Social Media @ LGH Older Adult Services

Social Media @ Lutheran General Hospital Older

Adult Services

LFGSM 5822Tina DyerJames Ng

Business Selection

• Lutheran General Older Adult Services• Non-profit subsidiary organization of

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital• Established 1980

Lutheran General Older Adult Services

(OAS)• Mission: To enrich the quality of life of

the older person through a full range of services that appropriately responds to the person as he/she experiences needs and desires along the aging continuum.

Lutheran General Older Adult Services (OAS)• OAS goals:

• Promote the individual’s maximum level of independence

• Maintain the individual’s present level of functioning as long as possible

• Foster socialization and peer interaction• Provide support, respite, and education

for families and caregivers

OAS Services

• Information and referral service

• Adult day service

• Emergency response service

• Counseling

• Home delivered meals

• Memory workshops

• Support groups

OAS Demographics

• 16 Total Staff Members• Director, Manager, Nurses, Recreational

Therapists, Social Workers, Activity Counselors, Certified Nursing Assistants

• Low technology use• Gwynne (Director) has a personal

Facebook page that was last updated Aug 2011 with only a single posting

Gwynne’s Thoughts

Will soon upgrade from a flip phone to one of those “phones that talk to

you”.Upping her technology credibility so she can get ready for

Social Media and look cool to her kids.

Business Challenges

• Low awareness of OAS

• Small marketing budget• Primarily word of mouth

• Limited communication vehicles• Flyers/Posters• Emails

Social Media Capabilities• No social media presence at OAS

• Parent organization – Advocate Health Care has:• Facebook• Twitter• YouTube• Dedicated SM staff

• Focused on Advocate branding

Social Media Usage

• Marketing• Gain new referrals

• Engagement• Current & New Customers

• Communication• Connect to caregivers/family members of OAS

Social Media

Recommendation

for OAS• Leverage the corporate approved tools

• Facebook, Twitter, YouTube• Add a blog – Blogger

• Most popular

• Ease of use

• Low cost

Timeline1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

Post frequently on Facebook , respond to posts as soon as possibleTweet on Twitter dailyBlog a minimum 4 times/month

Measure which SM Tool is most effective for this audience.

Introduce YouTube VideosBuild library of videos to create an OAS channel

Measurements

• Facebook• Number of Likes

• Twitter• Number of Followers

• Blogger• Page views

Facebook Launch

Twitter Site

Blogger

Lessons Learned

• Research (user)name that represents the business in the best possible way and not be misinterpreted• Older Adult Services

• Lutheran General Hospital

Older Adult Services

Teaching Social Media• Worked at the pace of the new learner

• Introduced SM tools based on ease of use and importance

• Encourage and Support

Conclusion

• OAS is now active and immersed in Social Media

• Usage is growing at incremental pace

• OAS is pleased with current results and looks forward to growing their Social Media presence

Join In

Anyone Can Do It