MixedCandy Media: Digital Marketing for Businesses that Serve Older People Copy

Here's to Your Emotional Health

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 11:35:06 -0800

If finding happiness were as simple as Bobby McFerrin makes it sound in his classic song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” we could all rest easy knowing that no matter what happens, we can simply choose not to worry. And while the definition of happiness can be slippery, what defines "a good life" can be found all around us.

The World Health Organization reports that many places in the world are using a new measure of societal well-being called the Gross National Happiness (GNH) or "emotional prosperity" indicator. Social scientists have actually measured the life satisfaction of people in many countries. Emotional prosperity measures the strength of a society by means other than financial indicators.

In fact, one finding about wealth as we age might surprise us: more money does not result in a parallel increase in life satisfaction. Once basic needs of safety, food, shelter, (and I will add a good internet connection) are met, our satisfaction with our lives depends on...Read More

Huggers Gonna Hug. . .

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:55:01 -0700

A mutually welcomed hug has been identified as a "stress-buffering social support" in academic journals. Social supports that reduce stress keep us healthier longer. Who doesn't want that?

If you are not a hugger, consider these ways to boost your stress-buffering self:

write a letter to a friend.
call a neighbor to say hello.
spend time with a friendly pet.
share a meal with someone.

Are you with a home care agency, senior moving specialist, or older adult life plan community? How do the services you offer to older people help them manage stress?

We can help build your brand awareness as a helpful, trustworthy resource and position your business as a leader in your community. And who doesn't want that?

Age with Pride

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:28:09 -0700

In this month of June, "age with pride" takes on more than one meaning. It acknowledges the pride that living for many years can evoke; it also speaks to the many LGBTQ+ elders who have faced a lifetime of discrimination and condemnation for simply being who they are. While in many ways times have changed, we also find ourselves encountering this prejudice in daily news accounts that reflect the pulse of our nation. We cannot go back to a time (not so long ago) when people were shunned, careers were ended, and lives were lost due to this ignorance. We can do better.

One organization that we can recommend as a resource for LGBTQ+ elders and their allies is SAGE . SAGE works to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ elders by advocating for fairness and justice across a wide range of issues affecting all of our lives. Issues of aging policy, fair housing, health care, mental health, and more are part of the SAGE effort to improve the lives of millions of older adults. We are thankful for their efforts in this month of June, and in every month that follows.

Aging Life Care Professionals

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 11:21:31 -0700

Aging Life Care Professionals (formerly known as Geriatric Care Managers*) are key players in the aging services landscape. They work with individuals and families to assess situations and find resources and solutions to address the many circumstances that older people may face. They are professionals with backgrounds that can include nursing, social work, or gerontology.

Your social media should be engaging and professional, and also highlight your knowledge of resources and approaches to care. It should appeal to both adult children and older adults who may need your services. Key concepts are advocacy, flexibility, and support.

Often an adult child will call with a dilemma:

"my father is 92 years old, has some cognitive and physical challenges, and is planning a solo drive from New York to California...how can we tell him this is not a great idea?"

"My parents can no longer live safely at home. . .what should we do next?"

"My family does not agree on the best ways to help our parents. . . "

"I'm worried that my father can no longer manage his finances, but he refuses help..."

"My mother lives alone, and I worry that she is not eating right and not socializing with anyone."

Sometimes the call may be from an older person who recognizes that getting supports in place ahead of time is a smart move: "I'm a solo ager with no family support, and I need to find a financial and medical power of attorney who can advocate for my future needs. . .where should I look?"

A care manager can create a workable plan to address these needs, and can work with families to ease conflict and find solutions that serve their clients well. For more on Aging Life Care Professionals, visit the Read More

Home Care Services

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 14:13:56 -0700

Home Care services can provide support for people of any age, given the right circumstances. However, older adults are by far the largest market for home care agencies. A recent AARP Home and Community Preferences Survey finds that three quarters of adults age 50 and older would like to stay at home for as long as they are able. Care in the home can provide a temporary or long-term support that allows individuals to fulfill this wish.

Attracting new clients, and retaining existing ones, requires an approach that emphasizes building relationships: it is not an easy thing to allow "strangers" to come to your home, particularly when personal care is needed. Older adults--like anyone--need time and experience to feel comfortable being on the receiving end of care. Often, they have spent a lifetime being the caregiver, whether to children, grandchildren, spouse, or siblings.

Building a strong network of supports for clients means having an equally strong network of valued employees. A caregiver, or care partner, can only give his or her best when they are also cared for by employers. Promoting your business means addressing the needs of both caregiver and client.

What sets your business apart from others who offer the same services? Chances are your story has some unique elements that will help shape your outreach. Developing trust between agency and client is essential. Clear, honest, and frequent communication about the services you offer, as well as what sets you apart from others, builds these relationships. MixedCandy Media can help develop your social profile and community connections in ways that reflect the good work you do each day.

Objects in Mirror (Move Managers)

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 13:23:07 -0700

The decision to age in place or to make a move to what might be a more suitable home can be painful, drawing on a lifetime of emotions and physical possessions imbued with meaning. That doesn't mean it has to be a modern tragedy: helping people re-focus their own story to one of moving forward rather than staying put or looking backward is an art.

The ideal market for move management services is multi-faceted. One client profile will be someone typically 75+, who is moving into an older adult community from a private home.

Your market includes these clients, but it also includes their adult children, who may live far from their aging parent, or who may be busy with other responsibilities. Sometimes an objective third party can be more effective than an adult child (hello, daughters!) who may be close to the emotions of a move.

The B2B market is also essential to move managers: you need marketers from senior living communities to refer you to potential clients, home care agencies to know of your services for their clients who may eventually want to move, and placement agencies to know you exist to facilitate quicker placement.

In short, a good move manager is part counselor, part bartender, and part labradoodle (ha jk on that last one. I just love the word "labradoodle"). Let MixedCandy Media reflect the strengths and subtleties of your good work, so you can do more of the work you love.

Smart.Social.SIt should come as no surprise that older people are using the internet at greater numbers than ever before. According to the Pew Research Center, 75% of us who are 65 and older are regular internet users. That's 3 out of 4, for you English majors. The gap between younger and older users will continue to narrow, as technology becomes more widespread and the younger user actually becomes the older user.

While older and younger groups have more in common than not, there are such realities as age-related changes (in vision, for example) that can affect accessibility. Broadly speaking, suggestions for making your website more user-friendly for older people also apply to the general population. The Institute on Aging and National Library of Medicine have done studies on what makes a website more accessible--here are their findings:

Fonts: use sans serif font (sans serif means the letters don't have the little feet at the bottom- generally a cleaner read). Examples include Tahoma, Verdana, and Arial. Body text should be size 12 or 14. Weight should be medium or bold.

Body text: text should be in upper and lower case; use ALL CAPS and italics in headlines only. Save underlining for links, like this one to Institute on Aging / National Library of Medicine tipsheet. Body text should be double-spaced, and left-justification is recommended. As far as page colors, they suggest not placing yellow, blue, and green in close proximity.

What's in a Name?

The words we use to describe ourselves are both a reflection of and an influence on the way we think about our place in the world. Many of our beliefs are shaped by what is known as implicit bias, meaning that our beliefs and decisions are often a product of our unconscious. While this helps us manage information in a complex, changing world, it can also negatively influence the way we treat one another. We are not aware of our own implicit bias until we consciously start to think about our beliefs. Ageism is often a product of implicit bias, and how we think about and talk about growing older reflects these biases. In surveying the public about common words used to describe older adults, Reframing Aging found that the word "senior" garnered the least respect in terms of competency, while "older adult" was viewed as most competent. The public also defined "older adults" as being in their mid 50s, however (ahem), so the term "older person" is thought to most accurately represent people beyond that age.

According to the findings of the Reframing Aging project, the public view of older adults is based on stereotypes that provide a "can't win" view of aging. Studies show that when older adults are viewed as "least competent" they are also viewed as being "warmer" personalities. The more competent a person is thought to be, the less warm they are.

Societal views of what it means to be older contribute to the ways we think about ourselves as we age. While choosing to use words to describe ourselves and others can feel like an insignificant act, our choices, however unconscious, are part of a larger social system that both influences and reflects how we treat older people, say when it comes to funding...Read More

Three (Free) Steps

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 13:00:01 -0800

Not everything online requires "pay to play". Keep in mind that the basic elements of your digital presence includes reaching out to current and potential clients, as well as a nod to others in your industry. You can do this by making sure your Google business profile is complete, setting up a LinkedIn business page to highlight your professional presence, and being aware of choices that impact SEO. These steps are free, so please leave only footprints behind.

Created v. Curated: Growing Your Garden

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 11:46:34 -0800

Like any garden, growing a business takes time, effort, and a touch of magic. Possibly a smidge of WD40, or even eye of newt*, depending on your soil. Both created content and curated content have a place in defining your business persona in a crowded marketplace.

Let's sort out the difference.

Created content is just what it sounds like—original contect created by your business. This might be newsletters, conference materials, blog posts, videos, or social media posts. Created content positions your business as a knowledgeable source in your industry. It also drives traffic to your website, which is never a bad thing.

Maybe you are a home care agency with innovative ways of increasing caregiver satisfaction and retention. Sharing your experience helps others and shows you as a leader who is not afraid to share successful strategies.

Maybe you are a Life Plan Community looking for ways to share the good news and local happenings with residents and staff. This original content you create helps define the living experience happening in your community, drawing interest from both existing and prospective residents and staff. Is...Read More