community with the highest number
of claims two years ago had one of the
lowest claim volumes in 2010; the savings at that community alone exceeded
$200,000.
“Especially in this type of [economic]
environment, where it’s hard to make
a dollar, you can save a lot in workers’
comp,” says Russo.
Programs to Spotlight:
Willis of Illinois Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Workers’ Compensation Diagnostic
Several years ago, the insurance brokers
at Willis had an epiphany of sorts. They
realized that their senior living provider
clients shared a need for some sort of
road map to drive down their escalating
workers’ comp costs. Their response
was to create Willis’ Workers’ Compensation Diagnostic, a project-based
service that works with clients to provide a complete picture of their current
workers’ comp costs, drivers, processes,
and procedures. After an exhaustive collaborative examination of the client’s organization and systems, Willis provides
specific recommendations for reducing
accidents, claims, and costs.
In the four years since its inception,
the program has enabled cost reductions
between 15 and 40 percent for its senior
living clients.
Senior Living Communities
Charlotte, North Carolina
Stand Strong
Last autumn, Senior Living Communities’ Stand Strong Fall Prevention
Program managed to reduce falls in
two memory-care neighborhoods by
72 and 75 percent, respectively. The
program succeeded because of its holistic approach to transforming both
its general policies and individualized
care to address such concerns as medication management, sleep deprivation, and other variables that can affect
risk. The program encompassed training, nutrition and wellness initiatives,
changes in medication management,
and environmental assessments, and
involved all departments and levels of
the organization.
Senior Living Communities plans to
expand the program to all 12 of its communities in 2011.
best of the best
ALFA
2011
EXCELLENCE IN SENIOR LIVING
AWARD WINNING COMPANY
bob and betty spencer won emeritus’ free
rent for a year sweepstakes.
Winner:
Emeritus Senior Living
Seattle, Washington
Win Free Rent for a Year Sweepstakes
Many businesses get a little too busy
around the winter holidays. That’s not
always the case with senior living communities. “Decembers can be good, but
there’s a perception among executive directors and sales teams that families don’t
want to move in around holiday times,”
says jayne sallerson, EVP of sales and
marketing for Emeritus Senior Living.
Last winter, to beat the usual sales-and-marketing holiday blues, Emeritus offered
up the biggest, shiniest, most alluring gift
that it could muster, spread the word nationwide through its 480 communities,
and waited to see who would come. The
“gift” was the chance to win free rent at
an Emeritus community for an entire year
through a sweepstakes that was open to
anyone who took a community tour between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2010.
Emeritus received nearly 3,000 en-
tries, which translated into a 13 percent
increase in same-community tours during
the holiday season and triple-digit move-
ins for November and December, as well
as a boost in sales momentum for the new
year. The three top-achieving regions saw
tour traffic increases between 68 and 85
percent compared with the previous holi-
day season. The sweepstakes also provid-
ed leverage to Emeritus’ “Home for the
Holidays” campaign, giving it a competi-
tive edge.
Programs to Spotlight:
Brandywine Senior Living
Mt. Laurel, New Jersey
Serenade
Brandywine Senior Living is marketing
a new program for older adults whose
needs include wants. Serenade is a com-munity-within-a-community similar to
the club floor of a fine hotel. Cocktails
and hors d’oeuvres are a daily benefit, as
are the optional valet, turn-down service,
room service, and the attentive services
of an “anything, anytime” butler. The upgraded accommodations include luxury
suites with walk-in closets, upgraded décor, a private dining room, and upscale
lounge. The butler is solely dedicated to
customer service.
Brandywine’s five Serenade programs
are either at or close to full capacity or
have recently opened. As one resident
said: “We did not expect them to do as
much as they do, and they do it. We feel
like we are in a hotel.”
