Assisted Living Directory Blog

It looks like Frasier Meadows retirement community in Boulder, Colorado is doing some pretty substantial construction! A friend of mine was in Boulder yesterday and took this photo from his I-Phone, and sent it to me (Technology never ceases to amaze me, even with something as simple as taking a photo from a phone and then e-mailing it). My friend Dave also asked me if I thought the assisted living market was seeing any effect from this bad economy. I told him that to some degree, probably yes – however, every day I see a new news article about how such-and-such assisted living company is pumping x-number of millions of dollars into a new facility….or how such-and-such company is showing profits, etc. I think it is an industry that is somewhat insulated from the current economic crisis – after all, you can’t stop aging, and Alzheimer’s, and especially now, it may be very difficult for family members to act as caregivers, as the responsibilities for work, or for finding a job are increased. Also, many families may be looking at having their homes foreclosed on, making them, and perhaps an aging parent, find housing elsewhere – which might mean assisted living. Anyways, that’s my 2 cents worth. Here’s the photo my friend took of Frasier Meadows:

Frasier Meadows, Boulder CO

I am a little embarrassed to admit that I had never heard of Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) before today.   I would like to think that I have included care and facilities on this site for all types of dementia, but I have failed to mention this type anywhere on the site.

It has an interesting and unique name, which is why I am surprised I had never heard about it.

I came across a great site today that is dedicated to Lewy Body Dementia.   Basically, this disease is described as “a progressive brain disease and the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly. The clinical name, “dementia with Lewy bodies” (DLB), accounts for up to 20% of all dementia cases, or 800,000 patients in the US. Over 50% of Parkinson’s disease patients develop “Parkinson’s disease dementia” (PDD), which accounts for at least 750,000 patients. (PDD is also a Lewy body dementia.)”

I don’t know yet if there are any assisted living facilities that care specifically for LBD, but I’ll try to find out and list them in the appropriate places on my site.

For those suffereing from Lewy Body Dementia, or for the loved ones of those struggling with this disease,  I apologize for not representing you on the site.   I’ll get to work on it.

Here is an interesting video clip that talks a little bit about the difficulties in diagnosing this disease.

I believe that the future of the internet is video – with the popularity of youtube and other video services, and the ease in which people can show their videos online, video clips will become one of the most effective ways to get a point across.

I have a dream for Assisted Living Directory – a dream that I am able to include a video clip/tour of each and every facility on the site.   I don’t think this is a realistic goal, but I’ll be happy to get a few good clips for each page.  Unfortunately, there aren’t many out there as of yet.   If I were more mobile, and had unlimited time and resources, I would visit each facility with my own camera in-hand, and shoot an award-winining commercial spot for each facility.  I unfortunately, don’t have that kind of time at the moment.

What this means is that people will have to do the work themselves, and send me their clips!   If you can get a video of your facility, and upload it to Youtube, or send me the clip, I can do the rest from there.  This is an open invitation for any facility to post their facility video on my site!

I found a really good video of an assisted living facility in Florida – Southern Lifestyle Assisted Living in Lake Placid, Florida.   This is an example of a great video promotion for an assisted living facility:

This seems like a silly question to ask, but it is actually asked a lot. It is also a question people ask when trying to compare what assisted living is, as compared to independent living, or long-term care.

I found a really nicely done video that talks about what assisted living is. Enjoy!

With the increasing popularity of video, especially via Youtube, Google Video, and Blip.tv, Assisted Living Facilities may want to take a renewed interest in making sure that their residents are happy. It doesn’t take a whole lot of technical skill to get a message out to thousands of people. Hopefully, that message will be a good one.

The Residence in Lakeland, Florida has used the magic of video to get some great press, and a great testimonial from one of their residents. In a great article from theledger.com (January 18, 2008), it states that “The Residence is one of a handful of assisted-living facilities in Polk County that specialize in providing a home for people who have illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

It has a good reputation among local mental health workers and tenants who say they would rather stay there than try living on their own.”

It follows up with a embedded video testimonial by a resident at the facility. You can view this testimonial here:

The business of assisted living is a very competitive market, and will become moreso as the number of “golden aged” people increases in the decades to come. Of course, having a website is the first step in marketing your assisted living facility, but there are numerous other techniques and strategies that can be utilized to further strengthen your visibility online.

Youtube and Google Video are both very powerful mediums to get the word out about your facility. It is incredibly easy to shoot a short video about your facility, and then upload it to these websites. From there, you can link the video to your assisted living website, and also “tag” the video so it comes up in internet searches, as well as within Youtube and GV. You can also “embed” these videos into your website.

In the weeks to come, we will be doing a comprehensive article about these various marketing techniques and strategies. If you check out our homepage, we have added a section devoted to our articles, which we will try to do frequently. These articles will hopefully be helpful and relevant to the subject of assisted and senior living.