Leslie Newlife

Norbert is a tiny fellow, but 3 1/2 pounds of adorable goes a long way! When his owner, Julie Steines, first learned about therapy dogs, Norbert was still a puppy. She had witnessed the joy that her tiny puppy brought to the people they encountered throughout their day. Every day. She knew, without a doubt, that Norbert’s destiny included becoming a therapy dog.

After researching the subject, she trained Norbert, herself. He became a certified therapy dog by age one. He’s eight years old now and brings joy to people world-wide! He currently volunteers at Children’s Hospital Las Angeles or by special request. But he has, also, gone viral! His website and social media pages inspire smiles around the world. A very worthy quest, indeed. Good boy, Norbert! Good boy.

Pet therapy has become a popular form of mild therapy for seniors. Therapy dogs are invaluable in the lives of those they touch. Or, perhaps, that’s better stated in the lives of those who touch them. Research shows petting an animal is known to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety, and cause one to feel connected. And the benefits reach beyond physical. Pet therapy is proven emotionally and mentally beneficial, as well. Interacting with animals can increase the body’s levels of oxytocin, the hormone that makes us feel happy.

Here are some facts regarding seniors with pets. Senior pet owners:
• Are less likely to feel lonely
• Visit the doctor less often
• Use less medication
• Recover more quickly from surgery or illness
• Have lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• Deal better with stress

Seniors living in communities with a pet therapy program in place benefit from their visits. At a time when they are transitioning to a different phase of life, many are feeling vulnerable. A visit from a therapy dog is sure to brighten any day and leave your residents looking forward to the next!

Luxurious assisted living communities have features that can be adopted by less expensive facilities with some creative thinking. Features that might just give your home the edge to win out over the competition:

• Special entertainment:  Local choirs and Scout troops are free. To find a “big name” entertainer who will provide a free performance, contact nearby theaters, comedy clubs, opera and music houses. Many performers consider entertaining seniors a worthy use of their time. Request free tickets to performances for residents who are able to travel.
• Pet-friendly:  Luxury centers are more likely to allow owners to live with their pets. If this is not feasible, contact area animal shelters and organizations and request visits and/or names of people who own therapy dogs.
• Natural beauty: If your home is not located on the beautiful grounds typical of luxury assisted living, ask local professionals to help you bring nature inside. A gardening club may donate and help arrange attractive plants – or find a piece of land they can beautify. Consider a roof garden.
• Concierge Service: Assisted living centers not in the luxurious category do not have the budget for a full-time concierge to make travel arrangements, suggest and arrange for tickets to local events, reserve a table at a restaurant, make medical and salon appointments, and other services a hotel concierge provides. You could create a concierge position that would interest and challenge a volunteer.  You would need to provide a desk, phone, and computer in an attractive nook. Encourage the volunteer or concierge team to have regular hours that residents can count on.
• Gourmet meals: A major selling point for luxury properties is the food. While you may not be able to persuade a local restaurant to provide a delicious meal for all residents, do not forget that many local women and men take pride in their cooking. Contact food category winners at local fairs. Would they be willing to let the residents sample their award-winning pie? Church groups are known for their potlucks. Would they share a dish with your residents?

If your home does not fall into the “luxury” category, a touch of luxury, like a touch of mink, can set you apart from others in its price range.

There is fierce competition among senior communities and care providers to provide the best there is to offer in senior living. Seniors today are not only looking for a safe, clean, and welcoming environment where they have assistance with activities of daily living. This may have precipitated the move, but seniors want amenities. Once a senior and their adult children have established that a community is up to par on atmosphere, well-trained staff, and safety measures, that is when the competition begins.

Attracting Senior to Your Senior Community

Dining Options for Seniors

One of the most important things you can offer is an enjoyable dining experience. Ensure that you have delicious food with meal options. Serve savory meals that are pleasing to the eye. Everyone appreciates a well plated, garnished meal. Spacious dining areas with nice linens, centerpieces, and soft music creates ambiance. Scheduling prospect tours during a meal gives you an edge over your competition. Always have a table set for guests, and invite them to sit down for a meal. Offer a variety of refreshments, accessible to residents, in between meals. A delivery service is a must for residents who are feeling under the weather, or who choose to dine in their apartment.

Keeping Seniors Active

Today’s seniors want to remain active. It is imperative that you provide your clients a calendar packed with diverse activities. Make sure to have enough activities that there will be something for everyone to enjoy. Morning exercise, afternoon walking club, gardening, playing a Wii, and dance for seniors are good ways to keep them moving. Board games, movie night, social hours, and pet therapy are favorite activities in many senior communities. Invite residents to help decorate the common areas for holidays. Play different types of music that were popular in their youth. An on-site hair and nail salon, or visiting beautician will be an added benefit to your residents as well.

Providing Transportation for Seniors

Providing transportation services, so that your clients will not have to rely on friends and family to take them to appointments, or drive themselves, is appealing to many families. You will need to ensure that you have a safe, comfortable, well-maintained vehicle that is easy for seniors to get in and out of, and provide a calendar for scheduling transportation. Remember that Uber & Lyft can also help if your drive & vehicle are busy.

If your community provides the above amenities, presented by a helpful and friendly marketing staff, you will find yourself at the top of your competition. Most importantly, you will enjoy a full house of happy residents.

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Seniors like being active. Staying in a room doing nothing, or just watching TV, gets dull for anyone. For some, it feels like being grounded by their parents. Take initiative and get the ball rolling on your planner. Some activities you might like to consider are:

• Karaoke – music has a way of getting people together to laugh with. It doesn’t matter how bad or how good they are at singing, it’s the good-natured feeling of getting together and having fun that matters.
• Bridge Night! – There’s nothing better than just a hint of competition.  A great card game gets the energy and anticipation building; and the more people the merrier. Of course, any card game will do, but the idea is to get as many involved as possible.
• BINGO – Almost everyone likes BINGO. Instead of giving cash, give rewards!  Recognition in the monthly newsletter. Throw a small party for the winner serving their favorite food. Imagination is your only limitation.
• Line Dancing, Walker Line Dancing, and Chair Line Dancing – Who doesn’t like to dance? Some great music, and live action gets the blood pumping and laughter ringing from the fun.
• Dinner and Entertainment – Find a small local band that is familiar with old country flavor. During the late fall and winter months, often times bands are in downtime. Some bands will also come just for an opportunity for charity, only needing a small word for recognition.  Having a nice dinner, with some tasteful entertainment allows opportunity for your patrons to enjoy themselves.

As your planning your activities for your senior home, keep in mind that seniors grew up in a time where being idle was not popular. Therefore, ask them if they’d like to participate in the planning or setting-up of the activity. Also, remember that each of those involved tend to get enthusiastic about being a part of something they’re doing for their friends. They are an excellent source to share their enthusiasm with everyone they meet, thereby helping with your marketing the event.

Have a purpose or theme for each activity and let that purpose motivate the attendance of the community. Ensure you plan the event in your social media pages where you build the anticipation.

For example, one of your activities may be in part of a charity function such as painting ornaments for a Christmas tree for the local children’s hospital.

Another example gives back to the community. A purpose of helping one of the community members who’s had a difficult time recently. A community loves to get together to help one of their own.

After each event, post online or in the community newsletter how much fun it was. Submit pictures to keep memories and the feeling of camaraderie safe. This will help everyone in the community look forward to the next activity.

Which activities do your residents enjoy most?

Remember to share any events open to the public with us so we can add them to our calendar.