Starting Steadily
As I enter into my mid-40s and I watch my parents and their friends enter into their golden years, there are so many clear patterns and trends that I see in my own family and the families of my friends and neighbors.
Trend #1: 80 is the new 70. Seniors today are living longer, are in better shape and are more intent on living independently at home longer than the seniors of prior generations. This is a great trend that we can further improve with modest help like rides to appointments or religious services, regular check-in visits, light cleaning around the house, help with technology and more.
Trend #2: Families are geographically dispersed. It is very common for adult children to live across the country, hundreds of miles and multiple time zones away from their senior parents. The distance and time-zone changes make regular check-ins a logistical challenge. Weekly telephone calls, Facetimes and family Zooms are helpful but there is still a clear need for peace of mind that mom and dad are well and that if they need anything, there’s someone there to help. One of the key products I envision offering at Steadily is a simple monthly check-in report.
Trend #3: Technology (specifically social media) seems to be further isolating us from each other. Social networks like Facebook and Twitter seem to be disconnecting us from our family, friends, neighbors and communities than ever before. One of the goals of Steadily is to restore a bit of human connection in our lives.
Trend #4: Technology is moving at an increasingly rapid pace and some seniors are struggling to keep up. In my own life, I find myself regularly helping my parents with their iPhones or helping them connect to Wifi or log-in to Netflix. In speaking to my friends, it’s clear this is not just a “me thing.” Many folks (young and old) are struggling with these new technologies so there is a clear.
Trend #5: Safety and trust remain top of mind for folks young and old. We plan to run regular background checks, behavioral interviews and regular performance reviews on our Steadily staff members to ensure we are only connecting folks with the safest and kindest neighbors in our community. As of the writing of this blog post, I am the only Steadily employee and I will share my referrals, my own official background check that confirms I have no criminal history and that my purpose on this earth is to do good and to care for neighbors.
These five trends don’t show any signs of slowing down and it seems there is an increasing need for the types of services that Steadily hopes to offer. So please give us a call 614-372-6935 or send us an e-mail to begin the conversation.
