Social Distancing has given seniors no other option than turn to technology to adjust to the ‘new normal’, and prime examples of technology usage among seniors are online shopping and connecting with family via Zoom or Google Meet.
A vast majority of senior residents can therefore no longer be considered tech illiterate and community managers operating 55+ communities should push for technology implementation.
Although communication and engagement both describe the act of sharing information, communication often is one-way, whereas engagement is two-way.
Being able to communicate with residents is a must and community managers do that by sending out monthly newsletters, pushing notifications when parcels arrive and displaying announcements on display screens that are placed in lobbies and elevators. However, a great resident experience can only occur when residents can engage with their community manager and most importantly, other residents.
Many senior residents live alone and choose to live in a 55+ community in order to improve their emotional well-being. Research shows that seniors who engage meaningfully with people nearby can reduce feelings of despair. Social activities with like-minded individuals allows seniors to experience a sense of belonging and helps with better aging, leading to a better resident experience.
A group of seniors who participated in a fall community garden activity at the Langley Village Apartments in Virginia is a perfect example of this.
Only a proper resident experience management platform can help you deliver the ultimate resident experience. A resident experience management platform has features that allow board members and staff to communicate with residents. It also has features that is built specifically for resident engagement.
Our Resident Experience Management platform has the following built-in features developed specifically for increasing resident engagement:
Discussion Forums
With our Discussion Forum feature, you can build a strong and connected residential community for seniors, allowing them to join discussion forums moderated by you. What’s more, you can assign specific topics for contractor recommendations, items for sale, and general community events. This is one of our most popular features!
Classified Ads
With our Classified Ads feature, residents can quickly post and share items or services for trade, sale, or on offer.
Quick Votes
Gather the opinion of residents on community-related topics and view immediate results on everything from landscaping to picking a date for the summer BBQ! This handy feature will boost community engagement and provide insight on important issues within your residential community.
Virtual Owner Meetings & AGMs
As the pandemic eases and we resume in-person gatherings, hybrid meetings are slowly becoming a permanent part of how community associations function. Our Virtual Owner Meetings & AGMs feature can help you create hybrid meetings where all participants — whether physically present or remote — feel engaged, valued and equal.
Our Resident Experience Management platform also has the following features that helps build a community:
Newsletter
To build and maintain a community, boards and property managers need to be as transparent with residents as possible. Our newsletter feature can help residents keep up with notices, upcoming events, rules and much more. Furthermore, residents can be encouraged to write content as well and a spotlight can be put on residents themselves.
Community Calendar
As you know, a calendar is a very important component of keeping any community association running smoothly. A calendar should be used by board members to strategically plan out their community’s year.
Our calendar can be used for adding important items such as community maintenance, board meetings, amenity assessments, event planning and much more.
Amenity Booking
Residents may also use their portal to reserve a spot in an upcoming class or to use one of the common facilities. Concierge Plus lets management provide residents with access to common facilities while also limiting the number of registrations at any one time. Events are easy to manage by keeping track of registrations and available spaces, collecting any fees, and ensuring a fun event for all parties.
As stated earlier, the pandemic has caused a major change in 55+ communities and senior residents now expect to be treated like any other tech-savvy resident. Board members and community managers should strive to deliver a superior resident experience that increases the well-being of senior residents by allowing them to engage with other residents.
Our Resident Experience Management platform can help you do that. Book a meeting with us today and let us show you how.
On-Demand Webinar
There is a general perception that seniors are less tech savvy, but the pandemic has changed that perception.
Social distancing has given seniors no other option than turn to technology in order to adjust to whatever the ‘new normal’ may be.
Watch our webinar and learn how to exceed expectation of tech-savvy seniors.