Yesterday, I encountered the most challenging moment in my motherly journey at the innocent intentions and words that recklessly spilled from the mouth of Graham, my 10-year-old. When we moved to Florida we chose a great place to raise kids. Great schools, those same meticulously maintained lawns, and an abundance of families where moms and dads live together, each chasing careers to provide the best life possible. My kids do not know what it means to go without or what life looks like outside of an affluent suburban neighborhood. In their mind this is normal. I know it is absolutely, not normal.

I don’t think this post is going to be my ticket into a role supporting the sales and marketing side of senior living. I am okay with that, but man I can tell you my conversations with residents who are the backbone that makes senior living a profitable business while we support our families are absolutely worth listening to rather than talking to.

Before we talk about digital transformation we must talk about process enhancement. We must accept that change will occur and that change is a good thing. Innovation is dependent on change. There may need to be a new look, a new design, a new approach for the entire customer experience in order to get the most out of your investment in technology. 

What if I told you there is a responsibility on you to discover and learn about new, or revamped solutions designed to improve one’s vitality and quality of life? 

Think of yourself as the gatekeeper of great resources like innovation, life changing tools for older adults and their families, much needed efficient and effective staffing solutions, mobility aids, dignified and evidence-based content, or new designs for development and structures. There are thousands of people with unrelenting passion to improve the life of every person as they navigate later years.  

When you take two Texan’s who love sports; a mom and 9 year old boy who have spent a tons of time in small towns, whether college or summers on a farm, there is one thing you learn to do…play cornhole. On our recent staycation in Orlando you can only imagine the excitement when we saw the afternoon activity was a cornhole tournament! When you go up 10-0 after round one and get accused of hustling the competition, there is a sense of pride, confidence and pure joy. We easily beat a father and son duo and the next round took out two college-aged girls who have absolutely had their fair share of tosses. 

Prologue -  The traditionally slow game of golf gave us a forever story written in a few days time with one protagonist that has been waiting years to break into his role as a primary cast member.

Chapter 1 - What’s Your Title?

Most of us had never heard of Michael Block before yesterday, unless you are a member or his home course or a friend or family member. Just because we do not recognize his name from leaderboards and PGA tour stats does not take away his title of being a “Golfer.” Maybe you relate and your title is still waiting on it’s big break.

Why Do We Stay Up Way Too Late, Like Open Bars and Let Loose?

When you attend a senior living conference, you are with your people. The people that understand you, your mission, your company, your why and your passionate love affair with this space. We can quickly build friendships and get to deeper talk because we do not have to explain all the stuff of this company or that company. It feels like an instant connection. Overheard often is “why are senior living conferences so wild?”  I am starting to think immediate friendship and understanding is the first part of the why.

Not just this morning. It happens at least once a week when my children and I decide we want to “take our time” getting ready. What that really means is we need to finish some homework, switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer that mom forgot about the night before. Or simply take advantage of a schedule where calls do not start until 9am to prevent the chaotic get dressed, pack lunches, fill water bottles, eat breakfast, stop fighting, share the sink when brushing teeth, and please brush your hair repetitive instruction.

I was a bus rider my entire life until the age of 16. But my mom was also a Bus Driver. In fact, she retired from the school district as a Bus Driver. I have never put that in writing nor thought about blasting it to social media. Why? It was embarrassing. It wasn’t glamorous, didn’t pay much, and lacked respect as a worthwhile profession.

But she was the BEST DAMN BUS DRIVER.

This. Breaks. My. Heart!

In the world of engagement there are many Facebook group pages for people who lead programming and activities.

This is their safe space to network, share ideas, learn from one another and honestly vent when things are hard. Is venting the answer? No! But it is the reality. In these pages they feel heard. Validated. Understood.

What I Wish CEO's Knew

I wish that they could peruse these sights to really understand the sentiment of these passionate people who want to do great things, but do not feel it is possible. Whether budget, support, leadership, or resources. They are begging for more. Begging for answers. They are torn because the love their job, the residents and families. But they feel invisible.

I woke up the day after my 44th birthday and had this weird, almost depressing feeling. It was not a normal woo hoo it’s my birthday weekend. For the first time at any age I felt like I embodied the term “mid-life.” To live to be 88 would be amazing. I am not one who wants to have years to a certain number, rather I want days of health, joy, happiness and love to whatever age that may be.

In a day, it was as if I crossed over a mountain top and literally came face to face with the second half of my life. So much up to this point has been building. Building a family, a career, relationships. All the things that make you feel like you are growing up in life.

What is the culture of your family, your household, your neighborhood? How much time have you spent establishing a culture you are proud of? One others can witness and compliment? A culture that is uniquely yours, designed with intention after recognizing and building on what comes natural. A culture not fabricated or embellished. Creating culture must be organic and actions to build and sustain need not be overly exhausting or seemingly unauthentic.

Often I am requested for a project aimed at establishing best practices and guidelines to create world class resident experience in senior living. Can you give us recommendations and a guide that will take our lifestyle programs to the next level and increase resident participation and family satisfaction? I wish it was that quick and effortless. Penning a guide, or putting down on paper all the things an operator should do is easy. But it is rarely the solution. What’s missing is culture and the WHY.

Piloting solutions is the starting point. Rightfully so. Most organizations want to ensure effective use of time, money and resources before committing to a new vendor or solutions to a broader rollout.. 

After participating, executing and promoting many pilots for organizations and clients I have witnessed the great, good, bad, ugly, exciting and disappointing outcomes. 

10 Tips for Successful Pilots

My mom and I transported ourselves to Krakow, Poland. Exactly. A place few have heard of. Not one of the top 10 travel destinations in the world. Not something you would pick from in a list of options. But it was magical. We were there with a kind, informative and engaging guide who knew the city like the back of her hand. 

It was mid January at dusk. Snow was falling, holiday decorations lined the streets. 700 year old churches illuminated the dark space. Locals walking the streets and diners found their way into quaint bistros. 

There is something beyond what words can describe when you are transplanted into a city where spontaneity and everything unplanned and unpredictable can happen. You watch it differently, you inch up closer to the screen. You learn facts and tidbits you had no idea would be of interest. You gaze in awe. You get to ask questions about anything you want. You talk! That was the difference. Whatever you or a group wants to learn about determines how the tour can go. You are in control even though you are literally thousands of miles away.

But it does not end there. There is a carryover effect. There are ongoing conversations. There are thoughts about other places you want to see and learn. There is immediate research looking online at maps, locations, history, facts, culture, you name it. I did not physically go to Poland, but I feel like I have been there, on the streets, immersed in their beautiful culture and architecture.

2023 Projections

The role of resident and customer experience in seniors housing made some strides in 2022. More acquisitions and collaborative relationships narrowed down options, especially in engagement platforms. Although integrations and merging of dual-use customers is not as clearly defined as some would have hoped for or expected by this time. More single-point content solutions are finding a way onto platforms through single-sign on accessibility, reducing the confusion and lack of utilization brought on by logging into multiple portals.

Owners and operators will continue to talk about the overwhelming need to deliver on resident and customer experience as a market differentiator, however sales cycles and commitment to invest dollars to make it happen will remain lengthy despite an abundance of enthusiasm.

The recurring sentiment from community leaders to software and solution developers and companies is a clear consensus...Keep it simple. Don't get too fancy and overwhelm us with features we will not use. And please integrate with our existing partners to reduce the amount of redundant tasks and data entry.

Nineteen days until Blake turns 6. His world is one of innocence, simplicity, and wonder. At this moment we find ourselves flying back home to Florida from Texas at 7pm on Christmas Eve. We woke up watching the news with updates of the NORAD tracker telling us Santa’s whereabouts. All he wanted to do was see Santa in the sky from the airplane. After all, this is a brilliant, and logical idea

I snapped this picture of him holding up his stuffy named “Snowy” that he gladly adopted from a souvenir shop on last year's snowboarding trip. I assumed he was showing Snowy the sparkling city lights of Dallas just after takeoff. But, then I heard these words…

We believe the opportunity to grow, tend, care for, produce and add a biophilia element is an incredibly overlooked level of the community and customer experience. Toss the artificial plants and learn how Eldergrow can support your communities with their different offerings. The newest, DIY Culinary Herb Garden is a no brainer, all year round program that can be expanded on with the local culinary and dining teams.

The current senior living engagement model mirrors the work originating in 1976 by Dr. Bill Hettler where he focused on six dimensions: Emotional, Occupational, Physical, Social, Intellectual and Spiritual. 

As we have said many times before, this theoretical model does in fact serve as a guide for programming specialists to plan and create a well-rounded understanding that we are complex, individualistic, holistic people and one size will not fit all. Recognizing the concept of the dimensions, ranging from 4-8 dimensions is helpful, but it cannot be our only strategy.

Why? 

This article is not about trying to disprove the efficacy of a wellness model, rather illustrate the potential confusion and undue complexity resulting in tech based solutions and resources potentially reporting invalid, unreliable, and inconsistent data. Let’s keep this simple and look at the process that leads to the problem.

An engagement professional sits down to create the monthly calendar. What old things will I keep and continue, what new things will I add? Every month, this is the drill.

I have quickly learned that not all product demos are equal. Sure I get it, but then I absolutely do not get it. If the goal and mission is to improve the lives of older people, why disregard a few for the masses?

Here’s the Whole Story…

You land a demo for a top 10 provider. You are over the moon, high fiving your team and patting yourself on the back. I got in!!!! We are going to plan, strategize, maybe redo the pitch deck, customize the experience. Let’s meet about it. Let’s talk about how we bring our best foot forward. Entice them. Wow them. You name it. I know it happens.

The last 2 years have proved to be a really interesting time in the world of resident engagement platforms. Acquisitions continue to occur and while I understand the consolidation and partnering of companies will ideally (and hopefully) lead to better products and experiences, there seems to be one continual dilemma. 

What does this mean to the end user, the customer?

Since mid 2020 we have seen the following:

Eldermark acquired SmileRx and Viibrant

Touchtown acquired Sagely

iN2L acquired LifeLoop

VoiceFriend acquired CareMerge

Market Map Update

This July publication does not look all that different from January, however there are a few subtle changes. Some solutions have been deleted for various reasons; bankruptcy, mergers and acquisitions, lack of continued growth or stagnant development that leaves them a bit behind the curve of innovation when you think of best “bang for your buck.” We see the most growth in what we call “singe point solutions” that are most likely portal based and address one element of engagement in communal living. While necessary, the overcrowding and similar competition tends to lead to indecisiveness by decision makers, creating a much longer sales cycle. We equate this to trying to find a show on Netflix when you aren’t really sure what you want to watch.