The Eden Alternative

For the last couple of days I have been attending a conference of the managers of the UK’s largest not for profit provider of care and property for older people (more of that term in a moment). The keynote speaker at the conference was Bill Thomas, the founder of the Eden Alternative. Bill was named (by the WSJ) as one of the 12 people who are changing retirement in the US. You can see him perform in the above video.

Bill gave a great presentation, one that was aimed at both the head and the stomach. If you don’t know about the Eden Alternative (nothing to do with the Eden Project) then you should. Here is the web site and Bill’s blog.

The intro to his speech involved an interview style session with the head of the company’s Care Services. One of the topics discussed was the differences in language between the US and the UK. Whilst I have seen the term ‘elders’ used I haven’t thought about the positive connotations that it has compared with “older people”. A small thing you might think but fundamental to the way society positions ‘elders’ on the positive, rather than negative side of the balance sheet, where it pigeonholes “old people”.

I am sure I will write some more about Bill Thomas – a very interesting guy – even though he has the strangest taste in footwear! Dick Stroud

Getting grandpa wired

The FT is still a subscription publication so I am not sure how long this article will be accessible.

As the name suggests it is all about technology and the old. Not their use of the Internet but the supportive technologies that enable them to “age in place” (i.e. remain in their own homes).

The above video is from the Center for Ageing Services Technologies. It goes on too long and could be cut in half to still convey the same messages but it does show what is already possible.
As the article says.

The goal is to enable the elderly to live safely and independently at home for longer. For their adult children, the point is peace of mind.

I think the benefits of the technology for the kids are probably more than for the parent. It is all about minimizing the ‘guilt’ of not being able to physically do more to help the aged parent.

From a marketing point of view it is clear to me who the customer is for these technologies. Let me give you a clue – it is not the parent.

A couple of the companies mentioned in the article are Grandcare and AttentiveCare. Worth checking out the products and services they provide. Dick Stroud

Off-shoring care

The US and Europe have got themselves into a real tizzy over the loss of manufacturing jobs to China and service jobs to India.

There is another loss of employment that we will see in the next couple of decades. As the cost of caring for old people rockets, the attraction of packing your bags and heading for a low cost area increases.

It is estimated that 40,000 to 80,000 American retirees already live in Mexico, many of them in enclaves like San Miguel de Allende or the Chapala area.

For $1,300 a month — a quarter of what an average nursing home costs in the US - you can get a studio apartment, three meals a day, laundry and cleaning service, and 24-hour care from an attentive staff, many of whom speak English.

This article (with video) from USA today gives a taste of things to come. Dick Stroud

The Care Market – the unexciting, exciting market

Give a marketer the choice between becoming a brand manager for some techno wizzy zillion pixel ultra wireless thingy or a care service for infirmed oldies and I think I know what they are likely to choose. But, that would be the wrong decision.

The provision of the multiple formats of care, is, and will become even more, a mega, multinational business.

You are going to see a lot more of these types of announcements as companies try and claim the language and standards of the care.

A new Web site has been launched to assist care home professionals – notice this is the workers not the recipients.Launched by Help the Aged, but funded by BUPA (one of the UK’s large providers of care and medical insurance) the site, www.myhomelife.org.uk enables care home professionals – from assistants to inspectors – to share best practice on key topics such as creating a sense of community within care homes and staff training. In addition care homes will be profiled.

This is a smart move by BUPA, linking up with Age Concern (the UK’s leading charity for old people). Watch this space. Dick Stroud

Care.com – this is a smart idea

Thanks to Rick Hartley for telling me about this web site.

This is a great example of a Web site that has a very distinct product offering that is enabled by social networking functionality.

Care.com is a simple concept. Somebody needs a service – somebody wants to provide a service – Care.com acts as the matching engine PLUS provide the tools to improve the decision of both buyer and seller. Great idea.

In addition, the company looks to make money out of a subscription charge.

Most of the types of care are relevant to the 50-plus both as providers and sellers.

It is also worth looking at from a Web site design viewpoint. It is simple and uses Web 2.0 stuff in a supportive rather than overt way. Dick Stroud

Ecumen - an interesting looking care company

I have done a lot of work at the old-old end of the 50-plus market in the residential and care sector. This is an overlooked part of the market but one that will is becoming increasingly important.

The people from Ecumen contacted me to tell me about their web site. They look an interesting outfit.

I was amused at their choice of “The top five web sites that are changing aging” Why they chose Zimmers is beyond me. Other than that, if you are interested in the care market then this site is worth a visit. Dick Stroud