Old age is like everything else. To make a success of
it, you’ve got to start young.
Theodore Roosevelt
I have a keynote that I give to hospitals, long-term
care associations, caregiver groups and most recently even to the EPA.
It is entitled The Meaning of Life. Presumptuous of me huh?! In it I
impart life lessons that we can learn from our elders about living a
quality life. Happens that all of the stories (and related songs)
originate from fantastic elders in nursing and assisted living facilities.
For example, elders living a quality life who I have encountered have an
unbelievable attitude. Take my friend Jean. She was in her late eighties
when she faced the prospect of going into a nursing home. She did not view
it as a place to die but as an opportunity to try new things, experience
life, as she never did before. And she did. This mild mannered widow who
simply raised her sons into fine men never really took time for herself.
In a nursing facility she blossomed and truly had a great end to her final
chapter. How in the world then could any of us, save facing a serious
health problem, have a bad attitude?
I conclude my keynote asking people to think about preparing for their
elder years sooner than later. Prepare emotionally – what does it mean to
grow older? Prepare financially – how will you pay for all of this?
Prepare physically – how you take care of yourself today will affect how
you prosper or NOT when you age.
And that final point was reinforced when I read President Roosevelt’s
quote. Indeed how we live our lives today will absolutely affect how we
prosper or perhaps suffer as we age.
So then what role do healthcare organizations share in helping people of
all ages think about and then prepare for aging? If you look around
currently, actions would indicate that they have no responsibility and
perhaps don’t care to have that responsibility.
And with health care reform and the notion of
accountable care organizations, will it not be incumbent for organizations
to start looking at people’s entry into the continuum of aging services
sooner than later? Gentiva wasted no time adding the hospice element to
its home health offerings. Will nursing homes look to own home health,
adult day, assisted living? Or will hospitals for that matter try to own
everything?
And if they do it will make marketing sense to educate
people about aging options sooner than later. Because all of the services
the industry offers are services people would like to run away from as
fast as possible. Smart organizations that educate and take a personal
responsibility in educating people about quality aging create what we
marketers call tipping points for choice. In other words, when people
finally need a service in the continuum of aging (including hospital care)
they will first look to those in the continuum who have reached out and
helped them.
So my vote is yes the industry has a HUGE responsibility
in helping society age with quality. But if you need the carrot for your
stick know that it is smart marketing and smart business to do so. Got
your attention now!?
