What Senior Care Focused Companies are doing to weather the COVID-19 storm and prepare for post COVID…
While Future Focus blog reported this week that “Home health agencies are facing severe declines in revenue and workforce. Physicians have closed approximately 243,000 offices on average and have suffered a 60% drop in patient volume”
…Elective surgeries at hospitals have resumed and regarding private pay services the buyer behavior of putting consumption of services on hold and delay of decisions is starting to change, especially where families need respite and see first-hand the signs of aging with loved ones.
What are some strategies that make sense?
In the previous article, we discussed details around:
- Not slowing down efforts with recruitment (and adapting a virtual platform)
- A home care owner recently had 4 new cases start and 3 of them were 24/7
- Community response as a differentiation
- Share how you are making a difference
- Adapting your messaging to the market change
- How are we adapting with the times – the companies changing their messaging are getting the lion’s share of recruitment applicants and more traction with client prospects –talk about what our team is doing that is different today
- A focus on marketing in a way that provides relevant information, support and speaking to the need of respite
- Training
- communicating training value in marketing message
- Focus on client retention and inactive clients and checking in
- Adapting service offerings, for example providing staffing services to institutions has been a strong pivot for some companies.
Personal Protective Equipment and the bigger picture:
“Aides and personal care workers, who provide medical and/or personal care come into direct and frequent contact with patients. They account for 53% (2.4 million) of all long-term care workers.” (Kaiser Health News) Looking ahead, it is time to start applying the lessons from the past several weeks today. How do we secure supply for PPE without disruption? Do we have formal/informal networks established for distribution? Can we organize and participate in community PPE distribution and other community focused efforts and events?
Evolving Conversations with Families and Community Members:
Organizations have had to adapt to changing regulations. While you should ere on the side of caution when it comes to protecting your staff, do not let the process of adaptation hold up the need for people who need the care.
Are we elevating the conversation 1-1 with families and in the community? For example, families that have services on pause or are holding off on acquiring care – how involved are you in the game planning process with the family?
Focus on altering the conversation with families – does the family want dedicated support? What are their true expectations? Dominic Fabrizio in community relations at Tribute at Black Hill, a Thrive Senior living community, has a policy of 100% placement – whether it is with his group or somewhere else. “Being dialed in to the community at large and focusing on the agenda of the family, being the best resource for them is an important differentiation”.
Dominic’s strategy comes from a place where he knows families need objective help and someone who will be honest about their specific situation. Families may need to adjust expectations based on the service they acquire. Community or home care options that fit expectations and budget.
We need to have transparent and frank conversations with families.
Is social isolation the concern? Family not in town or moving out of town? Is personal care or managed care solutions the best approach?
Fee for service hourly opposed to managed care will have different delivery and potentially different outcomes and this needs to be discussed with the family in an honest and transparent way.
Discovery
Covid is not going away altogether– what is your current and post covid plan?
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