As I’ve said before, using social media as one marketing tactic is becoming crucial for businesses of all shapes and sizes. But what happens when someone has something bad to say about your business or agency and does so online? Receiving negative comments on your company’s Facebook page, blog, Twitter feed or Yelp reviews is always uncomfortable. Often, our first reaction to negativity is to try and remove the comment or jump to our own defense, but, because you represent your business as well as your fellow employees, it is important to approach these comments with sensitivity. An eloquent response which addresses the negative feedback will go a long way in upholding your reputation. Definitely do not ignore it. And only remove the negative comment if it is scandalous. Removing a mild negative comment  makes it appear as though you have something to hide.  Following are some negative comments along with suggestions on how to respond:

Negativity regarding your service:
“I hired Agency X for cooking and light housekeeping for my elderly mother and these services were not performed as stated! I advise everyone to stay away from Agency X and try Agency Y instead!”

How to Respond:
Because this negativity relates to your service and caregivers, it is important to address your regret that the customer had a negative experience and offer assistance, but also note that others who have hired your agency have had positive experiences.

Example: “I am so very sorry that you did not feel our services lived up to your expectations. Our clients are very important to us, and I hope you will contact us directly at customer.service@agencyx.com or phone number #X so that we may rectify the situation. We work very hard to make sure we provide top quality care at all times as our clients and their families are so important to us. We can only make it better if you identify yourself and let us see if we can make the situation right.”

Negativity regarding your company:
“Company A has bad business practices. I called their customer service line for help and they were rude and unhelpful. Never doing business with them ever again!”

How to Respond:
This comment is in regards to how your company operates and/or treats its clients. Again, respond with sensitivity that the client experienced rudeness, and let others who may read your response know that your company prides itself on quality customer service. Never, ever be snippy or negative in your responses.

Example: “We apologize that your customer service experience was less than satisfactory in your search for help with Company A. If you let us know a bit more about when this happened we could make certain that it does not happen to anyone else. I can assure you that we will look into this issue and see what we can do so it never happens to anyone ever again.  Company A has always prided itself on delivering the highest quality services while rendering helpful and professional customer service, and we will continue to strive to uphold that value. We appreciate that you took the time to bring this to our attention.”

You may encounter even nastier comments than the kind listed above on Facebook or your blog. If a commenter seeks to just be nasty or uses an employee’s name, or worse, a client’s name, simply remove the comment if possible. If the person continues attempting to post comments of this nature, block him or her from your page or account. In all cases, be professional and never go on the offensive or attack the commenter back. Showing professionalism in your response to negativity speaks volumes about your agency and its values.

Social media and social networking are so very important in today’s marketing. Our professional social networking team will gladly work with you to create a strategy, offer constructive ideas, or even do the work for you. Call or email us today to see how we can assist.

Mind over Robotics Allows User to Sip Coffee First Time in 10 Years

Finalists, including corecubed, were chosen by more than 140 business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April and May. More than 150 members of 10 specialized judging committees will determine Stevie Award placements, Gold, Silver or Bronze, during final judging, to take place May 14 – 25. Details about The Stevies and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba.

This outstanding award is validation of the valuable work corecubed produces and the commitment we have to our clients. We will continue onward and upward and produce even more great work!

corecubed’s  more than 15 years of designing, developing and delivering results-driven, award-winning business marketing, has translated into crafting campaigns and products that streamline and simplify marketing a business. For more information about corecubed, please visit www.corecubed.com.

My keynote speech this morning at the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice, “Bigger & Better Customer Service: Winning and keeping clients in today’s market,” shared my version of ‘lagniappe’ and how we add that extra dollop to home care. Today’s home care market has competitive and economic challenges that require new tactics and tools to succeed.  Providing excellence in both the quality of the care provided and the way it is delivered necessitates a concierge state of mind. How have you made your customer service bigger and better?

Take it from me, the core of customer experience is understanding lagniappe.

Customer service with a concierge mentality is not a one-time event; rather, it is a process, and it permeates all components of the business:

Listeners today learned:

• How to identify the concierge approach: what it is and how it looks
• How to develop a plan to add in a concierge mentality for staff at all levels
• How to identify any issues and/ or barriers to developing this approach to excellence

If you need some one-on-one consulting for great home care marketing and concierge, give me a call!

corecubed was honored with 2 SILVER Aster Awards for our brochure work for Advanced TeleHealth Solutions AND Premiere Home Health Care. Congrats to all involved!

Awards were issued for entries that received top marks from judges placing them in the top 16% of the nation for advertising excellence.  Judging criteria included creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal.

The 2012 Aster Awards received nearly 3,000 entries. All winners are posted on the Aster Awards website (www.AsterAwards.com), as well as published in “Marketing Healthcare Today,” a national healthcare marketing magazine.

Basically the thought leaders agreed that telehealth is a market in transition, and that we are moving from connecting places to connecting people. Adoption, the experts say, is the biggest hurdle, since telehealth and telecare need to be embedded into the system, and not laid on top of it, or used next to it.

The goal is “anytime, anywhere healthcare” and the “patients” become consumers in an integrated, embedded model where wellness is the focus, and not sickness. Does that not sound wonderful?

The trends? This will not surprise folks who work in private duty/private pay, but the trend is for chronic disease management, and bringing it all home.

The biggest challenge? Institutional healthcare and the current fragmented system.

In the U.S., we are developing islands of expensive information, where in most of the rest of the world the focus is on cradle-to-grave care. We are stuck, in the U.S., on cost and measuring outcomes when we should be focused on results and innovation. Reimbursement is, of course, at the heart of why telehealth is not more widely used in the U.S. At the current time, it is estimated that there is a gap between current capacity and utilization that is 50 times wide. Meaning we have 50 times the capacity and are not utilizing it.

So, what do we need to do? Education and collaboration were suggested. Also, a realization that the drivers for health outcomes are many times related to genes, the environment and lifestyle. Focusing on the individual at the heart of making a change is one thing that may drive more usage of telehealth and telemedicine and telecare.

Today the Geek Squad announced that they have contracted through AARP to be available to help seniors, for an annual fee, with their tech needs. The world of travel, Words with Friends, online shopping, and communicating in general gets a whole lot easier when the technology is applied and working.

Geezer Geeks Unite

So, those of you who target seniors, just another sign that the website should be at the core of your marketing strategy!

HomeTrak is an industry leader in home care business management and scheduling software. corecubed accepted the challenge of creating an interesting look for their new Companion software program. Specifically, we were tasked with everything from logos, brochures, and CD covers all the way to a new trade show booth and web presence. corecubed helped HomeTrak Companion make an impression with both new clients and those who have been loyal customers for years.

Now, consider our work for Arrow, which offers a niche market home care software product to agencies requiring complex reporting requirements based on a variety of payment sources. Their main customer base is in New York, but they also have clients in nine other states. They came to corecubed for rebranding, new messaging, and a strategy to grow their already successful company.

When you hire me and my team of marketing experts, you receive open ears and brilliant creativity that brings out your voice in a fresh, unexpected delivery. Pop over to corecubed’s online portfolio to browse our work—and start imagining the facelift you’d like for your home care agency or company.

In the sage words of our Web Manager, Will Chatham, “it is not ‘if’ my site gets hacked, it is ‘when”.” Right now, more than ever before, the Black-Hat hackers are working to disrupt how we all do business on the internet. There are some reasons that a site gets hacked, and in the last few weeks we have seen all of them in use.

The reasons and the fixes are from Ask Securi:

1. Website with known vulnerabilities
2. Out of Date Software
3. Bad Usernames and Passsword

So, what can you do? My advice would be to hire corecubed to monitor, update and backup your site if that site in is WordPress, but there are the words from another source if you are more of a do it yourselfer:

• Stay away from Soup Kitchen servers – dedicate a server for your testing, staging and production environment. Familiarize yourself with the concept around website cross-contamination.
• Please, please, please update your software – this includes all thing from the web server OS, CMS platform, associate plugins and themes. In the last month or so we have seen updates to both WordPress and Joomla.
• Back up your site, data and anything else associated with the site – don’t back it up onto the same server, that kind of defeats the purpose of a backup.
• Engage a professional – Would you allow your cousin to operate on you if you needed surgery?
• Use unique credentials, stay away from admin and use random generators for your passwords. This applies to everything from your cpanel to database access, every one of those access points are possible attack vectors. Here is an article you might find interesting talking to how someone would crack your credentials, “How I’d Hack Your Weak Passwords“. Here is another one of a small test we did internally to identify the most commonly used credentials through the use of brute-force attacks.
• Don’t forget about your local environment, ensure you are running an AV on your machine – more often than not we see infections initiate from compromised  machines housing trojans.
• Educate yourself – learn the do’s and don’ts about operating your own website, even if you have a professional. Don’t let yourself be a victim to a professional.
• Learn how to use .htaccess to lock down your site.
• Proactively scan your site manually to make sure things aren’t missed. There are a number of tools available to you, here are a few free tools (no emails and or registrations required): SiteCheck and UnmaskParasites

We all benefit greatly from the freedom and access we have with the Internet. Now it is time to put some extra locks on that open door, and to protect your self and your business, and those who do business with you. Call us or email us and we will be glad to help!

Here in Louisville it will soon be time for a beloved annual tradition. The 138th Kentucky Derby is just two weeks away. It’s thrilling to see all the elaborate spring hats, taste mint juleps, spot celebrities, attend Derby parties, and to hear the sound of one lone trumpet play the tune of “My Old Kentucky Home.”

But above all this, Derby-goers get most excited about a bang, the sight of the gates opening and an announcer screaming, “And they’re off!”  Many horses will gallop, but there will only be one winner.

The business world is a lot like the Kentucky Derby. Competition is fierce and the stakes are high–and only companies with well thought-out strategies succeed and mature. Mature businesses, home care or not, are companies that have a strong base of clients and are well known within their industry or region. Plus, they’ve done a good job of branding—their name, logo and products or services are easily recognizable.

So how can you draft a marketing strategy that fits your unique stage of business life? The following marketing tips can help start the process:

TIP #1: Don’t get complacent.

Complacency is dangerous. A well-established customer base can deliver a decent influx of cash for a business, but it can also bring a false sense of security. Far too many agency owners fall into the trap of thinking that name recognition means they can fudge on their marketing plan, or not pay attention to their customers.

TIP #2: Use a strategy that fits the times.

Well-established companies often make the mistake of getting stuck in a rut when it comes to their marketing strategies. It’s not surprising–after all, if a marketing strategy got you this far, why abandon it? The answer to that question is that customers change and marketing strategies and tactics change with technology and competition.

TIP #3: Don’t stray from your core message.

It’s important that your company continues to develop new ways to market your products or services—but be certain that changing strategies doesn’t result in wasted time focusing on issues other than marketing. If you’ve got a good product that works, don’t change it unless a changing customer base demands revision. Change the marketing strategy – not the product.

My expert team at corecubed provides integrated marketing communications services using a strategic approach to help clients create high-impact campaigns to launch or rebrand products or companies. Contact us today!

Hopefully, if you are in business,  you have interesting, unique things to say about your business. According to the findings of a recent survey conducted by HiveFire, Inc., it turns out that your personal reflections, advice and comments on industry trends are what your target audience really wants to read about. I’ve known since I starting blogging, using social media and writing newsletters that the more original the content is, and the more engaging and contemporanious it is, the more success you will find in reaching new listeners. So, if you enjoy writing, and can make it interesting, then write, write, write, and marry the content with a visual as much as possible.

Stay engaged to what your peers are saying and I guarantee you will easily have much more to contribute. The survey results also find that capturing reader attention can be as easy as adding a photo or image to your post. With this advice, sharing via blog, Twitter or Facebook once or twice a week can be a piece of cake.

Recently, I wrote about visual marketing and how relevant graphic campaigns—with the launch of Pinterest and Facebook Timeline—are with today’s audience. Read the post and my earlier posts about home care marketing tips, and you’ll soon realize even more how all the dots of marketing strategy connect, and how a healthy online presence is so important.

My fabulous team at corecubed can set up social media accounts, create a strategy for success, and implement!

I think its a homer....

Aren’t we at corecubed lucky that one of our strong points is the design talent we possess? With the meteoric rise of Pinterest to Facebook’s $1 billion purchase of Instagram, it is clear that visual marketing and messaging are gaining popularity based on results – success.

From an article about Facebook purchasing Instagram:

“Anyone in marketing, PR and social media should clearly see that the momentum is moving to visual marketing and messaging. Pinterest, Instagram Path and Facebook’s shift to the Timeline format all point to the value of messaging through images. ”

So, what can corecubed do for you?

We can create graphic campaigns.
We can tell your company story in images and share it all over the Internet.
We can create strategic, targeted visual messaging for you through Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

Request a free complimentary 15 minute telephone conference with me, Merrily Orsini, by requesting here. It’s certain to be a homer! Thanks to Marissa Snook, corecubed’s MOST Program Administrator for the great shot taken at Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.

Merrily Orsini Brings Humor and Experience and Relevance to an Audience

May 8, 2012

Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice Private Pay Conference: Think Big!

Keynoting with my presentation, “Bigger & Better Customer Service: Winning and keeping clients in today’s market,” you’ll learn my definition of ‘lagniappe’ and how we add that extra dollop to home care. Today’s home care market has competitive and economic challenges that require new tactics and tools to succeed.  Providing excellence in both the quality of the care provided and the way it is delivered necessitates a concierge mentality from initial contact through service provision.  How do you build it into the agency as core values?

Plus, I’ll be leading a Breakout Session—Inbound Marketing: The Skinny on Social Media. Technology is changing how people find and choose home care providers. From blogging to Facebook, to LinkedIn and Google+, attendees will learn how to integrate traditional agency marketing into today’s strategy.

Register here: http://www.tahch.org/TAHCH/Education_Central/Prof_Continuing_Education.aspx

October 16 – 18, 2012

New York State Association of Health Care Providers’ 2012 Annual Management Conference & Exhibition

Keynoting with my collective thoughts on “The Effective Website: Ever Shifting, Ever Changing,” conference attendees will look through a kaleidoscope, and change their perspective on website functionality and marketing. Technology in today’s world changes rapidly, and how the website is used changes as the viewer changes his scope, and as technology changes the view. How does an agency best use the Internet as a marketing tool? This informative session will address how to integrate all marketing efforts into the agency website, implementing a strategy for success.

Also leading the Breakout Session, “Convergence and Interactivity: Spend an Hour a Week for Results,” I’ll touch on how to maximize the time-limited work week, and how to keep online content fresh, keep the search engines happy, and how to engage potential and current referral sources and customers.

October 21 – 24, 2012

National Association for Home Care & Hospice Annual Meeting & Exposition

With my breakout seminar on, “Inbound Marketing: A Natural for Home Care with Mobile Apps, Website Resources, and Social Media,” I’ll be talking about all things mobile. More and more, the mobile phone and tablets are fast becoming the hub for much of home care sales and marketing. Growing a business is more about having the right information available in a variety of online ways, and interacting and responding appropriately. Attendees will leave ready to get social!

Register here: http://www.nahc.org/Meetings/AM/12/

April 25, 2012

National Private Duty Association (NPDA) Webinar: The Agency Website as the Core of Marketing Strategy

As more people search for resources online, the agency website has become the core for marketing services. Making the most of the agency website, not only in design, but in content, and having the search engines rank the site on the first page, are key goals for marketing. Learn the basics from Will Chatham and me, in this interactive webinar where live sites will be used as examples.

To register contact marla@privatedutyhomecare.org and while you are at it, mention to NPDA that they need to hire corecubed to redesign their website so they can market their webinars online!

For more information about booking me for your next event, check out my “Book Merrily” page and contact my team today!

Social media has gone viral, and social media, although still in its infancy is a game changer. Note some of the latest findings from the “2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report”

• Ninety-one percent of today’s online adults use social media regularly
• Revenue per email averages two times higher for “friends and family” campaigns
• Twenty-eight percent of smartphone owners watch videos on their phones in a typical month
• Pinterest is now the third most popular social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter
• Ninety-two percent of businesses feel their contact data is inaccurate in some way

What can YOU learn from these results?

#1.  Start looking at how your business can incorporate social media into its marketing strategy.

#2. Get some help in understanding how to utilize your businesses contacts in the best way

And, if you want some professional help, call corecubed and we will provide the guidance you need. In the meantime, check us out on Pinterest!

WordPress is responsible for 14.7 percent of the top million websites worldwide representing small, medium and big business.

WordPress is the fastest growing web publishing platform worldwide. While English speaking countries may appear to dominate, WordPress is being used extensively in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Colombia, Spain, India, Romania, South Africa, Netherlands, Peru, Brazil, Philippines, Mexico, and Portugal. According to Google Trends, WordPress is being used in Indonesian at almost triple the rate of English, and nearly the sum total of English, Swedish, Dutch, and Romanian.

See the graph below to check out all platforms. I really love working in WordPress, but more so, love seeing the results from our clients who let us design their websites!

WordPress leads the world in web design platforms

Social media is a lightning fast way to communicate and publish content that expresses your authority in your field—you’re reading my blog, right? Social media can also increase your following and pump traffic to your website—and, as I’ve always said, a website should be at the core of all marketing efforts. Earning trust isn’t limited to your patients and clients, either; local media and bloggers may be listening as well.

A strong online presence is so important because search engines notice when content is shared. Google translates this sharing of information and links to recommendations and influence, thus moving your name up the search engine rankings—which helps potential clients find you in their time of need. And, traditional media are reporting through social networks and online news outlets more than ever before, and they reach a large segment with each post. Securing print and online coverage is still a sure way to increase valuable influence.

In fact, speaking of online reporting, dozens of newspapers are creating pages on Pinterest, which is the latest social media platform to really take off. I’m sure we’ll be posting quite a bit over the next few months about retailers and businesses pinning lots of hope on Pinterest accounts. Will you Pinterest?

My fabulous team at corecubed can set up social media accounts, create a strategy for success, and implement! We know the value of social media as well as traditional media in marketing, and are staying ahead of the curve.

Voices of Alumni: Merrily Orsini

And the estimate from FaceBook in its IPO filing was that it ended 2011 with 432 million monthly active mobile users. FaceBook  also revealed for the first time the number of monthly users who only access the site from a mobile device: 58 million, or 13.4 percent.

If that is not enough for you to be a believer, the article published today goes on to say, “From January 2011 through January 2012, Facebook.com has been the number one online property accessed through personal computers worldwide as measured by total minutes spent and total page views, according to a comScore Media Metrix report dated February 2012. On average, users in the aggregate spent more than 10.5 billion minutes per day on Facebook on personal computers during January 2012. Aggregate minutes per day increased 57% and average minutes per user per day increased 14% during January 2012 as compared to January 2011.”

My fabulous team at corecubed can set up social media accounts, create a strategy for success, and implement! We know the value of social media as well as traditional media in marketing, and are staying ahead of the curve.

The new Personalized Agency Benchmarking Report is the only report in private duty home care that shows you how you measure up to the industry. With the information you submitted when you took the survey, Home Care Pulse will create a custom, confidential report, designed just for you, that compares your agency side-by-side to the latest industry benchmarks in each chart and graph.

If you didn’t participate in the study, you can still take the survey at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com by following the steps on the home page. Your information won’t be included in the study results, but Home Care Pulse will still be able to use it to create your custom edition.

Your Personalized Agency Benchmarking Report will  contain the full results of the 2012 Private Duty Benchmarking Study with personalized benchmarks, including:

• Your Profit & Loss vs. Industry
• Your Referral Growth vs. Industry
• Your Caregiver Turnover vs. Industry
• Your Agency vs. Leading Agencies
• Geographic Comparisons
• Plus, Articles from Industry Experts!

To preview the sections and content, download the Report Preview now at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com.

There are actually 13 people signing up for Twitter every 13 seconds. If you are interested in actual stats, there is a site that tracks all of this. An example below of the information on Twopcharts.

MerrilyO Wishes Twitter Happy Birthday

Another social media discussion yesterday covered how best to spend marketing dollars and posed the question, “is incorporating social media an important expenditure when marketing funds are limited”? It depends on the target AND the goal. Blogging is almost always beneficial, IF the website alongside which the blog is working is a great website that will generate leads and help convert clients. FaceBook is a good tool to showcase individuality and to offer up some events and product launches. Twitter is a great overall space to help increase SEO for a website and for reaching out to a specific audience, but it takes time. There are tools, of course, to help manage all the social media entries, but the key is strategy.  Look at the marketing budget. Identify the target. Then measure how best to reach that target. Social media is just one tool in the marketers’ toolbox. Want to know if it is right for YOUR business? Ask corecubed’s team of experts.

Now, if you do not have an internet marketing strategy as a core component of your business, or, if you think that doing business on the internet, finding customers and leads, and answering questions is not paramount to the success of any business, think again!

And ask corecubed to help you with that strategy to be competitive in this new world of inter-connectivity.

Landing pages are usually single pages (sometimes double with links) that are specific to a product or service and have a great call to action. A landing page is a page on your site dedicated to delivering on promises made by the offers in your content. The goal is to get a consumer of your content to take another step toward becoming a customer. Your home page is not a good landing page. It really needs to be a specific page, either attached as a part of your website or using a standalone URL so it is impactful.

I just came across these great tips for content marketers, which is what marketing home care is all about. Here are some of those tips (borrowed) for turning content into sources for traffic, leads and sales through powerful calls to action:

Be bold. Catch the reader’s attention.

Offer something of value, even if it’s more content. For home care it should be helpful tips and resources or checklists.

Be inline. Put calls to action right in the copy.

Be mobile. Add QR codes so your readers can go on a little adventure to your next offering.

Be creative. Just like an ad in any medium, you want to create compelling calls to action for placement in your valuable marketing educational content.

Be generous. Have great content. Be miserly. Hold something back that the reader or viewer has to click through to get. For instance, hold back five of ten tips.

Be exclusive. Offer something exclusive to consumers. Include the offer to those who attend a presentation or an event.

corecubed’s MOST program for home care agencies is based partly on content marketing. Want to experience all of corecubed’s 2012 marketing series, including the most recent MOST webinar? You can view past presentations on our website. See you today!

Before digging deep into strategy details, ask yourself if you have completed the following strategic marketing steps:

• Have you strengthened your brand through a website redesign that meets today’s technology?
• Have you focused on the materials needed for education about your services?
• Have you trained office staff to do better intake and understand private duty better?
• Have you adopted a meaningful cause?
• Have you started a PR campaign that focuses on identifying interested media to share your company story?
• Have you created a culture of networking that includes participating in community events?

With those marketing steps in the back of your mind, now you need to find a way to stand out and be remembered. Here’s how you do that!

• Understand the target audience.
• Understand the messages that resonate with the target.
• Marry the visual with the message.
• Communicate often in channels that reach the target.
• Focus on results, based on measurement.
• Communicate to the right people within referral organizations, and make their lives easier.
• Make a good first impression.
• Interact and respond appropriately, online, direct and in person.
• Fulfill needs.

Throughout the coming weeks, I will expose my secrets for integrating marketing efforts in an orchestrated strategy. To provide a visual for a marketing plan outline, click and reference this guide below.

In the meantime, if you have questions about marketing your home care agency, I would love the opportunity to strategize to help you meet your marketing needs. Or, book me to speak at your next home care or marketing event.

The JOBS Act proposes to relax reporting requirements for those smaller companies that wish to seek funding through initial public offerings, plus it expands the number of investors allowed for the funding of community banks.

Crowdfunding is the phenomenon that the internet makes possible. is already thriving under limited circumstances in corners of the Internet. Some of the sites that make crowdfunding possible are Kickstarter, (offers rewards instead of equity), HelpersUnite, (primarily for green projects and charitable fundraising) and PetriDish.org, (scientific focus).

The bill that just passed the house and is expected to pass in the senate would be for entrepreneurs looking to raise $2 million or less, and investors would be limited to putting up no more than $10,000 (or 10 percent of their annual income).

Get the full scoop.

Here’s how your agency will benefit by participating:

Self Evaluation – The survey is designed as a self evaluation tool. Simply by answering the questions, you will be gaining a competitive advantage over your competitors who do not participate. Also, rest assured, your answers are completely anonymous and confidential.

Participant Incentives – This year’s incentives for participants are greater than any other year. To learn more about these incentives, including the Personalized Benchmarking Report, watch the video at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com. This report in particular, will be among your greatest assets for your business to date.

Competitive Advantage - Those who take the survey and then purchase a discounted copy of the 2012 Private Duty Benchmarking Study, especially the personalized version, will have a significant competitive advantage over their competition.

To learn how to participate, go to www.privatedutybenchmarking.com and take the 3 steps outlined on the site. Thank you in advance!

When ordering the Personalized Benchmarking Study, be sure to use corecubed’s promo code at checkout for a total 40% discount off the pre-order price. Promo code is:  CORE2012

In fact, with the advent of so many web-based marketing tactics, aging care providers across the country—from care agencies to senior living facilities—are exploring new marketing practices because the way they have previously received business and referrals is changing. An emerging trend in the industry, and one that has strong roots here in Louisville with Humana and Senior Bridge, is the new alliances forming between insurance providers who are managed care companies and home care and care management companies. These alliances create hybrid forms of a variety of services for the elderly.

Tackling the new business referral issue in this changing environment is an important topic that I educated home care agencies about during the New York State Association for Health Care Providers industry meeting on January 31 of this year. I addressed the conference attendees about planning and adapting to new marketing strategies with the goal of securing a spot on coveted and narrowing referral lists.

My experience spans nearly all aspects of the aging care industry—from owning and operating a home care agency to serving on national boards and influencing political leaders on home care issues. I serve as a home care marketing thought-leader and provide expert counsel to national organizations and businesses on aging and care issues as well as strategic marketing for products aimed at those targets. Additionally armed with strategic knowledge of the latest developments in mobile technology and social media, a new frontier for leaders in aging care, I am introducing, with the talent of my corecubed staff, a fresh marketing perspective that is relevant to businesses and their targeted audiences today.

Recently I had the fortune to go on an expedition to Antarctica. While there, and prior to going, I learned about the early explorers to the White Continent and the hardships they suffered. I read about the efforts of many to chart unknown waters and to trudge through icy and snow covered mountains filled with unsuspecting crevasses. Alone with the penguins and whales, normal life seemed a million miles away, and should I have needed help from the mainland, none would be forthcoming. Antarctica is a long way away from anything else and unreachable except by a 2 day voyage across treacherous waters.

The White Continent

This lost and alone feeling is the same that people experiencing elder care issues for the first time feel. And they also feel the crevasses and the treacherous waters that keep them from safe harbor. So, how can those who offer elder care services make the journey less fearful, less painful, and more warm and fuzzy for the adult child? Education that is specific to the need. An active listener who actually hears the fear and the unknown and can pinpoint the issues and help solve the problems. Now, I am feeling rather dramatic as I write this, but searching for answers is the first step. And, having a great website that targets specific issues is one of the answers. Not the complete answer, but a start. Won’t you join us for an educational webinar on our award winning MOST program? That is one, simple way for agencies to have all the information needed to respond to the lost adult child, and to start developing a website that is chock full of safety  nets for those who feel lost in the wilderness of eldercare issues.

And, already, some really great press has shared the movement with the rest of the country. The winter 2012 issue of American Style magazine has printed a wonderful article about the early days of the Studio Glass movement (part 1) with great photos, as well. Click here to read the complete article.

Since 1962, glass art has become a popular and exciting medium for museums, galleries, collectors, artists, and students. One-of-a-kind glass sculptural art is found all over the United States in museums, hotels, cruise liners, botanical gardens, parks, restaurants and many other notable public spaces.

A listing of 2012 glass art events is ever changing and as information is finalized, details can be found online at http://contempglass.org/2012-celebration.

This study is the largest, most trusted study in private duty home care and we highly encourage all agencies to be a part of it. And, this year, the survey is less than half the length of previous years, making it faster and easier than ever to be a part of the study.

Plus, Home Care Pulse will be offering a complimentary Agency Performance Report for your business when you participate, based on the information you provide in the survey. Best of all, you are eligible for a 40% participation discount, when you pre-order the 2012 Edition and use this unique promotion code: CORE2012. This discount will be available only to participants, through March 31^st.

The Agency Performance Report will feature the full 2012 Edition, plus your own agency data compared side-by-side with the latest industry benchmarks. This is a confidential report, provided by Home Care Pulse and designed just for you.

Exciting additions to the 2012 Study include:

• Fast and easy study survey (about 15 minutes when you complete the Prep Worksheet)
• Instant access to your complimentary Agency Performance Report based on your data
• 25% off when you pre-order the complete 2012 Edition ($75 value)
• A wealth of articles from major industry players
• In-depth comparisons to leading agencies in the industry
• Comprehensive data from several hundred agencies

 We invite you to be a part of it today! Learn more at www.privatedutybenchmarking.com or join the Private Duty Benchmarking Group on LinkedIn.

Thank you for your participation.

Day three of the 2012 Private Duty Homecare Association Leadership Summit began with attendees learning from their peers at our Birds-of-a-Feather Roundtables. Facilitated by experts on various topics, attendees sat around tables to get input and to discuss ways to grow and improve what they are doing related to the topic. The questions were flying and watching agency owners share their best practices was a great collaborative exercise. Many continued their discussions post-session and planned to exchange contact information post-conference.

Topics at the roundtables included:

• Alternative service offerings
• Modeling private home care services based on a concierge model
• Social media as a marketing tool
• Google & Grandma: SEO tips
• Health care reform
• Grass roots lobbying efforts for home care issues
• Ethics and the new age of private duty home care
• Disaster preparedness
• Long-term care insurance ins and outs
• CRM and workflow processes
• Wage and hour issues

Software Speed Dating

For those interested in learning about scheduling and management software, attendees joined the first-ever software speed dating session. Four different vendors presented for 15 minutes each. They highlighted what differentiated their software as well as highlighted the items that current customers find the most beneficial. Vendors that participated were eSolutions, Generations, Shoshana Technologies, Rosemark and Heath Trust Software.

Closing General Session

Private duty home care agencies are facing business-changing issues from current legislation. From health care reform and all that trickles down from those initiatives, Bill Dombi, Vice President of Law for NAHC, closed the conference with a thorough download from Washington DC Bill opened with the fact that our biggest concern should be how we are going to meet the great and growing demand for care. He added that, because it is an election year, he predicts we will not see the health care reform act repealed in 2012. However, it will be a central part of the 2012 campaigns for presidential election.

In 2012, several issues are on the forefront, including the fate of healthcare reform law at the US Supreme Court. Everyone is really looking toward the US Supreme Court to see what they are going to decide with these cases. What will be affected out of these decisions will be:

• individual mandate which addresses the minimum coverage provision
• Anti-Junction Act which deals with applicability

What might be considered the most impactful issue on the table for private duty is the Companionship Exemption. Bill went through many of the updates about where legislation stands as well as what we can expect in the near future. For a recap of these updates, please watch the Legislative Update videos at www.youtube.com/PDHCA.

NAHC has an action plan which includes conducting an economic impact study as well as a media campaign. Bill mentioned that agencies can go the NAHC website to send messages to Congress.

Post-Conference Intensive: Focus on Sales

Led by Barbara Akst, BA, MA, CEO of Training Unlimited of Virginia, this time served as an interactive work session. Attendees came prepared with their sales plans to focus on goals and objectives to establish action items to carry out upon returning to the office. A key take-away from the session for the attendees was to understand and determine the difference between knowing goals vs. objectives. Another great learning from the session was the acronym “SMART” Goals. SMART stands for specific, measureable, achievable, results focused, time bound. Barbara encouraged attendees to think about what is it that they want in a sales professional in terms of characteristics, what their role will be and what their performance expectations are.

Watch what happened at the Private Duty Homecare Association Leadership Summit on the PDHCA YouTube Channel! 

When Dr. Lance Secretan was introduced and he walked up to the front of the room and continued right past the podium where most speakers would take their station, we knew we were in for something different. Walking the floor with the audience, he engaged from the very beginning. He led with, “We are going to talk about inspiration.”

He discussed leadership as an old concept with a missing piece, which is inspiration. How can you inspire others if you, yourself are not inspired? To dive into that concept, he talked about motivation and how we often as a society confuse motivation with inspiration. We have built companies, incentives, etc. on motivation, which is a fear-based concept. Dr. Secretan encourages us to throw this idea out and shift thinking toward inspiration. To be inspiring to others and to yourself, you must change the words you use. Inspiring words are those with compassion, care and love. “Love leads to inspiration.”

Dr. Secretan asked, “How do you run a healthcare business when the game around you changes all the time?” Take a good look at your leadership team. He stated that because we are human beings, all leadership teams are dysfunctional to some extent. The first thing we need to do is align and correct  these teams. To do so, ask three questions and have everyone in the leadership team share these responses with each other.

1. Why am I here? This is your destiny.
2. What is my calling? This is your calling.
3. How will I be? This is your character.

This is called the “Why Be Do.”

Another major component of Dr. Secretan’s insight had to do with the concept of Permission Space. What will people allow you to do? What is accepted by your customer base? You will be given permission to be great if you do these things. As an agency, figure out what those things are, plot them on a map and follow it.

“Inspiration drives performance.”-Dr. Lance Secretan.

“Authenticity is the alignment of the mind, the mouth, the heart and the feet.” -Dr. Lance Secretan

Paul Kusserow, Humana

Paul opened with a powerful statement. He believes home care, despite the uncertain healthcare landscape, is an extraordinary business to be in—and will change the way we age.

He discussed how Humana took the principles of Dr. Secretan and changed the dynamic of the company. Fundamentally, Humana wanted to establish a continuum of care for their customers. They wanted to start the dialogue about wellbeing with customers before they were ill. They believed this was in their permission space.

To this end, Humana began to research their customer base to see what their customers’ impressions of wellbeing were.

Through this process, Humana realized that they wanted to be “all things senior.” They see a great deal of opportunity for home care companies in telehealth and helping families become a part of the care process. Agencies should think about how to expand their influence. He concluded with, “Humana wants to inspire people to be the best they can be and partner with them to do that.”

Make sure to see Val J. Halamandaris’ recap of his thoughts on the keynote speakers at http://youtu.be/NbsU5jzQNDU.

Education Sessions

PDHCA was honored to host a series of education sessions in the afternoon with dynamic content for attendees. For clips of the sessions, visit PDHCA’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/PDHCA.

Session topics included:

• Get more web visibility, traffic and leads
• New rules of home care growth in the post-recession age
• Negotiating the sale of a home care agency
• Legal issues concerning websites, blogs and social media
• Attracting and retaining the A+ caregiver
• Making sense out of private duty’s role in transitional care
• Focused networking as an art form that drives sales
• Obtaining insurance benefits for your clients’ care
• Quality & customer service: two sides of the same coin

Continue to follow PDHCA Conference updates at #PDHCASummit on Twitter and watch important video of conference speakers on the PDHCA YouTube Channel! 

• Mommy and baby programs
• Day of sugary support
• Cruise companions
• Home modification
• Holiday helpers

She pointed out that business is anything your customers are willing to pay for and that you can provide confidently. She also recommended that you heed caution when considering new services. In other words, give careful thought before launching. Make sure you follow state rules.

A big focus in the pre-conference intensive was the Operations Dashboard. Knowing where you are in terms of data will be the only way agencies can remain profitable and successful during growth. Agencies have to know what costs are: productivity of staff, cost of leads, cost of referrals, conversion ratios, average hours per new client, per active client, loss ratio, etc.—bottom line, you have to look at gross profit and net. A good operational dashboard will help you figure that out. According to Ginny, “Salespeople should be making 25 to 30 sales calls per week.” Additionally, she advises that agency owners should make sure salespeople know their “speak” when marketing to referral sources.

Next up was Patricia Drea, focusing on benchmarking. She recommended that small agencies (those with revenue under $500k) track key indicators such as:

• Lead tracking
• Lead conversion
• Monthly profit & loss

For agencies with $1M and above, Patricia noted that a referral analysis should be added. It is also at this point that she recommends following up with customer service surveys to make sure the quality of service is still there and allowing for measurement of change.

Once an agency moves into the $3M and up revenue category, a comparative performance between people on staff should be added. Scorecards and process improvement are necessary for improving performance, and Patricia was quoted as saying, “Make sure to continue to use benchmarking after implementing process improvements so you don’t slide backwards.”

Some of the numbers that agencies should pay attention to when benchmarking are the average number of hours per care recipient. This value lets you know if you are recruiting fast enough. Also, pay attention to profit margin. Patricia stated, “Industry standards say that the average profit is 15 to 20%.”

A big takeaway for the groups was this simple, but powerful statement, “You won’t make up profit margin with volume.

Patricia also recommended that office staff salaries and benefits should be 12 to 16% of total gross revenue.

A great take-away from the entire pre-conference intensive for all agencies is, “Private duty agencies need to become data-driven organizations.”

Scott Spangler wrapped up the morning session with a quote about the positive effects of having a functional operational dashboard, “The dashboard is a great tool to catch greatness.”

Continue to follow PDHCA Conference updates at #PDHCASummit on Twitter and watch important video of conference speakers on the PDHCA YouTube Channel! 

According to TechCrunch.com, “Sales completed from mobile devices grew, reaching 14.4 percent versus 5.3 percent on Christmas Day 2010, representing an increase of 172.9 percent. In terms of specific mobile devices, the iPad led all mobile device traffic to retailers at 7 percent, followed by the iPhone at 6.4 percent and Android at 5 percent.”

So what does all this mobile use mean for health care? A lot, actually. Mobile technology is being used across all areas of the industry, with big names like Verizon and Sprint getting in on the game with remote patient monitoring devices. And, with customers and potential clients spending so much time on their mobile devices, it’s important for health care industry professionals to have a mobile-enabled website  to increase sales and awareness of services, locations served, as well as brands.

A surprising number of businesses have still not taken the steps to make their websites mobile-friendly, so many, in fact, that Google recently sponsored an effort to encourage businesses to make sure they offer websites that work well on mobile devices. The bottom line is simple. Similar to the retail industry, increasing numbers of potential clients will be searching for their health care needs – doctors, local home care agencies, independent living aids – from mobile devices. If a company’s site is not mobile enhanced, chances are the customer will search for what they need elsewhere.HIPAA Regulations and Compliance

When conducting health related business via mobile devices, as so many physicians and health care agencies are doing these days, it is vital to ensure that all interactions are HIPAA compliant. According to a white paper published by Diversinet, “A large number of new entrants and small mobile health companies are providing targeted wireless personal health monitoring devices and services that collect and transmit health data. An even larger number of smart phone application companies have developed specialized mHealth apps for patient monitoring, scheduling medical appointments and medication reminders. At the other end of the vendor spectrum, well-established global technology service providers are adapting existing security products for the healthcare sector.”

The paper also lists mobile security best practices such as, encrypting patient health information on mobile devices, authentication of users prior to transmitting patient health information and automatic session timeout, logoff and device locking. To read more about mobile security and HIPAA compliance for health care professionals, download Diversinet’s white paper.

So what can you do to get up to date with offering your services to a mobile user? Make certain that your website is built with mobile applications in mind, and, if not, look into what it would take to make that transition. And, get on board with the rest of the world that is going mobile!

corecubed can help. We have mobile enabled many business websites, updated them for today’s business searcher, and continue to maintain them for best results.

Personalized and social search results are not new to Google. They have been around since 2005 and 2009, respectively, but not included in the regular searches. Now personal, social and public algorithms are all rolled into one happy (for some) search algorithm.

For more detail, you can read all about it.

According to Wired.com reports, this last week of 2011 was the biggest week ever for app downloads. Many of these downloads, about 500 million of them, were by users in the United States. Another stat noted was that a record number of new Android and iOS devices (nearly 7 million) were actually activated on Christmas day.

So, what does this mean? Mobile devices are here to stay with usage growing daily, exponentially. And, from a marketing perspective, it means that you had better have anything that a customer needs to know readily available online, and mobile enabled.

One of your new year’s business resolutions should be “mobile enable”.

The pre-conference workshop will happen Monday, January 23, 2012, from 8:30-11:45 a.m.

Topics covered:

• How to set up a private duty business correctly.
• Chart of accounts.
• How to read a P&L statement.
• Cash flow and profitability.
• What is the best way to classify home care for accounting?
• Dashboard – division of types of services, by hours scheduled.
• From tuck-ins to wake-ups to live-ins, and the costs related to each as a way of determining service mix.
• Caregiver types, pay and responsibilities.
• Referral sources by type.
• Admissions by source – understanding where referrals come from that are turning into real clients.
• How to get more of the clients with the higher revenue.
• Service offerings that make the most money? Differing offerings and how to measure and manage each.
• Caregiver turnover ratio and how to figure.
• How to develop a profile for the ideal caregiver and orientation.
• Screening and hiring processes and training.

Enjoy the chance for unbeatable professional development, and learn from educational sessions on effective operations, marketing and human relations at this year’s Private Duty Home Care Leadership Summit & Expo. For more details about the conference, please visit: http://www.nahc.org/Meetings/PD/12/program.pdf.

Head to www.helpchoosehome.com for more information.

Attendees will learn about:

• How to address fall risks in the home
• Tips on proofing the home for falls
• How in-home care can help prevent falls
• Resources for fall prevention education

Webinar details:

• When: January 10, 2012 at 7pm Eastern
• How: Register here – https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/813847586

One of my daily reads is a series of articles about marketing, and today this one hit the spot:

“If you aren’t meeting the right kinds of customers or clients, try fishing further upstream, in another river, or hunting quail instead. There’s no shame in changing course, and you may find that a very small change can pay very large dividends—for your business and your lifestyle.”

If you own or operate a home care agency, you can  help by taking this survey:

http://homecarepulse.f67ee7dc5908.sgizmo.com/s3/

The proposed rule has been long expected as both President Obama and Labor Secretary Solis had voiced strong support for a change as early as the 2008 presidential campaign. The White House held a public unveiling of the proposed rule yesterday presenting it as part of the President’s efforts to take action outside of Congress. 

The Department of Labor proposes several changes to the existing companionship services exemption:

1. “Companionship services” would be defined to include only the services of “fellowship” and “protection.” Incidental “care” would be allowed provided it is less than 20% of the work time. This proposed definition is in contrast to the current rule that includes “care” within the core definition and allows for 20%” housekeeping” work time.  Medicare home health aide services and Medicaid personal care services would not qualify as “companionship services” under the proposed definition.
2. The exemption would not apply to “companionship services” provided through workers that are employed by a third party employer rather than the client or the client’s family. By eliminating the application of the exemption to third-party employers no services of any nature provided by a home care business would be exempt.
3. The separate “live-in services” exemption would not apply to workers under the employment of a third-party. This would mean that companies providing live-ins would be required to pay minimum wage and overtime compensation regardless of the nature of the work performed.
4. Employers of “live-in” workers would be required to keep detailed time records of the hours worked by the employee. Current rules allow for an agreement with the client to substitute for the recordkeeping.

The NPRM includes a lengthy impact analysis that includes consideration of the effect on workers, businesses, and government-based payment programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. Overall, the impact analysis is driven by an assumption that home care employers will control compensation costs by limiting working hours so that overtime thresholds are not exceeded. DoL also opines that workers will secure second jobs if they wish to have greater work hours. If these assumptions prove adequate, the proposal to require overtime compensation will have no real positive financial impact on workers.

The impact analysis also recognizes that employers will incur greater costs in terms of recordkeeping and worker hiring and management. That seems to indicate that the proposed rule has little or no benefit to anyone and generally just increases costs for employers and payers.

The National Association for Home Care & Hospice has had a longstanding involvement in the companionship services exemption issues. In 2000, a regulatory change similar to today’s issuance was proposed and later withdrawn. Legislative proposals to significantly reduce the exemption have not succeeded. NAHC also joined with others in spearheading two successful appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court to maintain the exemption. NAHC will release a survey on Friday that will be used to gather up-to-the-minute impact information from home care companies across the country.

It is NAHC’s position that the exemption should be maintained. Instead, NAHC recommends that any consideration of changes to compensation laws must be done in combination with an overall evaluation of what is best for home care clients, how new compensation obligations will be paid for, and what is the best use of limited financial support for care of the elderly and the disabled. NAHC believes that the full panoply of worker interests need to be considered, not simply overtime  compensation in isolation from all other matters such as base wages, career opportunities, and health insurance.

The NPRM is only a proposed rule. There is a 60 day public comment period which is a valuable opportunity that should not be missed by anyone interested in this issue. NAHC is working with a number of organizations with similar interests and will also be working to get input from state Medicaid programs and other payers that may face higher costs.

A further, detailed analysis is in the works as the 186 page rule is reviewed and analyzed. Stay tuned to NAHC Report. The full NPRM is available at:

So, how do you get people to call? You give them a reason, based on their need for information. You stay in front of them on a regular basis so they remember your agency name. Unfortunately, the needs for home care often come at unexpected times, and what home care means may not be totally understood. Be the local, approachable resource for information and be a comfort during a time of tough decisions for your audience.

As a former home care agency owner myself and a marketing expert with today’s technology, I know from working experience that growing an agency means:

• Having the right information available in a variety of online ways;
• Interacting and responding appropriately, online and directly;
• Integrating all outreach, communication efforts with online inbound efforts.

My next post will explore finding your target audience and referral sources. In the meantime, check out MOST^SM, our coveted monthly turnkey marketing communications program designed for home care agencies—so you can put my strategic marketing practices into play immediately.

PDHCA is hosting a great lineup of expert speakers, and you will certainly profit from three intense days, packed with innovative and easy-to-implement ideas. Learn how you and your staff can provide better service and be more productive every day while keeping ahead of the competition.

Why Attend this Meeting?

• There will be something for everyone—from new agencies to well-established, multi-office operations
• Earn continuing education credits in nursing and social work
• Build relationships & network with industry vendors and peers
• Benefit from an interactive Home Care Software Speed Dating session, plus Software User Groups
• For the first time, PDHCA is offering a pre-conference intensive on operations & systems, and a post-conference intensive on selling for experienced sales and marketing personnel

Type of Education Offered?

• A surprise keynote speaker to motivate and move attendees
• A panel of referral sources giving attendees an inside look as to why they would refer
• Educational sessions on effective operations, marketing, and human resource
• Peer-to-peer learning at Birds-of-a-Feather roundtable discussions guided by industry leaders

To register or for more information on the conference, please visit  http://www.nahc.org/Meetings/PD/12/. Be sure to mark your calendar. Viva Las Vegas!

Due to the advancement of mobile technology and ad screening/blocking software, businesses of all kinds are focusing more on being found online than pushing their products and services out to potential clients. Knowing your target audience can help you narrow down your focus and attract the clients that are most likely to buy what you’re selling.  This blog from corecubed provides more information on how to use inbound marketing to get clients knocking at your door.

For home care agencies, regular blogging, maintaining a presence on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and optimizing websites for search engine rankings are the top ways to boost your inbound reach and ensure you can be found online.

Want a visual of how inbound and outbound marketing work together? This handy infographic should do the trick.

Click image to enlarge

When designing a website to be a successful marketing tool, be mindful of search engine optimization (SEO)—key words written into your messaging that will help your company to be found during online searches (think Google, bing, etc.).  And, use your new site to build a referral base and contact list. Many agency sites use a “Contact Us” form for online visitors to fill out for referral tracking and future outreach.

A contact management process allows companies to remain in regular communication with people and helps keep the agency top of mind with emails or newsletters. However, going beyond basic contact information and asking more questions can mean the difference between just another email address and a potential referral source. When implementing a “Contact Us” page, ask referral sources for additional information such as:

• Is there a specialty service you provide that our patients might want to use?
• Do you have educational needs that one of our home care experts could fulfill?
• Is there a particular type of patient that you work with best?
• What is the most important item you look for when making a referral?

Also, create a separate section within the online contact form for direct inquiries from potential patients or family members and ask:

• Are there any physical limitations which require special assistance?
• Are there special dietary needs or restrictions?
• What is the current level of physical activity?
• Are there any special medical conditions?

And for each and every inquiry, ask:

•  How did you hear about us?

Collecting answers to these simple questions will help the intake process run smoothly. Just remember to keep it brief! Check back next week for tips you won’t want to miss about marketing messaging that engages and connects with your target audience.

In the meantime, if you have questions about marketing your home care agency, I would love the opportunity to strategize to help you meet your marketing needs. Or, book me to speak at your next home care or marketing event.

Definition of inbound marketing: Using the Internet and related media to learn about products or services; offering useful information, tools and resources to attract and develop relationships, educate and engage.

Platforms used with inbound marketing: SEO; Blogs; PPC; Social media; QR codes

Inbound marketing means remaining relevant with your audience—and building an online presence that fits the new model for how people find goods and services. With high-speed Internet access available almost anywhere and with smart phones and tablet computers quickly becoming the hub for much of home care sales and marketing, social networking, mobile-friendly websites, online directories, industry blogs and interactive communities should be an active part of any marketing strategy.

Confused about where to start? My next post will explore website design and development—which is a necessary starting point for implementing inbound marketing. I have plenty to say about content creation, search engine marketing, and mobile applications. A good company website is arguably the most important marketing tool and absolutely crucial. Read this recent article that I wrote which may serve as a great introduction to our continued discussion.

In the meantime, if you have questions about marketing your home care agency, I would love the opportunity to strategize to help you meet your marketing needs. Or, book me to speak at your next home care or marketing event.

My experience spans nearly all aspects of the home care industry—from owning and operating a home care agency to serving on national boards and influencing political leaders on home care issues. Today, I’ve assumed the role of home care marketing expert and provide counsel to national organizations and businesses on aging and care issues as well as strategic marketing for products aimed at those targets. I’m also armed with strategic knowledge of the latest developments in mobile technology and social media, a new frontier for leaders in home care—so I aim to introduce a fresh marketing perspective that is relevant to audiences today.

More details about the Private Care Conference can be found here. Have questions about marketing your own home care agency? I would love the opportunity to strategize your marketing needs.

My home care marketing discussion is rich with first-hand understanding that private duty home care is an at-need service, so being remembered when a need arises is the key to increasing referrals. This can be accomplished by using a variety of tactics across all media. It’s all about marketing, marketing, marketing! 

Today’s session, titled “Resource-Rich Marketing to Referral Sources: A Way to Stand Out from the Crowd,” further defines the strategy behind this concept and how it has proven to be effective. And, participants will:

·    Be able to demonstrate the importance of a marketing strategy by understanding the “at need” component of home care services

·    Be able to discuss the human elements of reactions to branding, consistent messaging and educational and informational components that resonate with referral sources

·    Be able to identify how to implement consistent, branded and resource-rich marketing messages and visuals across a wide variety of referral sources to generate new referral sources

Thanks for reading my ongoing homecare marketing tips, resources, and strategies for success here at www.merrilyorsini.com. You’ll always find something new to bring to your marketing strategy, be reminded of home care marketing basics, or simply stay in the loop about upcoming conferences, webinars, and marketing and technology topics. 

If you would like more information about booking me for a consultation, to speak at your conference or event, or to review and provide input on industry ideas, information or materials, please fill out the form here and someone will be in touch with you shortly.

Basically inbound marketing is getting people with an interest in products and/or services to find your products and services, and mostly online. This infographic “splains it” pretty well, and the bottom line is, well the bottom line. It costs less to get a lead and a customer if they are looking for you! No joke. But, the process is strategic and effective. And corecubed has been doing inbound marketing for years now, and our clients are certainly happy that we ARE ahead of the curve. And, actually, so are we….

PDHCA’s discussion, co-presented by Peter Notarstefano, an aging expert from LeadingAge, will be an invaluable presentation of the telltale indicators that additional care is needed. The interactive webinar discussion will cover topics such as: what can be done as a family caregiver to help frail loved ones; how in-home care assists long distance family situations; and the introduction of checklists for care.

Webinar details:

When: October 11, 2011 at 7 p.m. Eastern time

Where: Your computer

How: Register now for this free, not to be missed, online presentation!

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/863456122

Hope you join us tonight!

Dychtwald says that 1) we are in a longevity revolution. Take a look at these two charts if you do not believe that one.  Two thirds of all the people who have lived past 65 are alive right now. Think about that. The first chart shows the life expectancy at birth for the last 1000 years. Hard to read photo, but you can see the trends.

Now take a look at THIS photo which is of the chart of the life expectancy at birth for the last 100,000 years. WOW.

His other points are that we are experiencing massive population shifts, that the boomers are a “new old” and will be more demanding and questioning than the current old people, that we will have a caregiving crunch as the boomers age and that we need to chart a path towards healthy aging.

Solutions? Dychtwald suggested that we steer science in a new direction, one that would solve the chronic issues of again, specifically Alzheimer’s. Since 47% of those people over 85 have a dementia. And, look around, that means if it is not me then it is you. He says we need to champion and motivate a healthier society. We need to prepare medical practices for the demanding and soon to be ailing age wave. We need to better understand and offer palliative care when appropriate. And we need to guide public policy toward a healthy aging.

His parting words? “Demography is destiny.”

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January 2012: New Year’s Resolutions: Planning and Reassessing Services for the Year Ahead

For agencies looking to entice new clients or increase their return on investment in the new year, now is the perfect time to research and reevaluate service offerings and strategy.

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December 2011: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year for In-Home Care

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s easy for most people to get lost in the hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, cooking, and traveling to visit family. Unfortunately, it can also be easy for families to forget to include their less mobile relatives and friends in holiday traditions. The holidays are one time of year when private duty agencies can shine — bringing joy to homes and creating ways for clients to enjoy the holidays and feel part of the celebration.

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November 2011: Private Duty Home Care and the Stock Market: What Have the Fluctuations Wrought?

In discussing issues relevant to the private duty/private pay market, the issue of who pays is always one that generates the most conversation. Other than private funds, there are some ways to pay for private duty care, but they take either pre-planning or timing.

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October 2011: Limited Restrictions Equal Unlimited Care

While regulation may be a very good thing in terms of providing mandates for quality in care and staffing, it can stifle the provision of the variety of services that a frail client requests and is willing to pay someone to do. Limited restrictions enable the range of service options to span more of what one would traditionally think of as in-home care.

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September 2011: Private Duty’s Role in Hospice Care

The most important role that any caregiver can have in the life of a terminally ill patient is to provide excellent quality-of-life care, making life as comfortable and pleasant as possible for the patient in his or her final days. Private duty care can reinforce and supplement other care from family members and organizations such as hospice and other palliative care programs and allow patients to take an active role in thier care if they wish to do so.

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August 2011: Paying for Long-Term In-Home Care

The silver tsunami is arriving. Starting this January and for every single day for the next 19 years, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65. Add to this the fact that a person born in 2011 has a good chance of living to be at least 78, and it isn’t difficult to see how the number of people requiring care will grow dramatically. How to pay for long-term care is an issue than many people ignore until there is a care need.

<< read more >>

July 2011: Care Portals: Enhancing the Value of Private Duty Home Care through Technology

Agencies providing in-home care, especially those for which one pays a fee, are constantly trying to improve their services. They’re always looking for more ways to retain clients and maintain communications among clients, caregivers, family members, physicians, and others on the care team. Care portals have served as a big improvement in this area of care.

<< read more >>

June 2011: Lifespan Respite Care Initiative: Better Resources for Respite & Family Caregivers

The challenges of caring for a loved one are a daily part of life for many people, and as the population ages, the number of family caregivers will increase. Respite care provides a valuable break for family caregivers and is available in most areas for those in need of help.
<< read more >>

May 2011: The Tablet Computer: Home Care’s Friend

Portability and accessibility are key concepts for communicating in the world today. More and more, business is done on the go — which means efficiency is a huge selling point for devices designed to make any type of business portable or “in the cloud.”

<< read more >>

March 2011: Activity Based In-Home Care: A Model for the Future

“Person-centered care” is all about home-based activities that engage people who are aging in place, the term many use to describe remaining in their homes and communities as they grow older rather than receiving care in institutional care settings. The trend in long-term in-home care is moving rapidly toward not only offering basic care and support for living, but also an active involvement of the home care agency in discerning what activities and pastimes can be incorporated into a client’s care.

<< read more >>

February 2011: The Winds of Change: Using the Power of the Internet

The internet has revolutionized our society in so many ways. Not only do we have a constant stream of information at our fingertips at all times, but we can communicate and conduct business in ways never before dreamed of, and there is a seemingly infinite cache of resources to help the home care agency thrive in this highly competitive climate.

<< read more >>

January 2011: Integrating the Web and Social Media into the Home Care Marketing Strategy

With the veritable onslaught of new and ever-changing technology of the last decade, businesses of all types and sizes are being forced to re-evaluate the efficiency and modernity of their marketing strategies. Those who have embraced Web and social media marketing are seeing some amazing results in brand recognition and customer loyalty.

<< read more >>

December 2010: Spreading Holiday Cheer the Techie Way

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of year for home care agencies, and it is a particularly challenging and stressful time for patients and their families. However, today’s agencies have an advantage in that technology has made it easier to reach out to clients in a personal -albeit digital- way.

<< read more >>



November 2010: Cause Marketing Meets Social Media

Boosting Your Agency’s Profile While Making a Difference

By now, many home care, home health, and hospice agencies are actively using Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and more to help build their agency’s profile and drive search engine optimization results. As you become more familiar with how you can market via these mediums, consider another great concept perfect for our industry: cause marketing.

<< read more >>

August 2010: New Techniques Boost Traditional Marketing Efforts

I am a proponent of online marketing trends, but I believe there is still value – particularly in the home care market – for traditional marketing. The question then becomes: How do you merge traditional and new marketing techniques?

<< read more >>

July 2010: Using Video in the Web Boosts Your Google “Juice”

If you are just trying to “dip your toe” into the social media pool, video is a great way to start. It can be dynamic, entertaining, memorable, and highly personal to the viewer. Here is why I recommend using video on your website.

<< read more >>

June 2010: Window to the World: Are You OPEN for Business?

Increasingly each day, with broadband Internet access becoming the standard and with computer availability/comfort/usage expanding across the generations, people are searching for answers and resources online.

<< read more >>

May 2010: Meet the Web 2010: Interactive and Informative

Today and tomorrow demand “interactive and informative” from your agency’s website.  Consumers, vendors, clients, patients, physicians, and all manner of interested people are using the Internet to find solutions to health care problems and to find resources to meet their needs.

<< read more >>

April 2010: Private Duty Home Care: A Reflection on the Industry

Whether it’s called a “Silver Tsunami”, the standard “Age Wave”, or something similar, the projections are clear that by 2030, almost 20 percent of our population will be over 80 years of age.  Life expectancies are increasing and people are living longer, healthier lives. Yet, it seems so many of us have our eyes closed when it comes to planning for how to cope with the rising tide of the elderly population.

<< read more >>

March 2010: “Sticky Features” Build Your Home Care Facebook Brand
The ability to be found on the Internet when someone is seeking information about services is the #1 task for a home care agency’s Internet marketing efforts. Being a player in social media is one way to help those seeking services or employment to find your agency. Building a fan base on Facebook takes consistent work, encouragement of interactivity, and “sticky” features which will provide perceived value to your fan base.

<< read more >>

February 2010: Facebook…for Business?
From fan pages to powerful applications, Facebook is a marketing outlet that every home care agency should look into using.  Today, more and more businesses are using Facebook as another tool in their online marketing suite.

<< read more >>

January 2010: Social Media Meets Home Care? Take a Look at Social Media Marketing
By now, most people are familiar with what a blog is. But have you wondered what people are talking about when they mention words like “social media,” “Facebook,” and “Twitter?” If you don’t already know what they are, as a home care, home health, or hospice agency concerned with marketing, you would be wise to learn.
<< read more >>

December 2009: Keeping Score Helps a Business Reach Success
Has your agency made marketing plans for the year? Have you met your business goals, or have you moved farther from them? And how are you gauging whether or not you’ve been successful in meeting these objectives in the first place?
<< read more >>

August 2009: Alzheimer’s Care: A Primer for In-Home Care
From personal experiences with the disease to education about Alzheimer’s, Merrily Orsini, MSSW, departs from the world of marketing technology and provides a primer for those looking to provide in-home care for Alzheimer’s clients. Also included are how-to’s for incorporating Alzheimer’s care into an agency’s service offerings as well as caregiver training tips.
<< read more >>

July 2009: Jump Into Social Media With A Successful Home Care Blog
The trend is clear; everyone is seeking more information about health care online, and seniors are a very active and increasingly savvy Internet user group.  The blog is the easiest way for a home care agency to jump into the Social Media world.

<< read more >>

April 2009: Zero in on Urological Disorders and Grow Your Reach
One of the most successful ways to use a home care company Web site is to educate on a variety of issues that relate to needing assistance with activities of daily living.
<< read more >>

March 2009: Make the Agency Web Site a Resource and Watch the Hits Increase
The increased visibility of your agency from press releases, Web links, and e-newsletters will result in calls for services and traffic driven to your agency Web site.
<< read more >>

February 2009: Looking Towards the Future: Modernizing Marketing
Internet marketing is the wave of the future for home care agencies.
<< read more >>

January 2009: Using Your Agency Web Site as a Hospice Care Resource
Hospice and end-of-life care are perhaps the most sensitive types of service an agency can provide.
<< read more >>

December 2008: Year End Ramp Up: Web Site Strategies for 2009
Unlike many businesses, agencies providing care experience very little, if any, year-end downtime.  << read more >>

November 2008: Holiday Dress-up for Your Web Site
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is a special time of year, albeit stressful, and particularly so for those who provide in-home care. << read more >>

October 2008: Feeling the Heat of Keeping Up with Changing Legal Requirements? Your Web Site Can Keep Your Agency Cool!
Since providing home care involves numerous regulatory, reimbursement, and accreditation issues, home care agencies find themselves in a constantly changing legal atmosphere. << read more >>

September 2008: Looking for Increased Productivity? Look No Further Than Your Own Web Site
Using the Internet to increase business productivity is what smart home care agencies are doing to save time and money. Harnessing the Internet and the power of your Web site to increase productivity is key to a successful business in today’s market. << read more >>

August 2008: How and Why Marketing Efforts for Private Duty Services Are Unique
Within any industry, strategic marketing and communicating services play a vital role in any business’ success. << read more >>

July 2008: You Have Implemented New Technology: Now What?
Increase ROI from new product offerings using Web site promotion. << read more >>

June 2008: Better Safe than Sorry: Using Your Web Site to Promote Disaster Preparedness
Disaster preparedness is especially important for frail people.  Learn how to provide the right information. << read more >>

April 2008:  “The Three G’s: Grassroots, Guerilla and Government”
Legislative issues facing home care. << read more >>

March 08: Marketing for More Medicaid Hours?  Try the Internet.
Tap into an unexpected resource – the Internet. << read more >>

February 08: Using Your Web Site as a Marketing Tool for Long-Term Home Care
Families are looking to the Internet to find care for loved ones – make your Web site visible. << read more >>

January 08:  Formula for a Winning Web site
Designing a top-notch, leader of the pack Web site is within your reach if you understand a few basic points about branding and design. << read more >>

November 07:  Sensitive Tactics for Marketing Hospice Care
Marketing hospice services can be a delicate matter.  However in today’s competitive marketplace, it is not only appropriate but essential for an agency to aggressively, yet tactfully market its services. << read more >>

September 07:  Basic Rules for a “Resource Rich” Internet Site
The consumer has literally thousands of choices when it comes to finding information on the Internet.  So it’s important to make certain that your agency’s stands out by being well designed, properly researched, truthful and frequently updated. << read more >>

August 07: Telehealth and Quality
In terms of medical practice, innovations in telecommunications systems and technology mean reaching more patients than ever before.  Telehealth is making health care more accessible to people who have traditionally found it difficult or even impossible to benefit from modern modes of treatment or preventative care. << read more >>

June 07: Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to be found on the Internet
Your Web site has been created; what’s next? Consider search engine optimization to get your site ranked at the top of the search results. <<read more >>

April 07: A Primer on e-Referrals
Co
mmunications today travel at the speed of Web.  This means your home health company needs to not only have a presence on the Web but be easily found and contain all the information needed to make a decision or sway someone to use or refer to your agency. << read more >>

March 07:  Internet Marketing 101
When it comes to using the Internet as a marketing tool, building the Web site is just the first step.  Making certain potential clients can find it when they do Web searches is quite another. << read more >>

*These articles are reproduced with the express and limited permission of the National Association for Home Care  &  Hospice and CARING Magazine. All rights reserved.

On October 2, I will take the podium as the expert on private duty home care during the general opening session, and on October 3, I’ll lecture on marketing with today’s technology.

My experience spans nearly all aspects of the home care industry—from owning and operating a home care agency to serving on national boards and influencing political leaders on home care issues. Today, I’ve assumed the role of home care marketing expert and provide counsel to national organizations and businesses on aging and care issues as well as strategic marketing for products aimed at those targets. I’m also armed with strategic knowledge of the latest developments in mobile technology and social media, a new frontier for leaders in home care—so I aim to introduce a fresh marketing perspective that is relevant to audiences today.

More details about the NAHC 30th Annual Meeting & Exposition can be found here. Have questions about marketing your own home care agency? I would love the opportunity to strategize your marketing needs.

Two examples I’d like to share. One is a new software website we just completed for Procura, which can also be accessed in Australian and Canadian.  Subtle differences in messaging and targeting, but using the web for all it is worth by understanding the differences in marketing to specific nationalities.

The next is one that I would use caution about viewing for those who might find it a bit cheeky, or in poor taste. However,  it is a perfect example of how one nationality and its acceptance levels can differ from another. You would never see a prostate cancer organization fundraising ad like this in the US.  However, it is run in a variety of locations in Australia and is a huge hit with its targets and message.

If you pay attention to the commercials and the print ads when you travel, you can really learn a lot about a culture.

So, G’Day, mate and hope it is a good one for you.

The article warns about using emotion appropriately. With healthcare, it’s easy to want to lean on scare tactics to equip an audience with the grim facts. But, if you overdo it, you risk sending your listeners running for the hills and tuning everything out. On the opposite spectrum, if messaging is too positive, it may not seem serious enough for treating patients—unrealistic. A clear understanding of the desired impression is needed to determine an appropriate marketing tone. Educating your audience in a positive way communicates confidence and assurance. 

Stand above the crowded field by using robust and resource-rich content. Using MOST gives you web-based instant access to a library full of themed sales, recruitment, design, and advertising materials created by home health experts. Spanning all types of sales and marketing communications, such as print, web and email, as well as services such as social media, blogs, search engine optimization and public relations, MOST lets you choose what fits your agency best.

As you consider revisiting your marketing strategy, remember the advice spelled out in the article mentioned above—and remember the ever-expanding library of resources you can use with the MOST program.

Tonight’s discussion will cover topics such as the definitions of home care; the benefits of home care; the types of in-home care; the importance of respite for families; paying for home care; and resources for seniors and families.

To register, please click here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about logging on to the webinar. For more information about PDHCA and the webinar series, please visit the registration page, the Help Choose Home website at www.helpchoosehome.com, PDHCA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pdhca or Twitter @PDHCA.

I hope you plan to join us!

On September 6, 2011 at 7 p.m. EDT, PDHCA and Caring.com will host the first webinar, a Basic Primer on Home Care. I will co-present the inaugural webinar with Caring.com expert Mary Koffend. Registration is available at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/205754234.

Many adult children assume the only care option for their parents is a nursing home or to manage their care as a family caregiver. PDHCA’s first discussion, a Basic Primer on Home Care, will cover topics such as the definitions of home care; the benefits of home care; the types of in-home care; the importance of respite for families; paying for home care; and resources for seniors and families.

To register, please click here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about logging on to the webinar. For more information about PDHCA and the webinar series, please visit the registration page, the PDHCA website www.pdhca.org, PDHCA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pdhca or Twitter @PDHCA. 

The first – and most common –action when economic things are scary to a business is to cut the marketing budget. It makes sense, after all. When you have less income coming in, it’s best to cut expenses where you can and marketing is the easiest function to slash without affecting day-to-day business operations. Or so it may seem.

The other option is the choice the wises business person makes, and that is to focus on marketing, and start with planning how best to reach the right people with the right message so they will take action, even in tough times.  In a downturn, when money is tight and consumers are making tough choices, marketing is more important than ever before.  This presents a great opportunity when others are cutting marketing to get in front of your target audience and show the consumer why your products or services deserve their dollars. Customers who may have been in the bag when the economy is riding high suddenly need some extra convincing. They need to hear your message. That’s where strategic marketing comes into play.

In an classic interview with BNET, Dr. Gary Lilien, author of “Turning adversity into advantage: Does proactive marketing during a recession pay off?” a report by Penn State’s Smeal College of Business, pointed to three factors that should be considered before determining whether a marketing endeavor is worth the expense:
• Do you already have a marketing infrastructure in place? If not, it’s going to be difficult in this economy to launch a brand new marketing arm from scratch.
• Does your company have “the guts” to throw down the marketing dollars during a recession?
• Does your company have the budget to spend the money without damaging normal business operations?
“Companies that have been looking at marketing as an investment, and not an expense, and have been running their business through customer knowledge are the ones that are going to come out of this [recession] really, really well,” the article quotes Lilien as saying.
It’s important as well to make certain that your marketing efforts are reaching consumers through venues that they frequent. It’s pointless to spend money on distributing a message that no one will ever see.

Using a variety of media, including the traditional as well as e-mail and social media- outbound and inbound efforts makes it more likely to reach both an older market as well as younger consumers.

No one knows right now what the economy is going to do. If expenses have to be cut, however, choose – but choose wisely. If you abandon your marketing efforts completely, you may soon find that your revenue is going the way of the stock market when it is dipping down.

Come to corecubed for help. We have strategic marketing services that can fit any budget, a talented team that understands how to get business to come a knocking, even when financial times are tricky.

Our talents and skill sets compliment each other, and our systems keep us all working efficiently. Our client successes speak for themselves. I am SO proud of the work we do and the challenges we face and conquer.

corecubed staff in-under the cloud(s)

Teamwork, talent and trying new things.  Just finished a corecubed staff meeting in Asheville, and our award winning team has some lofty goals to implement immediately and in the upcoming months. As a business, corecubed remains ahead of the curve in many aspects. We have been working and playing in the cloud for several years, and while in Asheville we played Under the clouds with an off road segway tour on the Biltmore Estate.

Look for increased talent and emphasis in SEO and inbound marketing with the addition of Don Makoviney to the team. He brings incredible depth of experience in web development, SEO strategy and implementation, as well as a great sense of humor and a “charger” personality.

Jeanette Mangels is also a new addition, and her bubbly personality and aggressive pursuit of excellence are also a great fit for this well balanced and talented team.

Back to real work today, and armed with some renewed energy that we will deliver to our clients!

Asheville is famous for being home to the historic Biltmore Estate and its gorgeous scenery, and it’s also home to three corecubed staff. So, starting this weekend, our Asheville colleagues will show us around town for a few days and we’ll even break for a Segway tour of the Biltmore! Although we have some business to do, we feel it’s important to our company culture to come together for an in-person staff meeting and company outing.

What does your business do to boost morale and increase teamwork? Would love to hear your stories and share your pictures!

Just a good thought with which to start off this week which promises to be a tad scary. If we each stood on character, and what we believe is right, then perhaps the decisions would not be so difficult?

Had dinner with some friends last night at a new Louisville restaurant, Eddie Merlots.  Great food and good company. We discussed, among solving the world’s problems, how lucky we are to be where we are in life. For that I have had to say thank you to  many people today and  along the way.

Thursday’s Rotary program was Coach Scotty Davenport from Bellarmine University’s NCAA Division II winning #1 basketball team, and his message was that it was the gratitude of those athletes that makes them special. One of their rules is never delay gratitude, and he gave many examples of how that team thanked their fans, their parents, their coaches, and their university for the opportunity to win. Although not about thanks, but about preparation, here is Coach Scotty in action:

Being prepared and working toward a goal is one pathway to success. Thanking those who help you in life is an underlying process that we should all practice.

So give yourself some time today to make that gratitude loud. Give thanks to all of the folks who have helped you along the way, and who are constantly there by your side cheering you on.

I’d like to personally thank all of my wonderful staff, my loyal and successful customers, and my dear family, and even my good neighbors. Hope all have a wonderful Sunday and that you take some time to say “thank you” to someone today.

A member of the corecubed PR team will present this dynamic and informative webinar to explain what separates the art of public relations from sales, advertising and marketing tactics.

Join us during this FREE webinar tomorrow at noon Eastern Time. Additionally, all participants will receive an informative packet filled with my PR secrets.

Register your spot for this webinar here!

Just a poignant thought to start off this Friday! Hope all have a good day and a great, relaxing weekend.

Let PDHCA know how you fit into this leadership conference as a presenter, or send me some ideas about ways that home care is working to engage clients and patients so their aging in place experience is not a lonely, isolated one without activity.

Thank you for your consideration and participation!

To successfully negotiate these sales would be a nearly impossible effort. Why? In each situation, the merchant is trying to sell something the prospective buyer doesn’t want or need. Understand who your customers are and what it takes to satisfy them. To have any success selling your goods or plowing your trade, find out what makes your customers tick. Get to know your customers in four easy steps:

STEP ONE: Meet the Customer

Anyone selling anything has a “natural” customer base. There’s a certain group of people who are much more likely to purchase your wares or services than others. There are several ways of identifying your unique customer base. Written surveys and focus groups can help in that regard, but essentially, you can begin narrowing down the options by asking the following questions:

· Are my customers within a certain age range?

· Are they typically married or single? Both? Do they have children?

· Where do they live? Do they reside in rural or urban areas?

· Are they employed in the business world or do they work at home?

· What is their economic background? Do they have a lot of disposable income?

STEP TWO: Discover the Demand

Everyone has wants and needs. The concept of supply and demand is the foundation of successful business. But not everyone has the same needs. Before you can attempt to meet demand, you have to discover what the unique demands of your customers are. Again, ask yourself a few general questions:

· What are the tools they need to do their jobs every day?

· What are their hobbies?

· What do they need to enjoy those hobbies?

· How do they like to spend money?

· How do they spend their time?

STEP THREE: Market Accordingly

In order to sell products or services you have to market—but make sure you’re marketing to the right people.

STEP FOUR: Provide What Your Customers are Looking For

Many companies skip over the first three steps to get to this step—where the sale takes place and the money is made. But it can also be the step at which the merchant realizes that no one wants to buy his products. Without going through steps one through three, you may find yourself advertising catnip to apartment dwellers who aren’t allowed to have pets.

Don’t be afraid of your customers. Get to know them. Talk to them when they show up in your front lobby or in the middle of your grocery aisle or on your website. It can be the beginning of a marvelous relationship.

For information on how corecubed can help you gain a greater understanding of your customers and show you how to market to them, visit us online at www.corecubed.com, or email us at info@corecubed.com.

In the “old days” of public relations, a hard copy press kit reigned supreme. Big bulky folders loaded with press releases, glossy photos and slides were standard in the industry. Today, you can simply direct a potential customer to a page on your website where press materials, high definition artwork and background information are ready to be used. Often called an online newsroom or press center, this is a huge time and money saver. Here are some tips when it comes to creating an online newsroom:

• A newsroom should be a link or section on the main navigation of the website
• A newsroom should always be visible from the home page and not buried
• Populate the online newsroom accordingly—include bios of key executives, white papers, fact sheets, conference seminars, awards, and of course, press releases
• Make certain the person responsible for responding to the media has his/her contact information easy to find

Now’s the Time to Brag!

When an award is bestowed or there are articles written about your business, communicate this to stakeholders. Third party endorsements in the form of media hits lend credibility to a business when customers are searching for recommendations.

Most media outlets have an online version of their print publication, and oftentimes, television stations also place digital clips of news segments online. Be sure to communicate press hits to customers:

• Create electronic newsletters or e-blasts and highlight the news in a special section with links to the websites that include the feature or article
• Maintain a virtual clip book in your online newsroom of media articles to impress customers and potential employees, clients, investors and other media

I hope these tips have been of assistance as you look to maximize your media and public relations success through the Internet. At corecubed we are experts at shouting your success from the mountaintops and building your company credibility through both online and traditional print media as well as radio and television. corecubed provides integrated marketing communications services using a strategic approach to help clients create high-impact campaigns to launch or rebrand products or companies.

Visit us online at www.corecubed.com or email us at info@corecubed.com. Also, join corecubed for a free webinar on July 19 at noon Eastern Time for our discussion titled “Integrating Public Relations with Internet Marketing: Strategy as it Differs from Advertising.” Reserve your seat here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/643578531.

So how do you know your PR campaign will be worth the money you spend?

To get us started, if you haven’t already figured it out, the Internet is the most cost-effective PR tool. Utilizing the Internet is one surefire way to maximize your investment, measure ROI, and give your business a boost in credibility by showcasing media and PR placements as well as awards you’ve won, company sponsorships, and bylined articles.

The key is to be proactive, not only with your website, but with other sites on the Internet as well. The beauty of getting online press is really two-fold.

•Provides instant access to showcase positive PR to potential customers
•Allows future customers to find your company when media hits are posted on other sites

Receiving recognition for your company wasn’t accomplished by sitting back with your feet up, so translating that recognition into sales dollars should not be a lesson in laziness either.

Be sure to check back as I will continue the PR discussion and post several ways to leverage an investment in public relations to improve online positioning, credibility, internal and external communications, as well as sales and marketing materials. And, start today by benchmarking revenue, source and set a date to come back and remeasure to see if your campaign did, in fact, help in revenue growth.

To learn more of what we speak,  join corecubed for a free webinar on July 19th at noon:

Space is limited, so reserve your webinar seat now at:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/643578531

See you there!

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”
Cardinal, Leo Josef Suenens

“There are two ways to live your life–one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle. “
Albert Einstein

“Every survival kit should include a sense of humor.”
An Unknown Author

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second best time is today.”
Chinese Proverb

A previous consultant sends me these thoughts each day, and it works to a) make me think of him and b) give me fuel for thought. Strategic planning does work, if you treat the plan as a process and not a plan, and if you revisit that plan often and measure for success.

Consider these thoughts for the day that I especially like as my gift to you today, so you can start your day thinking about planning and starting to work that plan TODAY!

And, of, course, you  know, that if you want help you can get it from corecubed. Visit us on the web or call to chat. We just might be able to help you leap over some seemingly insurmountable hurdle.

Proposals are accepted until July 15^th . The theme for this year’s conference is “Activity Enhanced Home Care,” and how to provide best in class products, services and training to direct care staff to help engage those who are receiving in-home care. The theme would also work for management and operational ideas to make activities and engagement a goal for working with in-home care, coordinating with NAHC’s five equities: intellectual equity, financial equity, physical equity, psychological equity and spiritual equity.

As the in-home care industry matures, and more players enter the market, what services are offered, how they are offered, and how processes are put in place to monitor and add value are all changing and evolving.  PDHCA as an association is ahead of the curve in assisting membership to grow businesses, and understand the nuances of long term in-home care.

Think about either how you can fit into this leadership conference as a presenter, or send me some ideas about ways that home care is working to engage clients and patient’s so their aging in place experience is not a lonely,  isolated one with no activity.

A good article that reinforces this also discusses the “Five Permissions” that a well branded company can expect.

Access. Having a good brand opens doors. Whether trying to sell something or just talk to someone, being from a well known and recognized entity opens doors. A good example is Rotary. Wearing a Rotary pin or mentioning Rotary to a fellow Rotarian will get your call through faster than anything, or, get an introduction made.

Latitude. Because a well branded company means a more trusted company, those from that company can expect more latitude in taking chances. Having proven oneself to the public means that more permissions will be granted in areas unproven.

Recovery. Permission to recover is granted to a well-branded company. A smaller business may not be given permission to restore confidence when a mistake does happen..

Scale. Trust and perception are built into a well branded company. It’s this greater trust in the brand  that allows permission to grow and take on bigger projects..

Set standards. Unknown services, products or technology are oftentimes given a chance simply because a well branded company has a proven track record and it is believed that the company, if they are recommending a product, service or technology, are doing so because they believe will eventually be a standard.

Branding is not just a logo, font, colors, it is what someone thinks and feels about the company, and the reaction that seeing the company name or hearing about the company generates in the viewer. Branding takes time, focused strategic integrated marketing efforts, and a good product or service to back it up. Lately corecubed has been receiving accolades on our branding efforts. IS your brand working for you? If not, give us a shout and we’ll see if we can help!

On Delta (economy class-argh!) and the flight attendant was giving our pretzels. I asked for peanuts! his reply, “Lady, I am giving out pretzels.” End of story. Positive note? The flight attendant on the other end of the cart, retrieved peanuts, and blessed me with them.
That small gesture took the bad taste out of my mouth, and made me smile. Simple gesture, but she met my need, and I felt like I was in first class. Well, almost.

Checking into our hotel in Athens, Greece, we were met with literally throngs of demonstrators outside the hotel in front of parliament. Not a fun sight, nor was it especially settling, since we did not know if the action would escalate or not. The manager was at the front desk, and, when we checked in, obviously unsettled by the commotion, she said, “Oh, it is your anniversary! Why don’t we give you a nice surprise today for your celebration?” And, she proceeded to give us a suite. And what a suite it was, and with a perfect view of the demonstrations! Also, however, with a perfect view of the Acropolis. So, she turned what would have been a huge disappointment into something that is memorable. Get a first hand visual below.

So whether you are selling services or products, when a customer asks you to do something, try and find out what it is you CAN do for that customer. Keeping customers happy is really just one at a time.

It’s no secret, baby boomers are rapidly exiting the workforce, and millennials are entering the scene at a pace double that. Lacking experience and armed with different skills, the next generation of workers is thought to be approaching a divided labor force, and it may be difficult for employers to fill the gaps left by retirees. Sometimes greatness is thrust upon us! Additionally, with the changing demographics and immigration statistics, the percentage of the U.S. working population with at least some college experience is expected to decline, and a study by McKinsey & Company called The Next Revolution in Interactions implies jobs and the nature of our work are changing as well. To read more about these findings, check out The HR Technologist’s recent post here. Will this forecasted talent trend be another blow to our economy?

I believe by now, Americans are accustomed to the unstable job market, and America’s future workers are being groomed by example to set themselves apart. Let’s hope this HR industry insider is just preparing for the worst. What do you think? Also, please share your reliable recruiting tips—do you conduct personality tests, background checks, etc.?

As a pioneer in the home care industry, I’ve enjoyed serving and advocating on behalf of those aging or recuperating in their own homes for thirty years. And, I’ve had the opportunity to expand beyond my niche to incorporate my hobbies and interests with my business efforts—and that is truly rewarding work.

With technology continuously developing, the future swells with possibilities across the board. In fact, today I’m a happy business leader in the clouds. To summarize, on a day that I use to reflect, I am encouraged to continue on.

Cheers to more May 18ths—onward and upward!

January 22-25, 2012
Bellagio Resort & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
For more information, visit NAHC’s website.
Registration coming soon!

My test this trip was to use my iPad as a laptop and to be able to work efficiently and effectively with the iPad and not lug that heavy laptop around. As i write the “heavy laptop”, which is all of 8 lbs or so, I am reminded……

When I started in technology in 1969, I worked as a programmer on IBM mainframes with said machines inside an air conditioned room. There was another room full of key punchers who typed my programs into punch cards which were fed into computers. And the air conditioned room was BIG as the storage for those computers was space eating.

My first home computer was an Atari in 1984. Not the gamer Atari, but a real PC. Atari was a leader in gaming applications, and they saw the need for home computing as well. You almost had to be a programmer to understand how to  use it, however, but I did use it for data base management as I had started an in-home care business, and there was lots of data to manage. This early adaptation of technology to business was probably one of my reasons for success then, as well as now.

So, having the power of  one hundred thousand or so IBM mainframes from 1969 inside a tablet that does not even have to be run through the security scanner at the airport, is more than amazing. And to watch videos, listen to music, work, have instant news and weather, play games with my granddaughter, and teach an entire marketing and sales team from all service lines how to use a tablet for efficiency and effectiveness and creative marketing, is truly amazing.

As I said, I am having a love affair with my iPad right now. If you have any ideas of apps that work for home care or home health, please let me know. I’d like to continue having reasons to travel and show how easy working in the cloud can be.

And if you want to know how to use your iPad for work, June 21, 2011 at noon,  Will  ”where there’s a Will there’s a Way” Chatham and Tammy Brown, Creative Director are giving a webinar.  Register here now.

Wednesday in Austin for the Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice private duty conference where the crowd was attentive about using social media and ways to target chronic care for best results for clients and for agencies.

Today is New Mexico and the New Mexico Association for Home and Hospice Care and their spring conference where attendees will listen raptly to innovation and adaptability as keys to success, which is really a combination of all that has gone on this week, plus some industry insights, trends and suggestions as to how to compete in this rapidly changing marketplace.

Also, although I did mention the latest Gold Award on the last post, I failed to mention that this award was sought after by 3000 entries and corecubed‘s wining it with one of our MOST themes, puts us in the top 5% of agencies in the country.

Options to Age at Home wins Aster Award

Continuum participates in our MOST program, which is a consultative marketing program that focuses on educating and being a resource to referral sources and families.

Thanks to Barth Holohan for being such a good client, and kudos to the corecubed team for another win, and this time a GOLD!

We also just won a Silver Award for a logo/letterhead design for Open Arms Solutions, a home care agency in Chicago. Julie Kollada and her team provide activity based home care to the north Chicagoland area and we rebranded them so their quality came through. Apparently the 28th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards thought the same, as they awarded us that Silver Award.

Team corecubed Asheville-Orsini, Oliver, Chatham, Heuer

We welcome Peter Oliver to our Asheville office. He is an SEO guru and is working with Will Chatham, Web Manager and Leigh-Ann Heuer, Internet Marketing Specialist, to keep our clients ranked high on the search engines and get more business.

Although I do not have photos to share, we have two other new employees: Jenny Burkett is a media specialist who hit the ground running with previous in-home care experience from a large Chicago agency, and Kim Taylor, a CPA who is working with us on our accounting systems, to keep up with our growth. So, no complaints from the top here. Team corecubed is growing, and our work is continuing to be recognized as the best, not only in our niche industry, in-home care, but also in the wider realm of businesses and organizations.

The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass website has been nominated for a Webby  Award in the Associations category. The really cool thing about that is that corecubed designed it, and so although it is an award about the association’s design and easy usage of the site, it is really accolades to corecubed’s design team, Tammy Brown and Danielle LeComte as well as to Linda Greene, the AACG Executive Director, all three who worked tirelessly, combined their talents, and the end result was a great website, user friendly, chock full of information and (not to mention) beautiful!

“Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” Basketball Coach, John Wooden

How about helping us make things turn our REALLY well and sign up and vote for the AACG site?

To register to vote, visit this link.

http://webby.aol.com/media_types/web?focused_on_category=922#cat_id_922

Once you have registered to vote, you will receive an e-mail to activate your account. Click on the link they give you. Then on the voting page be sure to go to “Websites” and “Associations” to find AACG. Once you’ve registered, the link above will take you to the voting page for AACG, as well.

Thanks. See you on the red carpet?

With all that is happening around the world, and with so much affecting each of our worlds, I have a momentous task this morning of bringing it all together at the Missouri Alliance of Home Care’s Annual Conference in the Ozarks where I key note on social media, industry trends and changes in the home care world.

My mother used to say to me, “Whoever told you life was fair?” and I have oft repeated that. However, fairness and really learning how to live with what we are given, how to set goals and strive for me that is within our reach, and how to best work towards a future that we want for our grandchildren and theirs should be on all of our minds.

Today’s key note will not be THAT all consuming, but that quote “Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.” Is one that I think should bring a smile to everyone’s face and help out when the going gets tough.

It has been my experience over these last 30 years serving seniors, or those who responsibility for taking care of seniors, that the there is not much common if age is the only factor. It is interests. And, when someone becomes ill or has an accident then they are interested in what to do to take care of themselves or their loved ones. And not a moment before that, in most cases.

There might be a son or daughter somewhere who notices that care is needed, so they may look for resources or try to find help, but, even then, unless the person for whom care is needed thinks that care is needed and is appreciative of efforts to “help”, there will be no transaction. Insurance, of course, is different. Insurance is something that we all think we need or else catastrophe might bankrupt us. So, selling insurance to a group is totally different from selling home care services. So, what would make seniors pay attention to Humana over the competition?

This is where Value Based Consultative Marketing comes into play. What is it that someone needs to know about in order to make the decision about which insurance to buy? Scenarios that play out the options would be my best guess. If A, then B. Income levers, risk aversion levels, preexisting conditions, heredity…all of these could be measured simply, and a best guess as to what insurance fits could be presented. My next best guess is that Humana has a ton of research to prove or disprove this, and that I am not telling them something that will make an AHA moment.  However, the students were attentive, interested, and all truly want to do a good job for their employer.

Consultative Marketing segments customers based on identifiable needs and provides information that is valuable to them as individuals. The Internet is perfect for consultative marketing, as it is performed on a smaller scale, requires significantly less financial resources, and using the Internet to deliver makes the time investment for each transaction reasonable. Interested in Parkinson’s disease? Interested in COPD? Whatever the niche interest, given the time to develop the questions someone might ask, and deliver the answers is the key to adding value to the marketing equation.

The MOST program that corecubed runs is a perfect example of material that is used in value added consultative marketing. People have a problem, and they want to know what to do about it. MOST takes many questions asked by people who are at various stages of needing care, and answers those questions. Online, through educational events, through direct, targeted mail, through social media…MOST provides value added information positioning the agency as an expert, and helping someone with a problem find a solution. Home care may be only one of the solutions possible, but, if it is the right one, then the agency gets the sale based on the helpfulness of the information.

Branding works. Brand loyalty is something businesses crave. Marketers do create brands, but customers make them work. The best marketing team in the world can create some buzz about a product or service that works for a short time, but, to really have brand power the product or service has to be stellar.

April 12, 2011 – 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST (11:00 am – 12:00 am CT)
Member: $25
Non-member: $75

You’ve built your agency – isn’t that enough? Think again. You must market to stay in business and grow sales! Avoid the common pitfalls by learning how to create a strategic marketing plan, budget and understand the differences between marketing, sales and public relations. Gain insights into the components of a successful marketing plan in this 1-hour session.

Register Now

So what does a “Marketer” for home care services need to do to generate business?

First, they need to treat any potential clients or referral sources as if they are the most valuable person in the world. Secondly, they need a plan and a system for success with goals they can reach and  some measurement so they will know when they reached those goals.

• A plan includes setting goals and objectives, and targeting those with the best chance of buying, or being interested in an ongoing relationship

• Focus on the more high-potential opportunities, which can be high potential for revenue like 24 hour cases, or high potential for ongoing referrals, like a hospital discharge planner or a rehab facility, or an assisted living facility that does not provide home care

• Follow up consistently. Plan on at least three to five meetings to get noticed and to be recognized

• Listen more than they talk  to learn what the client or referral source needs and wants

• Ask for the business when appropriate .

Some people are natural  “rainmakers”.  However, it is like luck and chance, those who succeed may be lucky and take advantage of chance, but usually they are where they are for a reason. Rainmakers  start with a plan, take advantage of opportunities, set goals, and persist.

Make certain that all  activities, advances, time spent on developing business is measured and evaluate, over time,  whether your approach is working . Change things that are not.

Enjoy your day today as much as I am enjoying mine!

And, right now, no one really yet knows what the strategy is going forward, but it seems that the sites that really do have solid content, are well designed, and updated frequently are the winners. Basically,  this means, that if you are offering some good information, have it organized correctly, and are legitimate, then your may have won out over those who have been trying tricks to get ranked.

Design seems to be a factor in better rankings. Clean code and simple design helps the search engines crawl a site unimpeded. Also, page structure seems to matter.

Not too many ads. Better to have none than too many.

Relevant content that makes sense, and is not just content stuffed with keywords. Length of articles may also play a role.  ”It seems that excessive amounts of very short articles may be a factor taken into consideration, because if that’s the majority of what you put out, the majority of your content is likely “shallow”. ” says Chris Crum of WebProNews. Also, if you just cannot do without autogenerated content, then it needs to be kept separate from the real content, and not indexed for search engines.

Backlinks are still important but they need to be relevant backlinks from relevant sites.

Basically, these are the things that corecubed has focused on because selling over the web is like selling in person. You have to be genuine, have a good product, and position it correctly supported with good design. There really are not shortcuts to winning. Perhaps those who got ranked because they used shortcuts are now suffering from that strategy, and the search engines will start to work better based on REAL search results, for REAL content, and not just manufactured communication that is irrelevant and created just for rankings.

The World's #1 Brand

The world’s number one brand according to Business Week is Coke.

When you hear “Just Do It”, does Nike spring to mind? How about “Make my day”? A vision of Clint Eastwood is almost instantaneous.

This is the essence of what companies search for when thinking messaging. This is the stuff dreams are made from for a marketer. Can your brand, your name, your tagline bring something to mind? “Where’s the beef?” Now that’s a good one. I’ll bet  you do remember that, but do you remember what product/business it was touting?

Messaging seems so simple. One of my favorite clients is adding a new product line, and he keeps saying to me, “It is so simple!” Well, if it were so simple, then he and we would have the messaging down pat. What makes it NOT simple? Everything!!!!

Let’s start with differentiation. Something has to be different or noticeable about a product or service. Something has to stand out and grab your attention. Or make you think. Or make you salivate. Or make you smile. Or MOVE you in some way.

And the visual has to marry that message to enhance the effect. Now this is a simple thought for today, but, as I set about my day today wringing the essences out of the businesses with whom I deal, and creating the start of a brand, I just wanted to share that it all starts with simplifying the message.

Barry Sharp, a consultant from Vancouver who has helped me with some strategy in the past, sends me a message each day, and, this was today’s message, “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” I guess I just wanted Barry to know, publicly, that his daily message a)makes me think of him daily and b) sometimes it really hits the mark with what is on my plate and makes me think about solving a problem in a different way.

BTW, “Where’s the beef?” is from an old Wendy’ ad.

Rotary Meets Social Media: Orsini Speaks

Join Rotary on Facebook!

Take some time to just look at this and ponder the future!

Be human
Add value
Don’t reveal confidential information
Be professional
Be aware of your responsibility
Check your facts and credit your sources
Disclose who you are
Understand and implement your clients’ policies
Know who you are linking to
Pretend it’s a party

The shift from impressions to connections and from campaign to connections, Bough and Agresta state, is the crux of social media and social networking changing how businesses communicate with their publics.

Speaking at the Rotary Club of Louisville today, February 17 at 12:30 PM, I will be presenting an interactive social media event. Please join us in person or virtually.

As an industry, private duty homecare has little data upon which to draw conclusions, benchmark progress, and know effective marketing strategies and tactics.  The last study completed by Home Care Pulse was an industry first in its participation across all types of private duty agencies and across all types of service providers.

The 2011 Private Duty Benchmarking Survey/Study needs each and every agency that provides private duty to participate. It does take some time (30-60 minutes), but to get accurate information on results from a large number of participants, the outcome is well worth the time.

Imagine, running a private duty homecare agency and having this information on the industry:

• In-depth details on caregiver training, recruitment methods, screening, and benefits
• Specific information on billable hours, bill & pay rates, and client retention
• Greater in-depth financial comparisons among geographic regions and states (based on the # of participants from each state)
• 42 marketing methods identified and rated by survey participants

To learn more about the benefits of participation and to be directed on how to take the survey, go to www.homecarepulse.com/studyparticipants.

Survey questions are designed to help participants self evaluate their own performance and plan for the future.

Participating agencies get the full report for $29.95 ( a 90% discount), which really is just to cover the cost of printing, shipping and handling.

To help the industry even further, please alert every private duty home care owner/manager you know in your area, or in your network. The survey closes February 17^th, so take the time to do this today.

The Power of WordPress by Tech King

corecubed has a special expertise in creating websites designed in WordPress.

Via: Online Schools

February 17, 2011 the Rotary Club of Louisville has asked me to address the club, one of the largest in the world, on social media and its usage. Let me know if you’d like to be a part of this!

If you said the viewer needs to know what home care is, who needs it, and how it can be used, you are correct. Add that also who pays is a question that needs answering, how much does it cost, and how does one select a provider.

Like bananas used to be before they were readily available everywhere, home care is something that people do not know about until they have a need for it. Then they simply cannot get enough information about it.

Most people do not know that Medicare does not pay for home care. Or that Medicare only  pays for a small portion of home care, and that portion is VERY highly regulated and tied to specific conditions for which there is a progressive recovery. Home care needs that most people have when they need assistance with activities to help them live daily, are not covered by Medicare and probably never will be.

However, unlike bananas, home care is a hard subject to teach, because it differs based on disease or frailty, support systems available to the recipient of care, financial abilities and geography.  corecubed has a great program we offer for agencies that educates around the questions that someone needing home care might ask. Perhaps we need a cute jingle and a dancing walker to go along with the teaching…..

1. Only hire people you would trust in your own home, caring for your own parents.

2. Only ask people to do things that you would do yourself

3. Use a good scheduling software system that generates billing and payroll from the confirmed schedule.

4. Offer continuous learning to all staff.

5. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

6. Do not use an answering service. Use a remotely staffed employee so the client/referral source always has someone who can make a decision and staff or fix a problem immediately.

7. Always tell the truth to everyone, even if it hurts.

8. Ask for feedback from all staff on how the business could do things better.

9. Make changes in systems or people based on findings from staff from #8,

10. Have some fun when at all possible.

Enjoy and take these to heart for success.

The first is a song by Brett Ethridge about Raymond, the maintenance man at a memory care facility,  who one of the residents thought was her son. That “getting inside the life” of the Alzheimer’s patient was one theme of Dr. Carson’s talk, and no more powerful way to understand that than to see the interaction of the maintenance man with the patient.  It is copywrited, so cannot show it here, but there is a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txCUwSKo1kg&ob=av3el

The second example was music, and Naomi Feil, an icon in validation therapy, brings a 3^rd stage Alzheimer’s patient into interaction through singing and touch. This powerful and moving video is proof that even at end stages of this degenerative disease, breakthroughs are possible if the caregiver gets inside the lives of the patient. For some reason I cannot embed this video, but here is a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrZXz10FcVM

Retrogenesis is a controversial topic, but it is just one method of working with Alzheimer’s patients, and those who care for someone with Alzheimer’s should have many tools in their tool boxes, and whatever works best is what should get used. The goal is quality patient care and Dr. Carson certainly can teach how to communicate with those who have Alzheimer’s.