Marketing Plan for Sunset Day Care - Essay Example

Topic: Sunset Day Care Marketing Plan Market Overview As home and community based solutions for senior living keep changing, Senior citizen Day Care services is experiencing rapid growth all over the world. The number of senior citizen day care Services centers has increased 35% since 2002 which are estimated to serve 260,000 people. The first ever senior citizen day care Centre was started In England in the 1950s and since the 1970s a good number of them in a variety of forms have existed in the United States. Executive Summary There have been various forms of senior citizens day care Centre’s since the 1970s which are defined as community-based programs that are designed to meet the needs of minimally impaired adults through an individualized plan of care for part of the 24-hour day. According to the 2000 census, there are 3,407 senior citizens day care centers operating in the United States, serving primarily people with dementia (including Alzheimers disease) and the frail elderly who do not have dementia though experts suggest that this number is fast going to rise as more and more people require and seek these services, (Lakdawalla, Bhattacharya, Goldman, & National Bureau of Economic Research, 2001) Mission Statement The Sunset Senior Citizens Daycares mission is to provide a program of social, recreational, and health activities and services in a group setting that will keep our clients as comfortable as possible and at the same time caring for their immediate individual needs Market and Situation Analysis Economic environment In the recent past, the demand for senior citizens day care centres has considerably grown. The lifestyles of the population has changed making the people need care at significantly early age thus the need to have more of this centres. This makes a venture such as opening this centre economically viable. Social environment In recent years, the age at which people adult day care services has considerably become lower as a result of the lifestyle diseases among other things. Therefore it seems that people age faster they did before. Family structures are also evolving and people prefer to have their aging loved ones cared for in these centres so that they get a chance to go make a living, (Kane, 1986). Technical environment The technological environment changes rapidly and therefore people’s needs also follow these trends. The clients will need a variety of foods that are healthy and at the right times. They will also need to be entertained with activities like playing cards or board games and also scheduling activities such as bowling or even tennis if it is available. Competitive environment Other senior citizen day care centres also work to make the clients feel at home. It is in this context that this particular centre will be making follow ups with the clients after they live the centre to find out how they are doing with the aim of having an edge over the competition. It will also strive to make the environment seem like a family environment as much as possible. SWOT Analysis Strength Better client service excellent centre location a unique product Weakness untrained staff undifferentiated service poor documentation system Opportunity entering a robust developing market partnership with hospitals and health centres Threat new competitor entering your market new regulations of business increasing barriers of trade Market Segmentation and Customer Analysis From recent market analysis, we have found out that there are over 400 senior citizens in our local area. This number keeps growing since the age of the people who need this service keep getting lower thus the actual senior population numbers are expected to almost double in the ten-year period between 2005 and 2015. The needs of these senior citizens become clear since a big proportion of elderly will probably develop some dementia as age increases. The care will get future funding from a number of foundations that are run locally and also a variety of organizations that we are in collaboration. The fees that will be paid by each client will be determined by the attention he gets. The clients that are targeted are those that are aging and can no longer be cared for properly at home and also those that may have conditions that are medical and that will make their stay at home not comfortable. A good number of care givers are also available in the area and are ready to give this care when they get the opportunity of being hired by this senior citizens day care Centre once it’s up and running. For admittance into the day care, an individual must be within the targeted population and this must have documented proof that shows age, the disability or handicap and the particular individual needs the person will require. If a client is eligible for the admission, the transportation to the care Centre will not be a reason to revoke the eligibility even if he cannot provide his own transport Upon eligibility, priority will be given to those that need full time day care supervision in order to live comfortably and those who need it for their own protection. Next on the priority list will be those that require assistance for themselves with daily life activities so as to maintain themselves. Then those that who need help with social activities in order to keep them occupied and help them not deteriorate are next in the order. These social activities are normally directed at those that seem to be withdrawn and isolated since they run the risk of mental and physical deterioration, (Winslow, & Walters, 1993) Objectives and Goals Mission Statement The senior citizens day care will aim at meeting the client’s goals through employing people that are able bodied that will be tasked with providing the care that the elderly citizens will need. This people will be hired after careful scrutiny and vetting. This service will also try to overcome social isolation and the effects that motivate it. This means that isolation which sometimes makes the clients lose and have low self-esteem will be overcome and eventually this will promote a good and sound physical and mental health.The clients will also be trained in a variety of things that will make them feel as independent as possible so that they do not feel pity on themselves. Strategies and Tactics Pricing strategy The amount that the people that will be admitted to the day care centre will be calculated according to how much attention they require. It will be the day cares main objective to make sure that the services are as manageable as possible while providing quality service at the same time. The pricing will not be too low since this will only show that that the centre offers services that are of low quality. They will not also be too high to make them unaffordable because the main aim is to have all the classes cared for Product strategy The day will aim to employ the most qualified staff so that they can be able to give good quality services to those in the centre. They will be adequately trained so that they are friendly to the clients and make them most comfortable. It will also try its best to maintain the same employees so as to maintain the consistency and continuity. The centre will also strive to give the clients a variety of activities that they can take part in to break the monotony of everyday. Place strategy It is the absolute aim of the management and committee of the centre that it be strategically placed so as to cater for the maximum number of people. The centre will be just in the outskirts of the town but not far from it so that it can be at a central place that is easily accessible and at the same time quiet and serene. Promotion strategy The target clients will be informed of the new senior citizens day care centre through advertising that will be carried out on print media and the local radio station. They will also be reached through brochures that will be distributed in different parts of the town that include places like restaurants and hospitals and public relations will also play a major role in this area. People strategy The centre will partner with the local hospitals and the health centres to have on call doctors that will be able to deal with any emergencies if and when they arise. These doctors can also provide consultancy services if at any time they will be needed by the clients. It will also forge a good relationship with local grocery stores and suppliers to ensure that the products they deliver that will be used to prepare the special diets are of a high and good quality. Process strategy There will be an elaborate documentation system that will be handled by a qualified employee. This will be to make sure that the centres records are in order and no confusion arises from getting the wrong records of the clients. The centre will also be run by a determined team that will make sure that the mission of the centre is implemented and also suggest where the centre may need any reviews. Priorities, responsibilities and timeframes (what/who/ when) In the centre, the priority will always be the client and how comfortable he is. It will be important that the centre gives services that are of the highest quality and the clients get value for what they are paying for. The care givers will be paid in time in order to make sure that they are always giving services that are of the highest quality. Budgets and Controls Sales, expenses and marketing budgets Tools for review The budget will have the cost of paying the care givers, food and all the amenities factored in so that when the income is calculated it will clearly demonstrate whether the centre is a viable venture. Income will mainly be from the fees that the clients will be paying for the services and in future, the centre will also apply for a grant from the state to help it run better and complement what it already has. Contingency plans and risk management Although the centre strives to care for a majority of the population, it will aim to admit a particular number of clients that will be comfortable to assist without necessarily stretching its resources which has to be done in order to avoid deterioration of the services. There is also the case of laxity cropping in after employees that are the care givers being in the same place for a long time. This will be addressed through motivations and team building and training workshops. (Gross, 2008). References Gross, J. (July 2008). Faced with Caregiving, Even the Experts Struggle. New York Times. Kane, R. L. (1986). Medical Care for the Elderly in Other Western Countries. Home Health Care Services Quarterly 7 (3–4): 307. Lakdawalla, D., Bhattacharya, J., Goldman, D. P., & National Bureau of Economic Research, (2001). Are the young becoming more disabled?. Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research Winslow, G. R., & Walters, J. W. (1993). Facing limits: Ethics and health care for the elderly. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press Read More