Free Meals And Blog Posts: How Senior Living Operators Educate The Public

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Blog posts, social media, events with free meals – these are among the top tools senior living operators are using in their efforts to educate the general public.

For years, operators have struggled with a stigma surrounding senior housing. Although many people generally know of nursing homes or independent living, they don’t always understand the nuances among different unit types or why such services can be so costly. Those difficulties can make leading a prospect through the senior living sales process an uphill battle.

The senior living industry is awash in an “information age,” and more residents or their adult children are doing their own research before coming in to view a community. But not all of that research leads prospects to the right conclusions, according to Dan Williams, CEO of Onelife Senior Living. Although there is much to see and learn about, there are also many “horror stories” that can scare prospects, even if they don’t represent the industry as a whole.

That said, senior living operators have an opportunity to provide the kind of information that could help prospects make a better decision – and ultimately grow national penetration rates above the national average of between 10% and 11%.

“The more education we can do, the more it’ll help us with our penetration rates and more consumers will choose not to stay at home, but choose to live in the senior housing,” Williams told Senior Housing News.

From blog posts to in-person events, operators including Pinnacle Living, Frontier Senior Living, Watermark Retirement Communities and 12 Oaks Senior Living are using both new and tried-and-true methods for educating members of the public. As they do so, they are focused on having the widest impact and improving the industry’s image in the eyes of prospects.

Free meals, community outreach

Among the most effective ways to educate the public about senior living is to actually bring them into a community to see it for themselves. But convincing someone to travel to a senior living community, even one near to where they live, can be a tough task.

That’s why Denver, Colorado-based Onelife Senior often pairs its in-person events with free food. Not only are people enticed by food, but it’s also a great way to showcase the kind of fare residents eat. In fact, according to Williams, free food for prospects is one of the best and most effective ways to spend marketing dollars.

“If you have somebody in to see your build and have a meal, then you’ve educated them,” Williams said. “I’ve had people come into a building over the years and say to me, ‘Wow, this is just not what I expected.’”

Onelife also hosts local organizations such as Alzheimer’s support groups to meet within its communities potentially bringing in hundreds of people at one time. While they may not be directly looking for senior housing at the time, it helps make the community more memorable and can showcase the space even years before they ever need to make a decision regarding moving in, Williams said.

Glenn Valley, Virginia-based Pinnacle Living invites both members of the public and local media to events so they can showcase communities through a different lens and get past any stigmas they might hold.

“All of our advertising and promotional work, and every conversation that our sales team has with individuals and groups is focused on that level of engagement and the new service provider that we are,” Pinnacle Living CEO Chris Henderson told Senior Housing News.

The company also has employees in the wider area advocating for the community when discussing their jobs with others, particularly if they have an understanding of exactly what Pinnacle Living does – a top way to educate people, according to Laura Jones, vice president of sales and marketing.

“We strive to help people to see us as a lifestyle,” she said. “We want to be able to help each individual to do whatever they can do on their own, and then we are there to support them with whatever additional support they make.”

Dallas, Texas-based Frontier Senior Living prioritizes participating in events such as fundraising and legislative education, which has helped spread senior living awareness, according to President and CEO Greg Roderick.

Tucson, Arizona-based Watermark Retirement is taking a similar approach by hosting events, albeit digitally. The company is exploring adding digital events, such as webinars, to answer common questions and educate prospects on the benefits of senior living.

The company specifically wants to show consumers how much the industry has changed over the past decade, according to Troy Hollar, national director of marketing and sales for Watermark Retirement Communities.

The power of blogs and social media

Content marketing via blog posts can be an effective way to educate the public and spread a message far and wide – just ask 12 Oaks Senior Living. The Dallas, Texas-based operator garnered a total of 114,175 views across 336 posts in 2024.

The most popular blog post on the company’s website,“Senior Living Options,” centered on breaking down and defining the different types of senior living available to potential residnets. Ultimately it generated 8,700 views last year, according to Aaron Catoe, senior vice president of operations at 12 Oaks.

Catoe said that 12 Oaks seeks to publish 10 blog posts per month on a wide range of topics, and posts with financial advice are usually among the most popular kinds.

Social media is another avenue that operators are taking to educate the wider public. Frontier has a dedicated communications and social media coordinator focused on providing “good quality educational content,” Roderick said.

The company has more than 130 blogs available on its website on a variety of topics ranging from health and wellness, such as finding early signs of Parkinson’s disease to inspirational posts and gift guides..

“We have an opportunity to create the narrative through our 25 years of serving seniors and we intend to share our insights,” he said. “We have had many nationally recognized programs go viral, but the best ones have had to do with resident-led programs through our SPARK program (a Montessori-Inspired approach to life enrichment) where residents have been involved with animals, brewing beer, or crafting useful products.”

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