Thursday, March 8, 2018

Media-Chat with Seniors

When Tracey Crouch, Britain’s Minister of Sport and Civil Society, was awarded an additional portfolio by Prime Minister Theresa May, Ms. Crouch was promptly nicknamed in the media “Minister for Loneliness.” Her mandate is to address an epidemic of loneliness, especially among older adults, a mandate accompanied by a multimillion-pound fund to carry out the work. The government estimates that half the number of adults at least age 75 in England live alone, with many not having in-person visitors for weeks at a time.
     Mental health professionals at Israel’s Shinui Institute and Center for Academic Studies have seen the same problems of loneliness and need for solutions among their country’s elderly population. These professionals cite studies showing loneliness increases the probability of death by 30% to 60%. 
     Remedies certainly should include arranging for visitors to seniors and providing socializing spots for seniors. NBC News reported that some on social media doubted the seriousness in Ms. Crouch’s appointment, pointing out that it coincided with government funding cuts for community halls, day care centers, and public libraries.
     But social media—actually media in general—might provide a supplemental remedy in the form of opportunities for chatting. When socially isolated people watch TV shows featuring people who seem like friends to them, the people feel less lonely. A natural extension of this is that organizations ranging from social service agencies to ecommerce vendors can assist seniors and build consumer loyalty via remote gabbing. It might not even need to be two-way interchanges. Those characters on the TV shows who seem like friends aren’t really conducting dialogues with the viewers.
     This helps explain the popularity of TV shopping networks among the elderly. Researchers at Philadelphia University and University of Tennessee-Knoxville surveyed 295 TV home shoppers who were at least 60 years old. These survey respondents reported that the infirmities of old age made it more convenient to shop via TV than to go out to a store. Still, staying home could be lonely. Another reported value in TV shopping came because the hosts attended to chatting with the audience and each other.

For your success: Retailer’s Edge: Boost Profits Using Shopper Psychology

Click below for more: 
Suggest Nostalgic Items to Lonely Shoppers
Schmooze Away Problems for Seniors
Profit from De Love of Delebs

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