Category: Uncategorized

by Roy Barker, Director – Special Projects

Where is your website hidden?

Generally when I pick graphics for the blog I pick ones that go with my topic, but in this case I saw a great graphic that needed writing about.  While it is typically said that you need to be on social media “because everyone else is” or “its great consumer research” or “its key for building relationships” or one of the many other good reasons, one that is not mentioned often enough is the power of social media to drive traffic to your website.

There are two main ways this is accomplished, direct links to your website and the Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  When posting content to your LinkedIn or Facebook accounts use a link back to your blog or website and direct readers there to get more information.  This also works in group postings and discussions for both LinkedIn and Facebook.

I’m not a big proponent of writing articles singularly for SEO purposes.  I feel that SEO is a side effect of great content.  While you do want to be smart and use key words where possible, the focus of your writing should be the message, not be to squeeze in as many key words as possible, that takes away from the meaning of your article and generally make it harder to read and follow.  You should focus on timely and relevant subjects for your industry and write them in a clear and concise manner.  If you do these well, your content will be read, commented on, shared, linked to, and all the other things that help your SEO efforts.

Pictures and videos are also great attractions to readers.  Content with pictures and/or videos have a much higher viewing percentage than those that don’t.  I have read that a blog is like leaving a trail of bread crumbs for your readers to your website and a video is like leaving chocolate covered bread crumbs.  But again, a great picture or video with lousy content will not earn you a loyal following.

When you write an article or blog, driving traffic to your website and SEO optimization is a great objective, but don’t forget the here and now, you have an audience right in front of you, so say something noteworthy.

Let MDS show you how you can utilize social media in a comprehensive senior living and housing marketing campaign.

Contact Roy Directly at:
Dallas/Fort Worth – 817.925.8374
Boston – 978.432.9834
roybarker@m-d-s.com

 

by: Kim Jimenez

So, you are in the healthcare and hospitality business. Your attention is on a well-maintained property, proper nutrition plans, quality activities and a staff that can meet the needs of your residents.  Running a top notch operation is your focus and for the most part that is how it should be.  But one area you may not be paying enough attention to is your technology.  Do not neglect the security of your technology.  Computers are no doubt used throughout your community for any number of tasks and because the industry is becoming more and more digital, communities are at risk of being hacked.  

The cost of cyber crimes can be measured in dollars but there are also costs that cannot be measured.  The cost of time, reputation and trust are issues that affect any company that has been hacked.  A report by McAfee estimates the cost of cyber crimes cost the U.S. economy as much as $100 billion each year.  But that does not measure the cost of losing customers, damaged reputation and the effect on people whose information may have been compromised.

Since you are not a retail establishment processing credit and debit cards all day long, why, you ask, would anyone want to hack YOUR system?  Various reasons but they all stem from one common thing: INFORMATION! You have information that criminals can use to commit Insurance fraud, identity theft and scam the elderly.  With medical records going digital and much of the medical equipment being serviced remotely with internet, the health care industry is becoming a target.  In fact the value of medical records on the black market is reported to be $60 versus the value of credit card info which is $20 according to the Wall Street Journal.

What you may not know is that hackers, scammers and cyber criminals in general have their own network.  They share information about what equipment companies are using, internet addresses, and passwords to network firewalls.  These hackers dump information on file sharing sites. One site had information from three nursing homes in New York.  According to a Wall Street Journal report a document on one of these file sharing sites “included the brand of firewall, the networking switch, the Internet addresses of wireless access points for 11 rooms, precise blueprints of the facility, the locations of PCs and printers, and the encryption keys, usernames and passwords granting access to the network.” Scary stuff!

If you are a large corporate community, no doubt you have an IT department to work with.  If you are a small, independent community be sure you are consulting with a reputable security firm.  There are steps you can take to protect yourself, but you have to take them.  But many have the mindset of “It only happens to someone else” or “it only happens to those big retailers.”  Hackers look for anybody whose system is susceptible to hacking, they do not discriminate and they are not picky.  So, take some time NOW to review your system’s security, the safety (or vulnerability) of your patient’s medical records and the risks associated with such a breach.  The time is now BEFORE you get hacked.

  For more information and resources:

Four Ways to Protect your Community Against Hackers – SeniorHousingNews.com

Nursing Homes Are Exposed to Hacker Attacks; Cybersecurity Experts Find Trove of Information on File-Sharing Web Site– Wall Street Journal

The Economic Impact of Cybercrime and Cyber Espionage – McAfee and The Center of Strategic and International Studies

You Have Access to a Wealth of Information; Are You Taking Advantage of It?

As we read the news about two major industry associations about to merge (see article at SeniorHousingNews.com), it leads to the question: Do you fully utilize all the resources available to you?  Do you even know about all the resources available for education, training, financial knowledge, industry trends and more?

One trend you need to avoid; operating in a bubble not taking into consideration what is going on in your community, your city, your state, your industry.  Keeping up with the latest research, recent developments, up-to-date training, what is happening with competitors and most importantly regulations, policies and laws that affect you will keep your community from falling so far behind it cannot catch up.

Go to the Moore Diversified Services (MDS) Industry Links page.  Here you will find just a small sampling of resources to help you stay informed, stay competitive, and maintain top notch performance.  In addition to what we have listed, be sure to check local and national headlines from your preferred news source and link up to your state associations.  The state associations will help you stay on top of state regulations and laws which are imperative to your operations. 

Don’t Let Success Lead You to Fail

So, how are your sales going? It’s the middle of the month and time to evaluate how sales are progressing.  Are you close to filling those units you set out to fill this month? No doubt if you are behind your sales indicators, you are going to be even more focused on selling over the next two weeks.  And if you are right on track, you are going to keep on doing what you’re doing in the hopes that you STAY on track and meet your sales goals.  What if you are ahead of your indicators? Time to sit back and rest on your accomplishments so far? Don’t do it!

If you have read “Go for No” by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz, you know that now is the time to really kick it into gear! Why, you may ask, would I work harder NOW that I am ahead of my goals? Because as hard to believe as it may seem, that confidence in what you have done the first two weeks of the month could be what keeps you from reaching those goals and filling those units at the end of the month.  You relax your demeanor, you don’t focus quite as hard on closing the deal because you have plenty of time…or do you?

And if you are getting more “no’s” than you can stand, you are on the right track! How you may ask? Because with each “no” you are getting closer to your “yes”. 

If you are an administrator, sales manager or sales person, we recommend you get a copy of “Go for No” and see how this theory can help your sales department perform above and beyond.  And MDS can evaluate your marketing strategy and make sure you have the sharpest marketing program around to bring all your potential residents into your community and to the desk of your sales department.

 

Laughter (and Fun) Can Be Great Medicine

When we talk about “wellness” for residents, most immediately think exercise, healthy diet and monitoring the typical health indicators.  While all those things are necessary, don’t forget to include things they enjoy.  Your residents are no different from their younger counterparts, they just want to have a little fun!

A retirement community in Essen, Germany created this awesome calendar using their residents to recreate famous movie scenes. (Think James Bond, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Rocky, The Blues Brothers) These lucky residents got the star treatment with professional stylists, makeup, costumes and professional photographers.  Residents that participated ranged in age from 76 to 98.  Buzzfeed.com reports “The calendar models were interviewed about the project and said it was a ton of fun to dress up as their favorite actors.”

See all these wonderful photos at Buzzfeed.com

Are Your Employees On Board With Your Organizational Goals?

“Researchers have found that companies with the strongest cultures – where values and norms are widely shared and strongly held – tend to outperform their peers” – Adam Zuckerman

It is the time of the year to review past goals and set new ones.  A few things to ponder:

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” – General George S. Patton

Employee performance increases by an average of more than 15 percent when supervisors help their team members set goals.  The best goal statements are challenging but attainable, communicated clearly and known to others and accepted by employees (i.e. “buy-in” has been achieved).

To add practicality to your goal-setting process, keep these bits of advice in mind:

• Look backward before you define tomorrow’s goals.  The future can often be foretold dimply by projecting last year’s history forward and adjusting it for current conditions.
• When you sense the changes may make history obsolete, define your new goals within ranges.  That is, instead of an absolute goal of, say, an 8 percent reduction in expense, aim for a range of 5 to 10 percent.
• Always set the routinely attainable goals first.  Then you can consider goals that require problem solving and innovation.  Don’t commit to more than you can deliver.  Set only goals you believe you can attain with the resources at hand.
• Allow for environmental or organizational influences that can affect your plans for better or worse.  Give special attention to human factors – especially the extent to which your employees will support or obstruct your plans.
• Follow up by creating a feedback loop.  Monitor your goal-achievement success to see what lessons you can learn for future improvement.

Finally, be assured that the more often you set goals, the more accurate you will be.  This is one activity that improves with experience. – Supervision: Managing for Results, John W. Newstom

Let MDS help you review your goals and performance and make 2014 your best year ever!

As an Employer, Are You Helping Your Employees Help Your Organization?

One of the biggest factors in poor performance is lack of or insufficient training.  If an employee does not completely understand what their job is, they will perform that job poorly.  If an employee is not regularly updated on changes in their job, be it organizational changes, legal changes, or best-care practice changes, they will perform their job poorly.  If the employee is not clear what is specifically expected of them, goals, expected outcomes, quality/quantity expectations, chances are that employee will not meet those unknown expectations.

With the new year upon us, this is a great time to evaluate your organization’s training schedule, content and procedures.  New employee orientation is a foundation for all employees and training should build from there.

• Is your new employee orientation complete and effective?
• Do you make sure your employees are kept up to date with changes, whether internal or external?
• Do you offer incentives for them to participate in continuing education programs?
• Do you offer periodic in-service training?
• Do you promote personal development to your employees?
• Do you ever ask your employees in what areas do they feel they are not completely trained, educated or informed?

Here are a few recent articles with an increased focus on training for 2014.

Senior Housing Execs to Double Down on Training in 2014 (SeniorHousingNews.com)

With Senior Living Resident Acuity Rising, Providers Turn Attention to Training (SeniorHousingNews.com)

Senior Living Providers Turn Attention to Staff Training as Resident Needs Rise (SeniorHousingNews.com)