For some people, aging can be pretty depressing. Many companies are concerned that showing the least bit of humor will be offensive to the families they are trying to woo into residency.  As a result, nearly every senior care community uses the EXACT same photography, brochures and messages.

In the senior care space, it’s rare that organizations will take the risk to put forth a clever approach to marketing their events.

Enter AAHSA, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. AAHSA is a non-profit and advocacy group within senior care.

Below is a really fun video that shows you can care about providing great care and have fun at the same time.  Kudos to you AAHSA.

About the Author: Ryan Malone is the founder of InsideElder Care and author of the ByFamilies, For Families Guide to Assisted Living. He regularly speaks and advises families about how to improve their aging loved one’s quality of life. Ryan is also the president of SmartBug Media, a content marketing agency that helps companies increase leads, customers and influence. You can read more from Ryan on the SmartBug Media blog or follow him on Twitter.

Social networking used to be a term used only by college kids.  But the explosion in popularity of sites like MySpace, Facebook, Flickr and Linkedin have made these tools common destinations for many adults.

The concept is simple – social networking lets you post a profile of yourself, pictures and lists of interests and hobbies.  Friends and business acquaintances “connect” to you, creating social network.

While most people use these sites for fun or networking, you can learn quite a bit about people from their social networking profile.

Now let’s be clear, you’re likely not going to find a criminal background or anything of that nature.  But you will learn a bit about the professionalism, social life and social circles maintained by the people ultimately responsible for the well-being of your love one.  You’ll also be able to validate the work experience communicated to you by the executive team at assisted living communities you may be considering.

Let’s look at how to use the two most popular sites.

Linkedin

Linkedin is a social networking tool designed for business professionals.  It enables users to build social networks with people based on common jobs, schools, companies and special interest groups.  Like many companies during the interview process, you can use Linkedin to validate the resume and experience of a community’s executive staff.  Since you’ll likely be asking executive staff about their work experience anyway, Linkedin can help you validate that experience.

Facebook

Facebook was a created by college kids who wanted to create social networks based on activities, hobbies, music and other things.  As such, Facebook is predominately used for social purposes.  Recently, Facebook has been embraced as a business tool as well.  Two Facebook features relevant to this discussion are “wall posts” and pictures.  Facebook enables users to post public messages on their friends’ profile pages, which can give you a good glimpse into their personality and circle of friends.  Facebook also enables users to post photos and identify their friends in those photos.  A quick skim of a user’s pictures often uncovers similar things to that of wall posts.

For those who already have social networking accounts, give it a try.  And if you are in the process of evaluating an assisted living community, spend some time on Linkedin or Facebook.  They are free to use and can give you tremendous peace of mind – whatever you find.

There was a very interesting article on MSNBC this weekend. While there is much discussion about the pros and cons of assisted living versus home care, one rarely hears about children who have taken their parents’ care into their homes.  This article adds color to that discussion.

SEATTLE – New census data shows a record number of elderly parents are now living with their adult children. In the past seven years, the number has surged by 62 percent.

Higher housing costs, the economy and the cost of medical care all play a role in the trend. And caring for an elderly parent isn’t easy, especially when you’re trying to hold a job. Forty percent of caregivers who work full time report missing work on a regular basis as they try and meet the needs of an elderly loved one.

“I want her at home,” said Lucille Shaffer, who has suddenly become caregiver to her 84-year-old mother, Maria.

Maria was diagnosed with dementia just a few months ago. That’s when Shaffer insisted her mother come to live with her and her husband.

“I love her,” said Shaffer.

The love is strong, but the transition is difficult. Caring for her mother while holding a full time job is a staggering task.

“I felt just very saddened and burdened because I didn’t feel I could care for mom completely,” said Shaffer.

Eighty percent of caregivers like Shaffer report emotional strain. And more children than ever are caring for their elderly parents at home.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 2.3 million elderly parents were living with their kids in the year 2000. By last year, the number had jumped to 3.6 million.

Suzie Huard is now lending a helping hand. Hired through Senior Helpers, she arrives each day to prepare dinner and keep Maria company.

“I know that I’m giving her daughter a break and that she is safe and well cared for,” said Shaffer.

For Shaffer, Huard is more than a helper. She’s a savior.

“I can take a deep breath because I felt a huge sense of relief,” said Shaffer.

Shaffer wants to share her experiences. She plans on starting a support group for adult children caring for their parents on the first of the year.

Several readers have requested relevant posts on public policy that may impact families or their loved ones.  There’s so much coverage on new federal and state legislature affecting elder care and assisted living, but I’ll try and do my best to share some relevant and important stories.

AARP, arguably the most influential group in the country addressing senior issues, released their 2008 Voter Guide.  The guide compares the positions and action plans for Senators Obama and McCain.

AARP prefers Obama’s position on all but one issue.

While the positions of state candidates are not yet posted, the positions of the presidential candidates are worth the read, and I recommend you read the report.

Thanks to the good folks over at Senior Living Info for the link.