Savvy boomers are pushing the envelop for senior living. More and more, 50-somethings are relying on the Internet for initial research on senior living and other health care products and services.
According to Andy Cohen, the co-founder and CEO of Caring.com - more than 50% of the senior living industry's referrals are coming from the web.In the 2012 study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, titled Baby Boomers and Digital Technology, close to 77% of the boomers, ages 47 to 65 are Internet users. According to the same study, 91% of that age group use the Internet for Search Engine activities and 81% use the Internet to Research products and services.
Social networks are also acquiring more senior users with each passing year. The Pew study demonstrates that internet users aged 74+ have experienced the fastest growth in use of social networking sites, which has quadrupled since 2008. Since social media users are significantly more likely to check their email frequently, the rise in social networking among senior citizens signals a further increase in frequent email use.
By 2015, eMarketer forecasts there will be over 26 million senior internet users in the U.S. By 2030, when tech-savvy baby boomers will mature into this demographic, the US Census Bureau predicts nearly one in five Americans will be seniors — a citizen demographic that cannot be ignored.
So what does this mean for longer term care and retirement homes? Like restaurants, senior living facilities will need to keep close tabs on their online reviews, rankings, and "google-ability".
1) Review are crucial. About 87% of U.S. consumers trust local businesses after reading positive online reviews.
2) Dozens of senior care facility directories are popping up all over the internet. If you're not on the list, you will most likely go unnoticed.
3) According to HubSpot (2012), 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. Talk about pressure.
Meanwhile, games like bridge, shuffle, and dominos will be hitting the shelf, while e-readers, I-pads, and outlets will become a hot commodities.
Where do you see the future of long term care and senior living communities? Will admission decrease or increase over the next 15-20 years?
