Introduction
This module explores direct market research ad segmentation of the elderly community in the Mission Viejo based on the data gathered and the general picture discovered. Mission Viejo has 95,290 people based on the available records for 2012, and it is the most populated among nine cities reviewed. Persons aged 65 years old and above represent 14.5 percent of the population. There are 46,535 (48.8 %) male and 48,755 (51.2%) female. The average age for Mission Viejo is 42.2 years relative to 45.6 years of California.
Generally, whites are the majorities, but the city has many other minorities.
Table 1: Mission Viejo Races.
The target market subjects
The target market for Golden Age Hospital (GAH) consists of older adults above 65 years old in Mission Viejo, CA. The number of older adults would rise significantly in the next few decades. This rising number will result in a serious public health problem and a challenge for health care providers too (Harris-Kojetin, Sengupta, Park-Lee and Valverde, 2013). In addition, it would also put pressure on family finances, the state and federal budgets, and private health care providers. The target subjects require healthy aging, which must be a critical priority in their lives.
From the data gathered, at least one adult lives with a chronic disease. The target subjects mainly suffer from:
- Alzheimer disease;
- Diabetes;
- Depression;
- Heart disease;
- Cancer;
- Fall injuries;
- Loss of balance;
- Pneumonia;
- Flu;
- Osteoporosis;
- Vision problems;
- Hearing loss.
There are also other diseases, which affect older adults. Segmentation of the target clients could be based on these chronic conditions, special care required, costs, services required (emergency or long-term care), and available facilities among others.
Location of the subjects
The entire population at Mission Viejo lives in urban areas. Hence, it would be simple to reach them with health care services. However, minority groups may be difficult to reach. On this note, data gathered identified characteristics of the target populations based on their races and possible chronic diseases that afflicted them. This would be critical for any outreach programs in the city.
It would be simple to obtain demographic data Mission Viejo from local authorities and other health care professionals in the region.
GAH services should focus on the minorities and other underserved individuals in Mission Viejo.
Special needs of the subjects
Older adults are prone to chronic diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, dementia, and other disabilities. Hence, they require easily accessible medical care. Moreover, majorities may experience hospitalization on several occasions. Some older adults may not be able to live independently at home, prevent abuse, get support, or afford health care services (Pozgar, 2007).
In addition, older adults are also at high risk of falls. Falls require special care because they could result in severe disability, injuries, or even death. Other older adults have could show impaired physical functions, sedentary behaviors, and poor quality of life (Christmas and Andersen, 2000). Hence, special needs for older adults must address risk factors associated with falls.
Some older adults may require lessons in managing chronic conditions. Caregivers may not be available for some of the older adults. Care providers are mainly family members. A lack of a caregiver may result in nursing home placement for some of the older adults.
Older adults require preventive health care services to promote and maintain their quality of life and overall well-being. GAH must encourage the use of preventive services among racial minorities in Mission Viejo. Special attention is necessary because maintaining a high quality of health care and life for seniors is not simple. Hence, there should be several physicians, mobile services, outreach, nursing homes, and other health care services.
Older adults’ special needs may also require specialized health care services. They may have complex, multiple conditions, which require several health care professionals (Niles, 2011).
Older adults require support to complete basic daily activities based on their conditions. Serious conditions may result in a nursing home placement. However, physical activities may reduce some cases of inactivity. Only a few older adults engage in physical activities. Hence, physical activities would require special attention. Communities may not have all the required supports for older adults who may develop disabilities. They may also need special care for mental conditions, depression, drug abuse, transportation, and training for foster caregivers.
Special medical or health services required by older adults
Older adults may require outpatient, outreach, and other case management services based on their conditions (Bohmer and Lee, 2009). These programs may offer specialized treatment and assessment to multiple, complex conditions of older adults.
Older adults also require therapies to enhance their living skills and promote social lives. Specialized services may also extend to support and training services for foster families who offer care services at homes.
Onsite consultation, outreach, and mobile services will evaluate and provide consultation to older adults at their locations. Older adults will also require regular evaluation, monitoring, and maintenance of health care services.
Physician specialization that older adults would like
Since many older adults have at least one chronic disease, GAH would require many health care services to manage complex diseases. Health care providers should also be professionals in different fields to meet the diverse needs of senior adults. Coordination, transparency, and accountability among care providers are also necessary (Kurtzman, 2010).
Providers should also have specialized training for older adults and aging.
The location that older adults prefer: a single medical center (MC) hospital location, or do they prefer a medical center (MC) hospital and a community clinic (CC)
Different health conditions of older adults have led to the rise in different facilities to provide care. However, older adults prefer a community clinic for some of their daily treatment needs to reduce rigidity in the system (Simonet, 2005).
Survey Table.
Executive Summary
Older adults over 65 years old in Mission Viejo consist of a significant percentage of the population. They have different chronic diseases, mental conditions, and depression. The entire population lives in urban areas. This would provide ease of accessibility to health care services. Although the city consists of many whites, other minority races, which underuse health care services, are also present. Therefore, they are the main target groups for GAH.
Based on the nature of chronic diseases and other conditions associated with old age and aging, older adults require to have special needs for health care services. These needs should account for various health care services, which older adults need at different facilities. Health care professionals for older adults should have training in old age and aging to provide meet the diverse needs of their clients. They also require high standards of collaboration because of the different conditions that adults may experience. Older adults would like to receive health care services at community facilities for daily therapies, but highly specialized care many require other forms of facilities.
References
Bohmer, R. M., and Lee, T. H. (2009). The shifting mission of health care delivery organizations. New England Journal of Medicine, 361(6), 551-553.
Christmas, C., and Andersen, R. A. (2000). Exercise and older patients: Guidelines for the clinician. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48(3), 318-24.
Harris-Kojetin, L., Sengupta, M., Park-Lee, E., and Valverde, R. (2013). Long-Term Care Services in the United States: 2013 Overview. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Kurtzman, E. (2010). A transparency and accountability framework for high-value inpatient nursing care. Nursing Economics, 28(5), 295-307.
Niles, N. J. (2011). Basics of the U.S. health care system. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Pozgar, G. D. (2007). Legal aspects of health care administration. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Simonet, D. (2005). Patient satisfaction under managed care. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 18(6), 424-440.