Life Plan at Home programs are attracting significant interest throughout the country. So it came as no surprise that well over 200 LeadingAge members attended the Life Plan at Home Deep Dive during the 2018 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO in Philadelphia.

Participants were not disappointed with the wealth of information shared by the panel of experienced presenters. Part 1 of this 2-part series explored the role of actuaries in developing and operating Life Plan at Home programs. In this second installment of the series, we’ll take a look at 2 other aspects of the Life Plan at Home model: care coordination and sales.

Care Coordination: The Key to Life Plan at Home

Lynn Giacobbe, executive director of Kendal at Home, explored how her program implements the care coordination process that is central to the Life Plan at Home model. Kendal at Home, which was launched in 2004, has 300 members whose average age is 80. The average age of entry into the program is 75.

Kendal’s care coordination process is managed by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of:

• A medical director, who is a geriatric physician;
• A director of clinical services, who is a registered nurse;
• A gerontologist;
• Nursing staff;
• Therapy staff; and
• A social worker.

Every member of the team has been certified as a Living in Place Professional and a Dementia Friend, and has received advanced training and certification in assessments.

The care coordination process begins when the Kendal at Home member needs assistance with one activity of daily living. After an initial assessment, the care coordinator and the clinical services director work with the member to develop a care plan.

Weekly conferences with the member are held at the outset, and members have access to 24-hour call services and outside services provided by a credentialed provider network. The care plan promotes health and wellness, focuses on early intervention and prevention, and emphasizes Kendal at Home’s desire to build a relationship with its members.

Kendal at Home’s care coordination team has helped members reduce their hospitalizations and lower their utilization of other expensive health and long-term care services. It has also improved quality of care and increased member satisfaction.

Currently, 247 Kendal at Home customer receive minimal services through the program, while 52 members receive in-home services. One member lives in an assisted living community.

Life Plan at Home Marketing

Marketing a Life Plan at Home program is very different than marketing a traditional life plan community, according to Craig Kinsey, director of sales and marketing, and Amy Nicklas, senior continuing care counselor, at Cadbury at Home, which was established in 1998.

When you’re marketing a life plan community, you’re selling services, amenities, and the buildings, said Kinsey and Nicklas. But with a Life Plan at Home program, you’re selling a financial product and you’re focusing on both services and the reputation of the program.

A marketing plan for a Life Plan at Home program will touch on key concepts that define the Life Plan at Home model, including its ability to meet consumers’ desires to:

• Stay in their own homes;
• Be protected financially from the costs of future care;
• Avoid becoming a burden to family; and
• Have access to quality care.

Life Plan at Home programs will differ on their specific marketing techniques. Cadbury at Home has found that several techniques have worked particularly well:

• Offer personalized seminars about the Life Plan at Home program to small groups, rather than large groups. These smaller sessions lead to more follow-up appointments, said Kinsey and Nicklas.
• Invite prospective residents to your life plan community, rather than visiting them in their own homes. This approach helps consumers become invested in the Life Plan at Home program and positions the Life Plan at Home program as an entity from which the consumer is seeking expert advice.
• Focus on “team selling” that includes the Life Plan at Home program’s care coordinator. This approach changes a sales appointment into a conversation about the benefits of the Life Plan at Home program.
• By following these steps, Cadbury at Home has been able to achieve a shorter sales cycle and attract more new members to the program by converting seminar attendance into follow-up appointments, and appointments into applications, said Kinsey and Nicklas.

A Bright Future for Life Plan at Home

The Life Plan at Home Deep Dive provided important information for existing Life Plan at Home programs and for LeadingAge members that are contemplating offering these programs.

The future is very bright for this concept. It fills an unmet need by focusing on older adults who want to stay in their homes but who recognize the importance of planning for the future.

To learn more about the role of actuaries in Life Plan at Home programs, see Part 1 of this series.