Pandemic Proves the Power of Pets for Your Senior Residents
People and Pets often come to senior living as a package deal. How can you accommodate the pair?
For many pet owners, including many seniors, their animals are family. And during the recent pandemic, pets often have been a main source of companionship and love for their people. As you’re opening or marketing your senior living community, exclude furry, feathered, or finned roommates at your own risk. A 2019 study found that 55% of all adults ages 50 to 80 have a pet. Nearly 80% say that their pets give them a sense of purpose. It’s clear—increasingly, if you want to appeal to seniors, you need to include their pets.
Some of the pet-friendly features that attract seniors include:
Onsite pet parks or dog runs that are fenced in, secure, and enable seniors to exercise their pets easily and convenient.
Premium apartments with small yards, balconies or patios for pets.
Special pet-wash areas with all of the equipment, tools, and supplies to bathe and/or groom animals.
Mobile pet groomers that make regular visits to the community.
Mobile veterinarians that make regular visits, or onsite vaccination or check-up clinics held twice a year or more (depending on the community’s size).
Dog-walking services.
In design, consider where and how you can offer pet-friendly housing
Sound-proof walls, stain-resistant and/or easy-to-clean flooring, and easy access to parks and paths are among the features that may attract pet owners. Think about how dog owners will take their pets in and out of the building for walks. You don’t want them to bring their dogs through dining spaces or heavily trafficked areas.
Determine if you will put any restrictions in place. For instance, you may want to limit the size of dogs. It may be intimidating for a resident who is afraid of dogs to encounter a Great Dane or German Shepherd on the elevator. Restricting the number and/or type of pets allowed also can help prevent problems and help keep everyone happy. Make it clear to residents (in writing) what their responsibilities are as pet owners.
If you’re going to be pet-friendly, think about you can use that in marketing
This can be creative and fun. For a great example, look to the Kimpton hotel chain. They advertise that they love pets. Many properties offer doggie happy hours, some have resident dogs or cats to greet guests, and at least one offers visitors a goldfish on request to keep them company. One of our Pi staff members interviewed Kimpton’s director of marketing years ago and asked if they ever regretted being pet-friendly and, without missing a beat, he said, “No.” This amenity, he said, brought them so many happy guests and so much positive press that it was well worth the effort.
We can help design pet-friendly features into your next community! Contact us at (512)231-1910 and ask for Business Development.
