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Op-Ed: New start up company reaches out to the Babyboom generation (Includes interview and first-hand account)

Based upon a U.S. Census report from last year, the U.S. population is projected to grow from 314 million in 2012 to 400 million in 2050, an increase of 27 percent. Within that projected increase, 20 percent of U.S. residents by that time will be aged 65 and over, compared with 13 percent in 2010 and 9.8 percent in 1970.

While society is still uncovering the challenges and opportunities resulting from this huge demographic shift; a few people in the senior services sector are already addressing these challenges. Among them are companies like Seniorly, a startup that is bringing the search for Senior Living to the 21st Century standards. As founder Arthur Bretschneider, for Seniorly explained, “Housing for an aging population will continue to increase, but the tools and outreach to help in that must change as well.” And as co-founder Sushanth Ramakrishna points out. “The current process of searching for senior housing is antiquated, inefficient and emotionally draining.” “It’s like using the Yellow Pages of the phone book,” he said.

Currently about 70 percent of senior housing providers have little or no presence online and in an ever-expanding information technology, that will change, quickly. Both he and Ramakrishna see the demands and they are approaching rapidly.

“Our company began four months ago, out of a need, one that is community focused. Currently there are seven staff members. Yet Seniorly is eager to grow and would like to meet the demand by providing 21st Century tools to help people in the process; including families and professional service providers. While at the moment Seniorly is focused on housing, it’s potential for expansion is imminent.

“Here in the Bay Area tech is very focused on products that are geared towards younger generations. Our goal at Seniorly is to guide baby boomers and their families through the initial discovery process of search for senior housing, and provide them with tools to make better decisions,” said Bretschneider. So far there are more than 200 rich profiles of senior communities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and the company has many more communities coming online in the coming months. “We believe in building local relationships,” said Bretschneider. We take the time to visit the senior housing providers and senior living settings.”

“Seniorly is not just a directory. It provides a personalized and simple search experience aimed at helping people find communities that fit be bringing online the essence of each community through video interviews, photos, and rich content,” says Ramakrishna. “We provide people with free collaboration tools, like our Family Portal, that allow all stakeholders to work together.

Interestingly what makes baby boomer seniors unique is the fact that they and those after them will be like no other aging population before it.

With current modes of longevity in place, baby boomers could live longer than their parents or grandparents. But this is open for debate and speculation. According to some statistics with the current economy, many seniors of the babyboomer generation are delaying retirement. Some estimates say that as much as 30 percent of people in the workforce today are at retirement age or older. And for some seniors, retirement is not an option financially. And then there is the concern that Social Security income may not be able to payout past 2030 to all those in retirement.

Currently the number of baby boomers is over 75 million. What that number will be by 2050 is anyone...

Currently the number of baby boomers is over 75 million. What that number will be by 2050 is anyone’s guess. Yet based upon current statistics, one thing can be certain is the fact that baby boomers will expect a higher standard of service, especially as technology takes a lead.
Courtesy of Seniorly

Bretschneider and Ramakrishna made a comparison to several of the current senior service forms of outreaches. Some they noted are national, as advertised on TV and others are regional or local. Those that are advertised on TV, utilize a call-center approach. While this approach is good at helping the consumers make more informed decisions, it takes away the consumers control of the search by only getting a partial selection of options.

Seniorly wants to be able to work will all businesses that reach out to the elderly; and that includes medium and small businesses. Seniorly also wants to make their online outreach more tech-advanced, allowing seniors and their families access to needed info ASAP, 24-7 at the touch of a button (on one’s home computer, electronic notepad or smartphone). For those that are not tech-savvy they do also provide a phone number where people can call to get access to all options, and speak with a Gerontologist about other age-related issues.

“Right now people who come to Seniorly get to see a wide array of housing options, from small family owned assisted living communities to the large corporate owned independent living communities,” said Bretschneider.

There are many other types of regional and local services that are offered to seniors including volunteer outreach, referral network, support groups, and services that help seniors remain in their homes. “Eventually, many of these local services will be found on Seniorly,” said Bretschneider. For more information visit the Seniorly web site.

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