StoryTelling and SHIK

Something to think about

It's been a while since I have made any entries to the blog. Now for the excuses... I have been working on several off line projects and barely looking, or working on my online projects. I have just recuperated from 3 days of study for the SHIK program of which I am a volunteer. SHIK stands for Senior Health Insurance Counselling on Aging. It is a program for the state of Kansas, most all other U.S. states and U.S. territories has something similar. It is usually in the form of Medicare, or Medicaid for those eligible for benefits. It is the time frames and rules of these programs that are so difficult to keep up with. The rules change almost, if not, daily; I'm not sure anyone knows anything absolute, except what the rule is at the time of application, or at the time of a particular process. Anyone that has become disabled (before 65), or are reaching the age of 65, should and I would highly recommend contacting a representative of the Kansas Department on Aging and setting up an appointment with a representative and ask any questions you might have to bring yourself up to date. There are many pamplets and other material available to help you in your decision making.

The representatives can't tell you what to do, they can only explain the various programs available and explain the time frames that must be met for you to remain compliant. You, as an individual are the one responsible to see that all rules and requirements have been met in a timely manner. If the representatives can't give you an answer, they will be able to put you in contact with someone that can answer your question(s). It is important to remember that the representatives can only give you the facts as they are aware of them at that particular moment in time; and they cannot tell you what to do.

This may not be related so much to marketing, but it is something we all need to be thinking about as all of us are aging and the baby boomers is about to explode into this age group and market. As our population in the US is becoming older , we are living longer than at any time in the past; the numbers of seniors continue to grow and will probably continue to do so for some time now. There are some that suggest that because of our lifestyles this may turn around, but at present I believe it is the fastest growing segment of the population. That may relate back to marketing and already has in some instances. For additional data see storytelling