Every time you turn around, there's an article, book or service being promoted to the community of senior citizens and their caregivers. It's really become big business and we're told that it's only going to get bigger.
It's a difficult market to communicate with in some ways. As long as a senior has good health and is active and involved in their day to day life, they have no real need for most of the products and services designed to help with the senior years. However, once the aging process really kicks in and they begin to slow down (and that can encompass all aspects of their life), they're less likely to want to pick up the phone and ask for help. Perhaps their health is failing or maybe they've lost a spouse and are afraid to make any major changes in their daily rituals.
The older they get, the less eager they are to make major lifestyle changes. I think this is one reason the so called Zoomer advertising model will not be as successful as they expect. It's the children of the senior citizens who will be most instrumental in dealing with many of these issues and they tell me, as their Realtor, that they need facts and solutions and they need them now.
This is a long winded way to tell you about the most useful publication for this demographic, "Help's Here. Resources for Seniors and Caregivers".
It's a small magazine, not fancy and glitzy like the Znaimer publication but let me tell you, it's full of very useful information that speaks directly to the families looking for creative solutions on how to deal with the concerns of the senior population and their kids.
For example, in this month's issue, there's an article written by Pat M.Irwin, president of Elder-CareCanada offering a creative idea on how to inspire someone to downsize.
I advertise in this free comprehensive publication and have had many opportunities to speak with the publisher and her staff. They impress me each time we communicate. They're very responsive. That is, they call when they say they will and their follow through is an inspiration to anyone who dreams of owning their own business. Consistency is their model in their dealings with me. They are upbeat and effusive and a joy to talk to.
More importantly, this is the go-to publication for information on these issues. They publish twice a year and they make the publication available at hospitals, pharmacy's, libraries etc. Being an advertiser, I also have many copies available for anyone who would like one.