SeniorCareMarketer.Com Blog

Caregivers Cope with Physical, Emotional Demands

Our friend David J Levy from the American Association for Caregiver Education emailed me about a interesting article in the Sun-Sentinel titled Caregivers cope with physical, emotional demands.

It discusses how caregiving causes "presenteeism" in the workplace. Presenteeism is the opposite of absenteeism. In contrast to absenteeism, when employees are absent from work, presenteeism is the problem faced when employees come to work in spite of stress and/or illness. Presenteeism can have have significant repercussions on business performance.

With the vast number of working caregivers, presenteeism is undoubtedly on the rise and the article talks about this trend and what employers can do to help employees. 

A good read.

"Breakthrough" research for Alzheimer's disease

Two new studies published in the UK medical journal The Lancet  discuss potentially better treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Study One:
Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine did a controlled trial to test the safety and success of the orally-taken drug Dimebon  (a drug once used in Russia as an antihistamine)  to see if it reduced the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Patients were assessed over six months using a scale that measures brain function such as thinking and memory. They found that it significantly improved the course of the disease and that benefits increased over the course of 12 months. Commenting on the trial, Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said: "This encouraging research suggests Dimedon may be an effective treatment for the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. These initial findings imply that Dimedon could be more effective than treatments currently licensed for people with Alzheimer's, however this was a modest sized study."

According to information on wikipedia, "Dimebon appears to operate through multiple mechanisms of action, both blocking the action of neurotoxic beta-amyloid proteins and inhibiting L-type calcium channels, modulating the action of AMPA and NMDA glutamate receptors, and may exert a neuroprotective effect by blocking a novel target that involves mitochondrial pores,[9] which are believed to play a role in the cell death that is associated with neurodegenerative diseases and the aging process."

Study Two:
The consensus amongst dementia scientists has always been that removing amyloid plaques was the key to defeating Alzheimer's but according to this 2nd study, that may need to be rethought.  British researchers discovered that drug vaccination can remove amyloid plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease but that this did not necessarily slow down the disease. The five-year study examined 80 patients with mild to moderate dementia who had been immunized with AN1972, a drug which acts to clear these plaques from the brain. Contrary to predictions, removal of amyloid plaques did not result in an improvement in cognitive function or survival. Several patients with complete plaque removal deteriorated severely.  Lead researcher Professor Clive Holmes of the University of Southampton said: "Our results suggest that brain deterioration can occur in Alzheimer's despite the removal of plaques. It may be that these toxic plaques trigger the neurodegeneration but don't have an ongoing role. This study opens up numerous avenues for further research."

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, commented: "It is disappointing that anti-amyloid treatments did not prevent the disease's progress, but we still need to do more research into whether earlier removal of this initial 'motor' of the disease could slow its progression. These findings underline the need to take a variety of research approaches in a multi-pronged attack on this devastating disease."

Marketing to Boomers: Don't Stereotype.

Good article in a recent DMNews titled Marketers' boom town discusses marketing to Baby Boomers and how marketer's should not necessarily consider them a "senior group".

While the older boomers just started filing for Social Security benefits this year, millions of younger boomers, often called trailing edge boomers, are mistakenly categorized as seniors when in fact, many are in their late 40s and raising young children.

As Laurie Bitter says, president of JWTBoom, "There are 62-year-olds who have young children in the house — they're not just going to roll it up and retire."

Much of this is common sense and as marketer's we must define our audience carefully and adjust the messaging accordingly. It's somewhat challenging because their is a gray area (no pun intended). For example, if you are selling products and services relating to the aging population you must realize that Boomers in this case can be both direct consumers of these services as well as purchase influencers if they are themselves caring for aging parents.

This requires careful attention to the copy of your campaigns. A good example is how the NCOA positions their popular BenefitsCheckUp service - online screening screenings to help "seniors" find programs to help pay for prescription drugs, energy assistance, food stamps and more. The NCOA is careful to market the service to both older adults and those caring for older adults which can be family caregivers, social workers, etc.   Seems obvious but not all senior care marketer's are taking enough care to segment their market and adjust copy accordingly.

Follow-Up: Wyeth Alzheimer's Drug Fails to Meet Goal in Trial

We blogged about a potentially promising new treatment for Alzheimer's back in April 2008 but unfortunately, the Phase 3 clinical trials were disappointing. According to the drug makers (Wyeth and Elan), "bapineuzumab's ability to improve Alzheimer's symptoms was not significantly different from those on placebo."

Intel Gets into the Healthcare Business with New Caregiving Site

Intel Corp. has launched the ConnectingForCare.com web site as an "online community" for the estimated 50 million or more family members and other caregivers in the United States.

The site is designed to help family caregivers, nurses, social workers and others both share information and give each other emotional support, "filling a void in today's healthcare system," said officials at Santa Clara-based Intel. Intel developed the site in conjunction with the National Family Caregivers Association.

Intel's announcement came as a number of Silicon Valley and high-tech companies are diving into the health-care space, including Google, Microsof, Revolution Health and others. But Intel says it's been working on applying technology to the needs of caregivers, along with aging and chronically ill individuals, since 1999.

I reviewed the site and granted it is new but as a caregiver myselfI I was not that impressed. It's basically a few articles (content) and some discussion boards. However, if you find value in networking with other caregivers who may be in a similar situation as yourself then you might like the site.  But caring for aging loved ones is "local" and unless the person you are networking with lives in the same town as the person you are caring for (and can recommend resources like Doctors, home health aides, companion services, handymen services, etc.) they may not add value to your caregiivng needs. But kudos to Intel for building this site as it will no doubt benefit some caregivers.

If you are caring for aging loved ones, you may find ShirleyBoard.com of interest. ShirleyBoard is an online community for people caring for aging loved ones but instead of the focus being on networking and content, it allows you to centrally store your caregiving information, keep a record of your caregiving journey (daily logs, notes, etc.), notify freinds and family when you make new updates, etc.  I use it every day and it works great.

New Report: Trends and Best Practices for Marketing to the Senior Care Industry

SeniorCareMarketer.com has released it's latest research report that covers the latest trends and best practices for marketing to the senior care industry.   

The senior care industry is about to enter a cycle of unprecedented growth (many experts say it has already begun) as the baby boom generation cares for their aging parents and require care themselves as they transition into their own senior years. While many companies focus on the marketing of products and services to the aging "boomer" generation, a larger market will develop with regard to the caregiving needs of older Americans - the parents of the Boomers and eventually, the Boomers themselves.  As America ages, the demand for products and services that relate to the "care" of these individuals  will grow significantly, from home care services and medical products to housing options and financial / insurance related products.   

This new report, “Trends in Senior Care Marketing: Where Suppliers Spent Marketing and PR Dollars in 2007, and What's Ahead in 2008” represents a broad spectrum of senior care companies.  Key topics in the report include:

- What marketing and PR activities were most important to senior care suppliers the past year, and their budgeting plans for the next 12 months;
- How senior care suppliers measure the success of their marketing and PR;
- Who and what suppliers rely on to stay knowledgeable about the marketplace;
- How optimistic suppliers are about the overall health of the senior care marketplace.

To download a free copy of the report, visit the above links or type this URL into your browser. http://www.seniorcaremarketer.com/downloads.htm

Enjoy.

Senior Care Market Lucrative For Just About Everything

Says who?

An article from The Vancouver Sun titled Aging boomers most lucrative market for just about everything.

With the front end of the baby boom on the cusp of their senior years and their parents already there, there's rising demand for just about everything relating to the aging population. And for research that help marketer's better understand older consumers.

"It's absolutely booming," says Michelle Pratt, a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's AgeLab. "The fact that someone turns 62 every seven seconds means that this segment of the population is the fastest-growing, the most lucrative market. Companies know this demands a new approach to old age."

AgeLab is an example of an organization conducting this type of research and car makers, technology firms, health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, even a shoe company and Canadian funeral home have sought their expertise.

But every company better be prepared for the aging population. While five per cent of seniors are in institutions and completely dependent and ten per cent live at home with mobility limitations, the vast majority are doing fine and making their own purchasing decisions for products and services they need.

The message to me is companies must not only target their message to caregivers but also to the senior themselves.

This is one reason our soon to be released SeniorCareMarketer.com product helps marketers of senior care products and services target all the purchase influencer's - from the aging person themselves to their family members (who may purchase products and services on their behalf) to the broader healthcare and medical community.

SeniorCareMarketer has also launched it's own research report  titled Where Senior Care Suppliers Spent Their Marketing and PR Dollars in the Last 12 Months and What’s Ahead which can be downloaded for free at SeniorCareMarketer.com .    

Neurosoftware? More Evidence the Senior Care Market is Beginning to Heat Up

A year or two ago I may have seen an article in major media that related to the senior care marketplace maybe once a quarter. These days, I see these stories almost daily.

An article in the New York Times a few days ago titled Exercise Your Brain, or Else You’ll ... Uh ...  discussed an emerging mini-industry of computer-based brain products.

These products are being called neurosoftware. Examples include Nintendo's Brain Age 2, a video game of simple math and memory exercises and Posit Science’s computer-based “cognitive behavioral training” exercises, and MindFit's software-based program that combines cognitive assessment of more than a dozen different skills. And for a monthly fee, you can subscribe to web sites like Lumosity.com and Happy-Neuron.com, which offer a variety of cognitive training exercises.

The NYT article quotes Alvaro Fernandez (whose brain fitness and consulting company, SharpBrains, has a Web site focused on brain fitness research) as estimating that in 2007 the market in the United States for neurosoftware was $225 million.

Mr. Fernandez pointed out that compared with, say, the physical fitness industry, which brings in $16 billion a year in health club memberships alone, the brain fitness software industry is still in its infancy yet is growing at a 50 percent annual rate and expected to reach $2 billion by 2015.

This makes all of us at Fisher Vista feel quite good about our upcoming product launch of SeniorCareMarketer.com which will help companies who sell to boomers and seniors generate online visibility, web site traffic and sales leads.

Big Pharma to Boost Online Marketing

According to new research, pharmaceutical marketers say they plan to increase their online marketing spending this year and decrease spending on traditional media.

This same conclusion was found in an upcoming market research report from Senior Care Marketing firm, SeniorCareMarketer.com.    The report is due out next month.

Big pharma, like many other industries, has realized that you must have a strong online presence so you can be more easily found by your buyers (and purchase influencer's) when they go online.

This is important because in many markets, including health care, the Internet is second only to peers when it comes to where buyers go to find information on products/services they may purchase.

In other words, Internet marketing allows you to take your message directly to your buyer and bypass traditional media.  And the best ways to build online visibility is through (in no particular order) search-optimized press releases, blogs and blogger relations, direct email marketing, SEO,and other Web 2.0 tactics.

SeniorCareMarketer helps companies in the senior care market do this much like it's sister product, HRmarketer does in the human resource marketplace.  Senior Care Marketer is scheduled to debut this Fall.

Designing for the Senior Surge

The Wall Street Journal had an article in the Friday April 25th issue called Designing for the senior surge  that discusses how makers of appliances (think General Electric) and bath fixtures (think Delta Faucet) are preparing for the senior surge by inventing "senior-friendly" products.

This is especially important because unlike their parents, who often moved into retirement communities or assisted-living centers, most boomers plan to remain in their own homes (aging in place).

And it's a huge opportunity. There are 78 million U.S. baby boomers, and roughly one-third will be 62 years old or older by 2013, says AARP. Read more senior care statistics here.

But marketing these senior-friendly features before they're needed requires a delicate touch according to NPD Group, a market research firm:  "The older consumers don't want to be treated like they're ready for retirement,'' says Mark Delaney, director of the home-industry sector at NPD Group.