Elder consumer preferences of marketing strategies in the human services

The marketing of health and social services to the aged is a relatively recent phenomenon. To explore the role of the older consumer in service marketing, a national analysis of preferred marketing methods in gerontological programs was carried out. Eighteen focus groups comprised of senior center participants (mean = 73.8 years) in six metropolitan areas was conducted (n = 220). Findings document considerable consensus across gender, ethnic, socio-economic, and racial cohorts. Preference was expressed for personal/direct forms of marketing. Regardless of age or level of infirmity, subjects identified with images of active and healthy elders. Sharp distinctions were drawn between marketing conducted by for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, as well as between marketing with a "selling" purpose versus that which is primarily informational. Results lead to recommendations for elder service providers on mounting a meaningful program of marketing initiatives. Supported by a grant from the AARP Andrus Foundation.     

Elder Consumer Preferences of Marketing Strategies in the Human Services

The marketing of health and social services to the aged is a relatively recent phenomenon. To explore the role of the older consumer in service marketing, a national analysis of preferred marketing methods in gerontological programs was carried out. Eighteen focus groups comprised of senior center participants (mean = 73.8 years) in six metropolitan areas was conducted (n = 220). Findings document considerable consensus across gender, ethnic, socio-economic, and racial cohorts. Preference was expressed for personal/direct forms of marketing. Regardless of age or level of infirmity, subjects identified with images of active and healthy elders. Sharp distinctions were drawn between marketing conducted by for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, as well as between marketing with a "selling" purpose versus that which is primarily informational. Results lead to recommendations for elder service providers on mounting a meaningful program of market initiatives. Supported by a grant from the AARP Andrus Foundation.     

上海市老年护理服务体系功能定位的现状

目的 :了解上海市老年护理服务体系供需双方对体系功能定位的认知现状。方法 :对上海市老年护理服务管理者、组织方及提供方、服务需方老人4类调查对象进行意向调查。结果 :服务供方对服务内容总体认可率为86.8%,对非老年护理服务对象的选择率却也达到了81.7%;服务需方中,5.4%的社区老人主观反映需要入住老年护理机构,而其中8.9%的病人住院仅限于生活护理服务需求。结论 :无论是老年护理服务的供方还是需方,对老年护理体系服务内容和对象的认知都是有一定程度误区,建议相关部门明确体系功能定位,合理有效利用护理资源。     

The Effects of On- and Off-reservation Residence on In-home Service Use Among Great Lakes American Indians

Community-based, in-home services are a crucial component in the long-term care continuum. Research has shown rural populations to be less likely to use these services. American Indian elders are more likely than their non-American Indian counterparts to reside in non-metropolitan areas, yet little rural research has focused on this subpopulation. The purpose of this article is to explore differences in in-home service use among urban, rural off-reservation, and rural on-reservation older American Indians using data from a statewide needs assessment. The sample includes 206 Great Lakes American Indians aged 55 and older. Predictor variables include the residential classification variable (rural off-reservation, rural on-reservation, and urban) along with sociodemographic, social support, health and functional status, and general knowledge of services. Results of logistic regression analysis indicate that the odds are significantly greater for on-reservation rural American Indian elders use of home services, home health aides, and home visits, than for urban American Indian elders. The off-reservation rural American Indian elder is significantly less likely than the urban American Indian elder to use a home health aid. Health rating, activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living (ADL/IADL) impairments, and general knowledge of in-home service availability increase the odds for all groups use of home services and home health aides.     

Preferences for accepting prescribed community-based, psychosocial, and in-home services by older adults

The purpose of this study was to describe the preferences of minority and non-Hispanic White home bound older adults aged 60 and over for making decisions to accept and arrange community-based, psychosocial, and in-home services prescribed by Home Health clinical social workers (N=249). Overall, prescribed community-based, psychosocial, and in-home service referrals were accepted by participants. In-home supportive services, Short- and Long-Term Case Management, and Psychiatric Nurse were the most frequently arranged services by clinical social workers. Resistance by both minority and non-Hispanic Whites to the arrangement of services was evident for several other services. Social workers, case managers, and other professionals involved in the arrangement and planning of services for similar older adults can use the results to gain an understanding of both the specialized services prescribed by clinical social workers to functionally dependent older adults and the decisions older adults make to accept and/or arrange such services.     

Rehabilitation service to the elder person victim of accidents and violence on different regions of Brazil

The purpose of this work is to describe the structure and characterize the services offered for rehabilitation of elder people, victims of accidents and violence, based on the main public policies of health for this population in Brazil. Following the principles of the triangulation method, a 27 question questionnaire was applied to 19 rehabilitation services (five in Manaus, seven in Recife, two in Brasília, two in Rio de Janeiro and three in Curitiba) about structure and organization of the service besides data registration. Managers and health professionals were interviewed about the flow, characterization and specificities of the service to elder people, protection chains, services evaluation and suggestions. Services in Manaus and Brasília are better prepared to attend elder victims of accidents and violence. The services in Brasília surpass the specific issues of elderly care. The rehabilitation units in Recife are more unprepared, especially regarding laboratorial support, qualification of professionals to identify and attend the cases of violence, registration and analysis of data. It is concluded that the rehabilitation service presents great fragility on the implantation of public policies and in insertion of the violence theme.     

What does a bar of soap have to do with health care marketing?

In today's competitive health care market, product/service marketing will become the key to survival. This article introduces a new way of using an established marketing concept. Product/service marketing is based on promoting services that fulfill a number of requirements, including being highly visible and a foundation for the later development of an overall marketing plan. Choosing the products/services to be marketed and developing the marketing program are discussed.     

浅谈现代医院的服务营销

服务营销在医院市场化营销中占有很重要的地位,医院管理和经营者只有高度重视“服务营销”,逐步完善各项医疗服务,实行“院前、院中、院后”一条龙服务管理,方能在医疗改革大潮中立于不败之地。     

Volume Distribution of AAA Sponsored Services and Service Use by Disabled Older Adults

Recent studies have suggested that a lower availability and lesser range of formal long term care services may, in part, explain lower rates of formal service use by older rural as compared to older urban residents. Studies of residence differences in the availability of Area Agency on Aging sponsored services, however, have not adjusted measures according to the size of service populations. This study assesses the volume of personal and home care services available to a national sample of disabled older persons through Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and shows that nometropolitan respondents have a greater volume of AAA sponsored services available per capita than metropolitan respondents. Moreover, in general, per capita service availability ratios are not associated with formal service use over a two-year period among 2.800 disabled noninstitutionalized older adults. The importance of gathering data on services available at the community level in order to more effectively assess the role of social context in service use is discussed.     

Volume and distribution of AAA sponsored services and service use by disabled older adults

Recent studies have suggested that a lower availability and lesser range of formal long term care services may, in part, explain lower rates of formal service use by older rural as compared to older urban residents. Studies of residence differences in the availability of Area Agency on Aging sponsored services, however, have not adjusted measures according to the size of service populations. This study assesses the volume of personal and home care services available to a national sample of disabled older persons through Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and shows that nonmetropolitan respondents have a greater volume of AAA sponsored services available per capita than metropolitan respondents. Moreover, in general, per capita service availability ratios are not associated with formal service use over a two-year period among 2,800 disabled noninstitutionalized older adults. The importance of gathering data on services available at the community level in order to more effectively assess the role of social context in service use is discussed.     

Strategic marketing in the NHS: Kwik-health NHS Trust

Unlike managers in most service organizations, hospital managers do not have significant control over the shape or cost of the service product or the manner of its delivery. Hence, the crucial issue for hospital management to address is how to develop the marketing of a service the control of which is divorced from those with the strategic market perspective. While the internal management of hospital care in NHS is in its infancy, initial developments such as clinical directorates point the way forward in creating a market orientation within provider units. Ultimately, it must be considered what degree of influence over clinical decisions affecting hospital services is realistic, ethical and desirable for strategic marketing and business services. Arguably there is a case for the adoption of some middle ground, with both sides moving from their present positions but perhaps with the clinicians moving furthest.     

Elder health programs in state health agencies.

Due to the rapid rise in the population of those aged 65 and older, public health programs that target this group merit special attention. State health agencies can play leading roles in providing and coordinating elder health programs by identifying needs and formulating guidelines in collaboration with federal, local, and private organizations. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health initiated the Elder Health Programs Unit in 1988, with a mission to assist elders in maintaining their highest level of functional status in community settings and to provide opportunities for older adults to take greater responsibility for their own health. The extent of involvement in elder health programming of other state health agencies outside of Massachusetts is not well documented. Through the distribution of a national survey, we set out to determine how many state health agencies offer elder health services.     

医院服务等候中信息博弈与患者感知的研究

服务等候在各个行业都是普遍存在的现象,医院作为服务的提供方为患者提供医疗服务,但并不是所有的患者都能及时得到服务,需要一定时间的等候,患者在排队等候服务的过程中,由于急于了解病情和外界环境的干扰,情绪上容易激动,进而引起冲突,影响医院的正常工作。因此,了解患者的服务等候感知,对医院的管理和营销有着十分重要的作用,同时也可对医院的诚信建设发挥重要的作用。     

Service consumption patterns over time among adult day care program participants

A study of 59 adult day care (ADC) programs funded by area agencies on aging in Pennsylvania provides data which profiles the classic package of ADC services utilized by elder participants and traces the relationship between formal service consumption and the helping behaviors of family caregivers. Elder clients rejected 1 or more services offered by ADC staff 59% of the time. Consumption of homemaking, transportation, and counseling services escalated over time although total formal services used remained minimal. Family helpers performed both a greater range and intensity of support functions as compared to ADC programs (p less than .001). Program strategies and future research directions are suggested.     

Sexual abuse of older adults: appropriate responses for health and human services providers

Helpful and appropriate responses by health and human services providers to cases of suspected elder sexual abuse are often challenged by lack of awareness of how best to proceed. The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the concept, scope and dynamics of elder sexual abuse and to offer suggestions for appropriate responses that are applicable across a wide range of health and social services. Definitions, demographic aspects and proposed causes of elder sexual abuse are discussed. Risk profiles for both community-dwelling older adults and those living in facilities are presented as a guide for professionals, followed by a discussion of physical and psychological signs of sexual abuse, and approaches for determining a client's capacity to consent to sexual activity Finally, recommendations for appropriate responses once it is determined that abuse is likely to have occurred, including meeting obligations as a mandated reporter and providing effective communication and support to victims, are provided.     

Service use patterns among adults with mental health problems in Chile]

OBJECTIVE: To describe the patterns in the use of general health services and specialized health services among adults with mental health problems in Chile, as well as those persons' level of satisfaction with the services. The overall objective was to optimize the use of the limited resources available for mental health care in the countries of the Americas, especially Chile. METHODS: The diagnoses and the patterns of use of mental health services were obtained from the Chilean Study of Psychiatric Prevalence (Estudio Chileno de Prevalencia Psiquiátrica). That representative research on the adult population of Chile was based on a stratified random sample of 2,987 people 15 years old and older, done over the period of 1992 to 1999. The psychiatric diagnoses were obtained using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The interviewees were also asked about their use of general health care services and of mental health services in the preceding six months, as well as any barriers to accessing the services. RESULTS: More than 44% of the interviewees had had contact with some type of health service during the six months prior to the study, but only 5.6% received specialized care. Those who presented with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder or of panic disorder consulted more frequently, but not in specialized centers. Consumption of substances such as alcohol and drugs as well as antisocial personality disorder were associated with a low level of consultation. When asked about sources of assistance for mental health problems, the majority of the interviewees mentioned only the formal health care system. More than 75% of the interviewees said that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the care that they had received. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the existence of a wide gap between the need for care and the treatment that is actually received. The informal and folkloric alternative resources (priests, family members, healers, herbalists, etc.) were used less frequently than is generally believed to be true. The indirect barriers of access to services--linked to a lack of knowledge and to stigma--were more frequent than were the direct barriers. A sizable number of people who did not have a positive diagnosis on the CIDI utilized mental health services.     

Changes necessary for continuing health reform: I. The "external" change

The article analyzes the need to obtain support from all actors if the reform of the health system is to be finalized. The relevant groups are the government, professional groups, workers, the population, civil servants, managers and firms with interests in the health field. It is necessary to develop a social marketing strategy that reinforces and broadens the current supports to change. Basic elements would be: Develop new service to satisfy users' needs; orient the services to defined "market" segments; position new services or "re-position" the existing ones in order to communicate their advantages; develop a plan of marketing based on promotion, prize and place focused on the role of health professionals as the main service sellers.     

深化医院“营销理念” 打造淮海经济区第一医疗品牌

目的以徐州市中心医院为例,对实施品牌营销带来的医疗服务质量和医院效益的提高分析,为医院实施品牌营销提供借鉴。方法运用问卷调查、对照等方法,探寻实施口碑、网络、学术、公益等渠道营销带来的服务质量和医院效益的提高。结果实施品牌营销后,我院的服务质量、品牌影响大幅提升,中心医院医疗集团形成,逐步成为淮海经济区区域医疗中心。结论营销理念的转变使医疗服务质量和品牌影响大幅提高,是医院品牌建设的必由之路。