Community Engagement
Marketing creates the first impression most people will have of the community. The way a community is advertised and marketed provides a strong message about what the community believes and what prospective residents and family members can expect life in that community to be like. It is therefore critical that the marketing messages align with the actual values, intentions, and ideals of the organization with regard to age and ability inclusion. Anyone who visits the community for a tour should come away changed as a result of how marketing staff speak about age and differing abilities as valuable, honorable, and natural aspects of living.
To assist with scoring and responding to the assessment, you can print out the Organizational Assessment Form and follow along.
For each statement, respond with: Fully Met, Partially Met, Not Met, Don’t Know, or Not Applicable (NA). Also take a moment to write down for each statement the things that you can improve, and the good things that you can build on.
Domain E Assessment
E1. Our sales and marketing team is educated about ageism and ableism.
E2. Our sales and marketing team has been included in visioning for an age and ability inclusive culture.
E3. Our sales and marketing materials, including our website and brochures, reflect our commitment to a culture and environment free of ageism and ableism. This includes reviewing our marketing materials to identify and eliminate messaging that perpetuates ageism and ableism. For example:
- Images in sales and marketing materials depict people of varying ages and abilities
- Marketing materials include images of people using a range of assistive devices like glasses, hearing aids, canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.
- Font size is large and easily read by individuals with low vision
E4. Sales and marketing practices support the inclusion of residents of different abilities and with different care needs. For example, sales and marketing staff tour prospective residents of the whole community, rather than avoiding areas or individuals with greater levels of frailty.
E5. Marketing practices include educating prospects and their family members about ageism and ableism and the community’s commitment to an inclusive environment.
E6. Discussions with prospects include questions about what passions and gifts the prospect may bring to the community and how they would like to continue growing.
E7. New resident move-in orientations include education about ageism and ableism. For example, this includes making it clear that residents of all ages and cognitive and/or physical abilities are honored and accepted.