Providing various services to the elderly requires professionals trained in various disciplines and skills. The common thread to all skills required in working with the elderly is a knowledge of Gerontology. Gerontology is a multidisciplinary study of aging.
Roberta Andrajack, marketing director with the assisted living facility Savannah Grand, says marketing is vital in elder-care organizations. She points out that "any field that offers services to the Gerontology population needs a marketer."
Andrajack explained that typically a marketing director in an assisted living facility explains the advantages of living in that facility, such as the freedom of independent living and having daily chores taken care of by someone else.
Most people look for specific services in an elder care facility and someone to explain all the services offered by that facility, especially in long-term care organizations. This is where there is a need for a good marketing director or manager.
Asked if having a marketing and a gerontology background would be a successful combination, Andrajack replied, "If I had the background in Gerontology to go with my marketing background, I believe that I would have been above the 8-ball; instead of behind it, learning a new discipline."
