Senior Living Cannot Ignore Social Media

Every so often (read: everyday) I am reminded of the fact that The Regency Alliance on Senior Healthcare is light years and eons ahead of the curve in all areas of care and especially in the realm of technology.

Mr. Gross has never shied away from exploring any and all initiatives for growth. Where others were (and continue to be) afraid to dabble, Mr. Gross has moved forward with bold strides (and incredible guts, to be quite candid) for the sake of his patients and residents.

Mr. David Gross; Founder and President
Mr. David Gross; Founder and President

One of the foremost areas of growth for the Regency Family of Nursing Homes and Post Acute Rehabilitation Centers is in our use of Social Media as an empowerment tool for families to interact with us.

Regency Embraces Technology!
Regency Embraces Technology!

For this reason, I was almost amused to read an article yesterday from Jason O. writing for Senior Housing News, where he addresses “5 Reasons Senior Living Cannot Ignore Social Media.”Hey, better late than never!

He writes in part:

“While social media might not have the metrics to prove it’s leading to move ins the way traditional sales leads do, providers today say they simply can’t ignore the added benefits it can deliver elsewhere.

The 65-plus population may not be spending their waking hours Tweeting on Twitter and Pinning on Pinterest, but that doesn’t mean social media channels aren’t doing work for the companies that engage with them.

Here are five reasons senior living can’t afford not to be on social media.

1. You could become invisible.

Ignore social media, and you could become invisible online. Almost 40% of Emeritus’ leads stem from the internet, says Jayne Sallerson, executive president of sales and marketing at Emeritus.

“If you don’t learn how to leverage the internet, eventually you’re not going to show up,” says Jayne Sallerson, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Emeritus. “The goal of including social media is to engage people and get them thinking of what your company is about.”

In recent years, technology has become increasingly popular among older adults, with 53% of Americans age 65 and over now using the internet or email, according to a 2012 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

As more older adults surf the web, more are also using social media as well, with 45% of internet users age 65 and older now using Facebook, tripling from just 13% in 2009, notes a December 2013 Pew Research Social Media Update.

Read The full article here.

Leave a Reply