Kaiser Permanente survey finds seniors satisfied with using Internet to manage health

by Chris Clark
(Beaverton, OR, USA)

This is an interesting Kaiser Permanente study passed along by my friend and (former) colleague Kyle Wichelmann. It's entitled Survey finds seniors satisfied with using Internet to manage health

The survey included some 4,560 seniors regarding their use of computers to manage health issues. Of particular interest is an astounding 87% of Medicare beneficiaries that have signed up to use Kaiser's "My Health Manager" (personal health record) reported as being satisfied or very satisfied with the technology. Keep in mind all of these folks are 65 or older...

Now I have no doubt that the Kaiser tool is very well designed, and thus easier for older adults to navigate through (vs. some obnoxiously complex, or busy tool- heck I don't touch those either). I do however see Kaiser embracing technology, as they're seeing the power (read efficiency) of using web based resources to reach out to their 8.6 million members. What Kaiser knows, and what many marketers are now realizing is that the presence and influence of the boomer and/or senior consumer online today is... well... booming.

The Kaiser data supports a number of other resources suggesting the importance of the 50+ consumer segment. Jupiter research reports that 43% of online traffic is generated by baby boomers, and a U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey attributes 65% of the aggregate net worth of all U.S. households to those adults aged 50+. Marketers that were once drawn to the bubble gum generation are now looking to the sandwich generation, and the greatest generation to plant seeds and cultivate new relationships.

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By Chris Clark, co founder of The Senior List.com a consumer opinion portal focused on senior services online.