Page 8AA —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— December 2-December 15, 2015
Senior Housing & Care
Lorene Wilkins
Marketing the various options
available at AltaVita Memory
Care Centre as well as AltaVita
Independent and Assisted Living to
potential
residents
and their
loves
ones is as
unique as
the level
of care
provided in
each envi-
ronment.
Given
that mem-
ory care
and, more
specifically,
memory
care pro-
vided in a
secured environment is very much
need driven, it is imperative that
we keep focused on building lasting
relationships both with the general
public, the community we serve,
referral sources that also serve the
families in need of our services
and the potential resident to move
into our community. Our potential
resident may be coming to us from
home, hospital or any other tradi-
tional senior care solution. More
times than not, they have not been
successful in living in an environ-
ment that is not designed specifi-
cally to serve someone who struggles
with memory-related illnesses. Their
needs may differ from the care pro-
vided at a traditional assisted-living
provider as each memory related
illness depicts a specific care chal-
lenge. That being said, we continue
cultivating relationships built with
various health care providers to
include hospitals, rehabilitation
facilities, independent living commu-
nities, assisted-living communities
and residential care homes to ensure
they are mindful of the level of care
services and amenities provided at
AltaVita Memory Care Centre and
keep prevalent our availability to
serve said resident.
For our newest development,
AltaVita Independent and Assisted
Living, we are intentional in mar-
keting our services and amenities
to those who are not in need of a
dedicated memory care solution.
Potential residents for these com-
munities are usually more involved
in making the decision as to where
they will live so we market to their
lifestyle preferences. While the need
for care is typically the reason for
their consideration in living in an
independent and assisted-living com-
munity, this resident is intensely
focused on the perception of their
environment.
AltaVita is unique in that we
are locally and family owned. Our
developer, Macy Development, and
medical director, Dr. Nekoorad-Long,
are both huge supporters and par-
ticipants in the various opportuni-
ties to serve the families residing in
Boulder County and surrounding
communities. Oftentimes our mar-
keting efforts are enhanced by their
community involvement, which also
perpetuates our growth and stabil-
ity. Dr. Nekoorad-Long is on-site
full-time as her private practice as a
geriatric psychiatrist also is located
at AltaVita. Due to her expertise, she
is an advocate in introducing fami-
lies to the lifestyle of AltaVita while
preliminarily determining if they are
the right fit for our unique environ-
ment.
Strategic sales and marketing,
media advertisement for appropri-
ate senior local and surrounding
community publications, outreach
and senior expo plans are in place to
ensure our concentrated marketing
efforts. With these plans we are also
able to create special events, educa-
tional seminars, panel discussions
and supportive services related to
our industry in which potential resi-
dents and their loved ones as well as
senior care professionals attend in
order to learn of the opportunity to
utilize and partner with AltaVita.
Lindsay Mitchell
Balfour Senior Living, headquar-
tered in Louisville since 1997, strives
to be
the most
admired
senior liv-
ing com-
pany in
Colorado
through
outstand-
ing custom-
er service,
innovative
archi-
tectural,
landscaping
and inte-
rior design
and value-
driven
operations. Preparing for a new
wave of residents, the baby boomer
generation, we already have begun
strategically planning how Balfour
will be best positioned to appeal to
our current target market as well
as this new wave of clientele. A few
key approaches include continuing to
establish Balfour as a well-respected
and trusted community resource,
relying on word-of-mouth refer-
rals by our satisfied residents and a
dedication to continually advancing
technology.
Inviting the public to Balfour
sponsored educational lectures,
philanthropic updates and wellness
seminars at our communities always
have been an important part of
how we support our mission to be a
well-respected and trusted resource
in our industry. For example, we
hosted Glen Campbell’s wife, Kim
Campbell, who spoke about Glen’s
battle with Alzheimer’s and, most
recently, dZi Foundation spoke at
our downtown Denver property
regarding its work in Nepal after the
earthquakes. Offering a wide range
of events draws several different
audiences into our buildings, most
who have never been to Balfour and
may have misconceptions of a retire-
ment community. Once they experi-
ence the Balfour difference they are
quick to return and spread the word.
When our founder and CEO
Michael Schonbrun began planning
Balfour Senior Living, he did so with
his mother, Madeline, in mind. The
unofficial motto at Balfour is “What
Would Madeline Want?” Our com-
pany culture is resident focused; we
treat our residents with respect, dig-
nity and with a personal touch that
feels as though we are one big family.
It is the attention to detail, dedica-
tion to quality and service that have
residents, better known as “Balfour
cheerleaders,” singing our praises to
their close circles. When Michael is
stopped by a resident when walking
down the hall and told that the move
to Balfour was life changing, there
isn’t an advertisement in the world
that could be more impactful.
Lastly, in today’s ever-changing
technological world, people use their
smartphones to shop for almost
everything and this is no different
when it comes to looking for a retire-
ment community. We understand the
importance of having company infor-
mation online that is easily acces-
sible and user friendly. The process
of finding a new home can be over-
whelming; we wanted our website to
be an inviting and warm experience,
one that mirrored how it is to live in
our communities. For these reasons
we partnered with a world-renowned
Web design company to build
Balfour a state-of-the art website
that is mobile responsive and can be
viewed on several different devices.
In addition, the events calendar is
in an application format, allowing
residents to view the day’s happen-
ings with a touch of a finger on their
iPhone. The new
.
com represents our company’s com-
mitment to continuously evolve and
meet the demands of the new gen-
eration of Balfour residents.
When choosing a community,
potential residents and their fami-
lies are faced with several different
options; we have always held the
position that we are a resource, here
to help individuals select the best
community that fits their needs,
even if that fit is not Balfour.
Nancy Schwalm
n
Marketing the many housing
options for today’s seniors.
We live
in an exciting time where senior con-
sumers and their families have many
choices and
options for
health care
and hous-
ing. As a
provider
of full con-
tinuum ser-
vices rang-
ing from
post-hos-
pital reha-
bilitation
therapies
to in-home
health care,
Vivage has
created a
broad-based marketing strategy to
reach an ever-growing target mar-
ket. Our target market can include
active seniors who come to us for
short-stay rehabilitation services
and receive follow-up home health
care, or it can be residents who are
looking at permanent move-in to our
independent living, assisted living,
memory care or skilled-nursing com-
munities.
n
Creating the right messages in
marketing your services.
Today’s
market strategies also must include
messaging that appeal to seniors as
well as to other generations such as
adult children or even grandchildren
who are frequently decision-makers
and supporters in finding the right
housing options. Knowing that
over 65 percent of seniors are avid
Internet users in selecting hous-
ing and care options, social media
has become a dedicated focus. We
offer interactive websites filled
with helpful consumer resources
not only about our services but also
about many things important to
seniors and their families. Facebook,
LinkedIn and You Tube are all used
by our many senior living com-
munities. We utilize social media
to showcase photos, virtual tours,
special events and provide informa-
tion about our services, amenities,
unique programs and pricing.
n
Relationships remain an impor-
tant marketing strategy.
Building
relationships is a key component
in our marketing efforts. Vivage
strives to become a trusted resource
not only to consumers, but also to
become a preferred partner to other
professionals working with seniors.
We frequently host community
events at each of our locations to
invite seniors and their families in
to see what we do and the wonder-
ful life we help to create for our
residents and short-stay guests.
Additionally, we have a team of pro-
fessional nurses and social workers
who make rounds daily in local hos-
pitals providing support to patients
and their families needing senior
care or housing options. Vivage
is active in many events across
Colorado, partnering with groups
such as the Alzheimer’s Association,
American Heart Association, hos-
pital foundations and many other
groups serving seniors at events
such as local races, educational semi-
nars and exhibits. While we do a lot
of marketing to physicians and hos-
pitals, our key marketing strategies
always are focused on the individual
consumer and being a resource to
them as they navigate the maze
of selecting the best housing and
health care options for their unique
needs.
s
The senior housing market offers various options for Colorado's seniors and their
families, and determining the right fit for a family member is a big decision. How do
you market your unique communities, which include independent living, assisted living,
skilled nursing and dedicated memory care to potential residents and their loved ones?
Please contact Pyms Capital Resources or The Highland Group if you would like to participate in the Senior Housing & Care Question, or if you have a question that you would like to see addressed.
Lorene Wilkins
Community sales and
marketing director, AltaVita
Residences
Lindsay Mitchell
Director, corporate
communications, Balfour
Senior Living
Nancy Schwalm
Chief business development
officer, Vivage Senior Living
In this second
article related
to marketing
in the senior
living space, it
is instructive
to hear from a
member of each
type of needs-
based commu-
nity – IL, AL,
SNF and MC –
as to how they
reach out to
potential resi-
dents and their
loved ones. We
are so fortunate to be in an envi-
ronment in Colorado that offers a
variety of specialized options that
meet the needs of our seniors and
their families.
Hayden D.
Behnke
Broker Associate,
Pyms Capital
Resources
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