It’s all about customer service on Twitter.. not so much selling… although Twitter is a great forum to push out marketing content.  Here is a video (see below) on Alaska Airlines’ strategy on Twitter. For them it’s not just selling and advertising their airlines, travel discounts and places to go on vacations.. Alaska Airlines wants to focus on customers.

Focusing on customers - what they want - what is important to them. Listen and watch this video on how coordinating a Tweetup for Alaska Airlines’ customers created a digital word of mouth that got people talking and appreciating the airlines even more.  In this exclusive interview with SimpliFlying.com, Elliot Pesut of Alaska Airlines details their Twitter strategy, and talks about the recent Tweetup they had in Seattle.

So, next time you are thinking through a Twitter strategy, you might consider a TweetUp that focuses on your customer.. having fun, learning something new or simply seeing you, the vendor/supplier as a real person… it’s about being transparent.

TweetUps - What’s it all about?

How to Organize a TweetUp

Organizing the Tweetup: DO

1. Utilize your Twitter network as a way to drum up support, help and ideas.

2. Actually visit the venue.

3. Plan for more people to show up than you think.

4. Ensure a few core people/speakers are at the event.

5. Use Email.

Thank you,  Stuart Foster - an independent social media/marketing consultant. Read his full story on How to Organize a Successful TweetUp on Mashable.

Welcome to the September 8, 2009 edition of boomers and seniors - News you can use.

Gina LaGuardia presents A Caring Workplace: Employee Benefits Related to Caregiving posted at Seniors For Living, saying, “Caring for an elderly relative can impact work productivity and Caring Workplace is a unique benefit that provides employees a referral service and counseling.”

Elisha Knackwood presents Top 50 Healthcare Policy Blogs posted at Nursing Assistant Guides.

Boomer Trends

Debra Joy presents True meaning of happiness, as taught by our grandchildren posted at B celebrated, saying, “M.J. Essenmacher, successful career woman, learns what true happiness is from her grandchildren”

Carebuzz presents Healthy Aging posted at WorkingCaregiver.com Researchers recently identified four healthy lifestyle factors that could go a long way toward reducing your father’s risk of contracting common and deadly diseases.

Senior Housing

Kaye Swain presents Caregiver’s Checklist When Time to Relocate posted at SandwichINK Real Estate Info, saying, “What if one of your loved ones has to head for the hospital unexpectedly and you need to be closer? Or an aging parent not-so-unexpectedly needs to move in but your house is too small? For many, moving will be a necessity. Here’s a helpful checklist for Senior Home Care Givers to help winnow out the inappropriate properties as we go out apartment or house hunting in the area we are preparing to relocate to.”

Patricia Grace presents Adult day care…the best kept secret in eldercare posted at Aging with Grace CareConnection.

Health and Wellness

Gina LaGuardia presents Exercise Improves Spatial Memory in Seniors posted at Seniors For Living, saying, “Can the right exercise program help seniors improve their spatial memory, allowing them thier independence for longer? The answer is encouraging!”

Viki Kind presents A Timeline Tool For When You Are In The Emergency Room posted at KindEthics.com, saying, “Make sure you are listened to in the Emergency Room. By Viki Kind at KindEthics.com.”

Kaye Swain presents Seniors Staying Busy Having Fun posted at SandwichINK.com, saying, “Staying busy is vital for all ages, including senior citizens. Here’s some fun ideas to share with our aging parents, along with a great resource with even more ideas. Bridge anyone?”

Carolyn Friedman presents Top 50 Oncology Blogs posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Heartstrong presents Carotid Artery Stenting Can Prevent Strokes posted at Healthy Hearts with Heartstrong.

Brooklyn White presents 50 Social Sites to Connect With Other Patients Online posted at Nurse Practitioner Schools.

Jimmy Atkinson presents 25 Free Open Courseware Classes About Your Health posted at Medicine. Technology. Web..

Taylor Coburn presents The 7 Areas of Life posted at Motivia, saying, “All areas of our life are interconnected. Shifts in one area can have a profound impact on other areas, like your health.”

Kate Hopkins presents 50 Great Tools to Double Check Your Doctor posted at Online Nursing Classes.

Charles Chua C K presents All About Living with Life: Baby Boomers – The 7 Ingredients of Happiness posted at All About Living with Life.

Yield to Pedestrian presents Grandparents, Grandchildren Tip #4: Spend Your Time posted at Extra (Hour)dinary Parenting.

Senior Care/Caregiving

Dale Carter presents Five Reasons You Should Contact an Ombudsman for Your Aging Parent posted at Transition Aging Parents, saying, “Did you know every state has a long-term care ombudsman? One of their roles is to respond to problems and complaints. But, their main role is to educate the public and assist families when they are contemplating a new living option for their aging parents. Read more about the value they offer.”

Debra Joy presents Celebrating Grandparents posted at B celebrated, saying, “This article is a sweet memory I have of my own grandmother and an announcement of a contest we are having to celebrate grandparents”

Carebuzz presents 6 Ways Caregivers Can Make Mealtime Easier for Seniors posted at Minnesota Care, saying, “In order to help ensure that seniors eat properly at every mealtime, and that it becomes a more pleasant experience, then here are a few tips that caregivers can follow.”

Carebuzz presents Adaptive Clothing: Reducing the Physical Demands of Caregivers posted at Minnesota Care, saying, “As caregivers, one of our most physically challenging jobs is to help a Minnesota senior who is relatively immobile with dressing.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of boomers and seniors - news you can use using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: boomers and seniors - news you can use, blog carnival.

Image Source:
transforminglifeafter50.org
villagrandeonsaxon.com
seniorbrigade.com

Our last question for the interview with Denise Brown at Caregiving.com.

If a family is living away from mom or dad, do you recommend the aging parent/relative continue living at home? I know there are variable circumstances. My in-laws for example, are ages 90 and 84 - still living at home but it’s beginning to wear on them.. we are looking for ways to make home at place to stay.. but they want to move to an assisted living facility.. thinking they would be less isolated.. and not have to drive so much. 

Denise Brown: It’s a great question. I think each situation varies. It’s important to consider what an aging family wants as well as what is realistic. Distance certainly adds another difficult dimension–it’s impossible to know, day by day, how an aging relative is truly fairing at home simply because you aren’t there to witness any difficulties.

For some families, the idea of assisted living or nursing home is out-of-the-question. For others, it’s a terrific option. In your in-laws situation, they seem to have a realistic perspective on what they can and can’t manage, which is so very helpful.

I suggest family caregivers (with their care recipients, as appropriate) made decisions based on knowledge and facts, rather than assumptions. For instance, when living at home begins to become a challenge, family caregivers may jump to the conclusion that a nursing home is needed, rather than exploring help from home care agencies and social service providers as well as researching the availability of adaptive devices and gadgets (which can make a huge difference!). For instance, one family caregiver worried about her grandmother, who lived alone after her husband died. Her grandmother’s greatest struggle was with meal preparation. The family caregiver was able to find a kitchen gadget that easily removed lids from cans (such as soup cans) which, amazingly, was her grandmother’s greatest obstacle during dinner preparation.

It’s important to understand how well an aging relative lives on their own. I recommend family caregivers visit for several days and shadow their care recipients to gain a better perspective on when/how their aging relative needs help. If the assistance needed is greater than what can be provided through services and equipment, then it’s time to look at alternative housing alternatives.

A geriatric care manager (GCM) can be a wonderful resource when making the decision about housing options. A GCM, often a nurse or social worker, can complete an in-home assessment and make appropriate recommendations. And, in a situation when you’re wondering what’s best for an aging relative, an objective, trained third-party can be a godsend. To find a CGM, visit caremanager.org.

Carebuzz continues our conversation with Denise from Caregiving.com.

What is the “hardest” elder care topic you find most families are confronted with? For me/my family, it was helping our dad who was living with Alzheimer’s - which is a very difficult disease for the person living with it and for the family to adjust to.

I think the hardest part for family caregivers is managing the emotions. It’s so hard to provide care and find a way to cope with the grieve, anger, resentment and guilt. Coping with all those overwhelming and scary emotions is a day-to-day hurdle. Family caregivers feel so sad about the losses their care recipient experiences. The sadness they feel sad about their own losses (loss of freedom, loss of an expected future, loss of friendships, to name just a few) can bring tremendous guilt; they may feel selfish for having these feelings, which are very normal and very understandable. The guilt may lead to resentment, which can lead to anger, which circles back to feelings of guilt. It’s a vicious circle.

It’s so important for family caregivers to find a safe place (support group, journal, long walk) to put these feelings. Family caregivers have every right to these feelings and they have just as much right to vent in a supportive and understanding environment. Finding this environment can be another struggle for family caregivers—not everyone can, and will, understand.

Thank you, Denise, from Caregiving.com - an amazing help for family caregivers online. Carebuzz appreciates the time you gave us during the following interview -

*Visit Caregiving.com for Insights, Information and Inspirations
*Listen to Your Caregiving Journey talk show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/caregiving
*Schedule Denise for a Lively, Fun and Inspiring Seminar Today!
*Ask Denise How Coaching Can Transform Your Caregiving Experience
*Get a Game Break: http://www.caregiving.com/index.php?page=game_break

As a family caregiver for mom and dad, I found it difficult to find support via the net until I found your group. When I was in the throes of caregiving, I confided with colleagues at work. And it amazed me how our employer did not support us.. i.e. we wanted to meet in our cafeteria at noon once a month to share knowledge and resources… the HR dept. vetoed that idea.

I’m curious if you are hearing “out in the employer/business community” if the attitude of elder care is moving up in ranks? If so, what sort of support programs are employers offering the working family caregiver?

That’s an unfortunate, but not uncommon, situation that you encountered at work. I do believe though, that more employers are taking notice of issues facing working family caregivers. And, really, employers have to: The U.S. Census Bureau reports that approximately one of every eight Americans between the ages of 40 and 60 can be considered a part of the sandwich generation, and experts expect those figures to grow. National studies say companies without elder-care benefits stand to lose $2,500 a year per caregiving employee and that every $1 spent on elder-care benefits gets a return of $1.50 in productivity, retention, and reduced absenteeism.

Many companies contract with providers, such as LifeCare, Inc., for work/life benefits which include information and referral services to help family caregivers. For instance, employees can contact their work/life provider for help in finding care, managing stress and making a difficult decision. A work/life benefit is great for any family caregiver, but can be particular useful for a long-distance caregiver. The provider will research care options in a care recipient’s community, which can be a huge time-saver for a family caregiver living in a different city. Through a work/life benefit, employees also may have access to a geriatric care manager for a discounted cost.

Many employers also offer an Employee Assistance Program, offered through companies such as Ceridien, which provide counseling services to help employees during difficult times. An EAP can be a great resource for a family caregiver overwhelmed by the emotions of the caregiving experience.

In addition to work/life benefits, some employer assist with back-up care during emergency situations.  Companies such as Work Options Group help employees find last-minute care in the event of an illness or travel.  For instance, an employee with this benefit can use the service to find a last-minute home health aide in case the regularly-scheduled aide becomes ill. The purpose of a back-up care benefit is to solve dependent care problems so an employee can get to work.

Finally, Lunch and Learns about elder care situations are a great and inexpensive way for employers to support family caregivers.

I encourage working family caregivers to contact their Human Resources department to learn about any programs available to help them.

I do worry, though, that our challenging economy will cause employers to consider putting these benefits on the chopping block in order to control expenses. We’ve made such huge inroads to help working family caregivers; it would be awful to take a turn back.