all over the country." It's more than money In many industries, being able to save consumers money helps determine whether they'll buy a product. That's not quite as true in the long term care sector, however, where as Basha put it, "wherever they're living, if they need care, they need care." To a degree, the CLTC CLTC Certified in Long-Term Care CLTC Community Long Term Care CLTC Chapter Leadership Training Conference study disputes this: households with annual incomes of $50,000 to $75,000 and $75,000 or more were most likely to include long term care access in their decisions to move (56 and 52 percent, respectively).The least wealthy--annual household income of less than $25,000--was most likely to ignore the idea (47 percent). But some of the most popular destinations for retirees are also among the more expensive. Nevada, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. and Delaware had the nation's five largest net migration rates from 1995 to 2000, according to the Census Bureau. Yet, they all rank toward the middle in terms of overall cost of living, according to the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association/ACCRA in Arlington, Va. Growing popularity of long term care insurance has also made the cost of retirement programs less of an issue, Davies said. More than 9 million LTC LTC abbr. lieutenant colonel policies have been purchased by Americans since 1987, with the market growing by 18 percent per year, according to America's Health Insurance Plans, a Washington D.C.-based health insurance trade group. "When savings isn't a factor, you need to make sure people look at the services you offer" according to one LTC association head. "The more you offer, the more likely they are to come to you." In addition to selling the continuum Continuum (pl. -tinua or -tinuums) can refer to:
n. An aspect of a product or service that is stressed in advertising or marketing. Noun 1. selling point - a characteristic of something that is up for sale that makes it attractive to potential customers include proximity to shopping centers and recreation, as well as intangibles such as warm weather, crime rates and even the facility's ethnic composition or religious affiliation, if any, according to Davies. Still, you can't rule out money entirely. "It's like anything else," Davies said. "Some people will buy the most expensive car, whether they can afford it or not, because it's a status symbol." Demographers noted that migrating seniors are the healthiest, wealthiest and best-educated of all retirees. These educated folk are also the most likely to consider access to long term care when they decide to relocate re·lo·cate v. re·lo·cat·ed, re·lo·cat·ing, re·lo·cates v.tr. To move to or establish in a new place: relocated the business. v.intr. , according to CLTC's study. The higher the education level, the more likely the respondent would include long term care in their decision. Forty-eight percent of college graduates said they would (vs. 38 percent who said no). In contrast, only30 percent of non-high school graduates answered yes (while 39 percent didn't). Age is not a factor Sure, you want elderly persons in your community, and you should market to them, experts noted. But don't ignore your prospects' children. They have a lot to say about where mom (1) (Messaging-Oriented Middleware) See messaging middleware. (2) (Microsoft Operations Manager) Software that monitors and captures system and application events throughout the network. or dad decides to retire. "Obviously, the demographic we're really after is 65 or older, but now you've really got to market to the baby boomer generation--the 35-to-55-year-old age group- because a lot of them are the ones really making the decisions for their older parents," Kullman said. That's one reason parents typically don't move far away from their old home when they relocate to a retirement community, experts noted. "Sixty percent of our residents move here to be closer to their kids," Basha said. "It's their kids who start doing the search. We do a lot of outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. and marketing in the greater Boulder area, trying to hit closer to home for those people who are looking to bring others to live here." Long term care is on the kids' minds in more ways than one. While most persons age 55 or older said they wouldn't factor long term care into their decision to relocate, the opposite was true for the age 18 to 54 set, according to the CLTC survey. Overall, 49 percent of these persons considered access to long term care important, while 37 percent didn't. The difference was most pronounced among persons 35 to 44, with 55 percent agreeing that long term care was an important factor and 30 percent not considering it as they moved. This survey finding seems a bit backwards, according to Davies. "The people you expect to look for us is the 65 and older age group," she said. "Young people are not even thinking about it. They don't even have living wills." A study released in April by New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of City-based MetLife Mature Market Institute noted that nearly half of U.S. workers between the ages of 21 to 30 and almost 25 percent of those age 31 to 40 haven't started saving for retirement. Given that backdrop Backdrop may refer to:
The increased interest among the under55s could be due to a changing population in the nation's long term care facilities. "Residents are getting younger all the time," Will said. "A lot of it is from mental illness or injuries. I think a lot more people exposed to these communities are seeing these younger persons and thinking, 'That could be me tomorrow.'"
verall Survey
If you are considering retiring to a lower-cost area of the
country to save money, does access to long term care
enter into the decision-making process?
45% Yes
42% No
9% Not considering retiring
to lower cost area
4% Don't know
** note totals may not equal 100 due to rounding
Note: Table made from pie chart.
urvey By Age
If you are considering retiring to a lower-cost area of the
country to save money, does access to long term care
enter into the decision-making process?
18-24 25-34 35-44
Yes 45% 49% 55%
No 41% 34% 30%
Not considering retiring 8% 12% 10%
to lower cost area
Don't know 7% 4% 5%
45-54 55-64 65+
Yes 46% 41% 33%
No 45% 50% 53%
Not considering retiring 5% 8% 11%
to lower cost area
Don't know 4% 2% 4%
** note totals may not equal 100 due to rounding
urvey By Income
If you are considering retiring to a lower-cost area of the
country to save money, does access to long term care
enter into the decision-making process?
Less than $25K-
$25K 35K
Yes 42% 52%
No 47% 37%
Not considering retiring 6% 10%
to Lower cost area
Don't know 5% 2%
$35K- $50K- $75K +
50K 75K
Yes 44% 0% 52%
No 41% 34% 38%
Not considering retiring 10% 8% 7%
to Lower cost area
Don't know 4% 2% 2%
** note totals may not equal 100 due to rounding
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion