The American Marketing Association (AMA) which represents marketing professionals defines marketing as “The process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational objectives.”Effective marketing requires that managers recognize the interdependence of such activities as sales and promotion and how they can be combined to develop a marketing program. In marketing, exchange is a central concept. For exchange to occur there must be two or more parties with something of value to one another, a desire and ability to give up that something to other party, and a way to communicate with each other.Marketing facilitates the exchange process and the development of relationships by carefully examining the needs and wants of customers, developing a product or service that satisfies these needs, offering it at a certain price, making it available through a particular place or channel of distribution, and developing a program of promotion or communication to create awareness and interest. The focus of market driven companies is on developing and sustaining relationships with their customers. This has led to a new emphasis on relationship marketing which involves creating, maintaining and enhancing longterm relationships with individual customers as well as other stakeholders for mutual benefit.The marketer’s task is to devise marketing activities and fully integrated marketing activities and assemble fully integrated marketing programs to create, communicate and deliver value for customers.Advertising and promotion play an important role in the exchange process by informing consumers of an organisation’s product or service and convincing them of its ability to satisfy their needs or wants. The American Association of Advertising Agencies developed definition of Integrated Marketing Communication as “A concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic role of a variety of communication disciplines – advertising, direct response, sales promotion and public relations – and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communications impact.” Integrated Marketing Communication involves coordinating the various promotional elements. Six major promotional tools are advertisement, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing, publicity/public relations, internet marketing.The Integrated Marketing Communication approach helps companies identify the most appropriate and effective methods for communicating and building relationships with their customers as well as other stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, investors, interest groups and the general public. Companies send messages to customers and other stakeholders through all aspects of their marketing mixes, not just promotion. Consumers make inferences about a product on the basis of elements such as its design, appearance, performance, pricing, service support, and where and how it is distributed. For example a high price may symbolize quality to customers, as may be the shape or design of a product, its packaging, its brand name, or the image of the stores in which it is sold.The Integrated Marketing Communication approach to marketing communications planning and strategy is being adopted by both large and small companies and has become popular among firms marketing consumer products and services as well as business- to-business marketers. By coordinating their marketing communications efforts, companies can avoid duplication, take advantage of synergy among promotional tools, and develop more efficient and effective marketing communication programs.To move to Integrated Marketing Communication also reflects an adaptation by marketers to a changing environment, particularly with respect to consumers, technology and media. Major changes have occurred among consumers with respect to demographics, lifestyles, media use and buying and shopping patterns. Media strategy involves determining which communication channels will be used to deliver the advertising message to the target audience. Two most important aspects of the advertising program are development of the message and media strategy. Message development, referred as creative strategy involves determining the basic appeal and message the advertiser wishes to convey to the target audience. Once the message and media strategies have been determined, steps must be taken to implement them. Most large companies hire advertising agencies to plan and produce their messages and to evaluate and purchase the media that will carry their ads. Marketing Communication can tell or show consumers how and why a product is used, by what kind of person, and where and when. They can learn about who makes the product and what the company and brand stand for; and they can get an incentive or reward for trial or usage. Marketing communications allow companies to link their brands to other people, places, events, brands, experiences, feelings and things.

Dealing with senior health care of an elderly family member, spouse, partner or friend can be a trying experience. You may have your grandparent to look after or perhaps it is your mother or father who has fallen ill, no matter who the person is, the fact is that you are the one responsible for looking out for their best interests. You are the advocate for your loved one and you need to be sure that all of their medical needs as well as personal needs are met. It is important to learn about the resources that you have available to you right in your community. You do not have to do all of this alone as there are resources and support groups to help you when it comes to elder care.There can be many reasons that your loved one is in need of senior health care such as: they suffered a broken hip where rehabilitation is a necessity, they are suffering with dementia or Alzheimer’s and are in need of constant care or maybe the effects of aging is limiting their ability to do things on their own. No matter what the cause is for the need of elder care, the fact is that you need to be cautious when it comes to senior health care. You really need to be aware of how they are caring for the person you are responsible for. If you put yourself in the senior’s shoes, it is easy to know what to look for. Are they feeding him or her right? Are they spending time with your loved one? Is your loved one’s needs being met?Overseeing one’s senior health care is not an easy job but with the right resources and knowledge you can make sure that your loved one is getting the best care possible. There are many things to consider when choosing a facility that will be caring for an elderly loved one. The first thing to consider is the type of care that your loved one will need. Do they need long term elder care, short term elder care or do they just need some extra help to get back on their feet after being in the hospital? Once you know the type of care they need, you can look into facilities or home health care to meet your loved one’s needs.Another thing to consider when making the choice for senior health care is what type of condition they have. In some cases the condition will pass and in other cases, it is a lifelong condition that will require frequent admissions to the hospital. This will help you in determining if you need to partner with senior health care providers that can give you the flexibility you need when it comes to your loved one. There is a great deal to remember when you are looking after an elderly loved one and you do not want to miss anything that is necessary for their well being. Most likely you are working with a limited budget so finding quality senior health care can be difficult, you have to make the most out of what you got.It often becomes necessary to lean on other resources to help you in this matter. There are plenty of free resources as well as ones that are covered on various types of medical insurance including Medicare that can help keep you focused on what needs to be done. They can walk you through what you need to do, what you will need and how to stay on top of things so that you can provide your loved one with the best possible care in a timely manner. It can be very helpful for you to make a checklist of all things that need to be managed where senior health care is concerned this way nothing will be missed.Since each care plan is based on the specific needs of the individual, you will need to have a complete copy of your loved ones medical history to include their current and past medications, test results that they have had done and their doctors information. You should also keep up to date on their financial resources and a resource list that details the patient’s personality so the potential caregivers will know what to expect from the patient. This can help to make a better bond between the patient and any caregivers that may be working with your loved one.In addition to your checklist, you should make a list of providers and various facilities in your area so you know where you can take your loved one when they need care. You should also educate yourself with their medications and possible drug interactions. Talk with the doctor to get a list of medications that the patient is on and what they used to be on. Learn about the side effects and drug interactions so you can oversee their medications and how they are being administered once they are in the facility. If your loved one is staying at home, it is very crucial to be on top of their medications so that they do not miss a dose of a crucial medication or so that they do not over medicate themselves.There is a great deal to remember when keeping up with senior health care but once you get all of the necessary information you need, have a check list of what your responsibilities are and a resource list of who you can turn to for help, you will find that everything will fall into place. You will have a better understanding of what you need to do and that will make staying on top of all of much easier. Remember that you are the advocate for your loved one and in some cases you will be the one taking care of all of their needs and all that goes with senior health care. Remember that you have a resource list in place to help you with this so you will not get overwhelmed or run down when you use the resources as needed.

Home health care is exactly what you’d expect. If you don’t like the hospital scene, can’t afford it, or would just rather stay in your house, these can be achieved by choosing home health care. Other advantages include lower cost, more individual attention, and easier access to the care provider. You will feel more at ease in your own home.The main purpose of this is to treat a sickness, injury, or other similar problem. Being able to remain in the comfort and familiarity of your home can be a very positive experience. A safe, well-known place to recover can allow visits from friends and family. Invite them over for coffee and to sign your cast.Wondering if your type of situation is right for this? Many people recovering from injuries and ailments can choose home health care, including those suffering from things that require physical therapy, speech therapy, patient and aid education, nutrition therapy, occupational therapy, and anything that benefits from monitoring. Even daily chores like cooking are under this.Many agencies offer home health care as an option. Do some research to find the location and services offered of all the home health care providers. Make sure home health care is certified by your insurance before making that your choice. Otherwise it might not be covered. No one needs extra stress when going through a time of turmoil.While on duty, staff hired from their agencies will provide services for daily activities like eating meals, checking pulse, lung function, medicine and other treatment timing, check on pain levels, make sure your area is safe, and coordinate with your doctor and other care providers to help you regain your independence as quickly and effectively as possible.In order to provide the best service, be sure to describe your situation, needs, and expectations for your helper. This is called your plan of care. Your doctor should be involved in this process to help make sure the complete care is given. Plans of care will be reviewed often to ensure it is on track and remaining effective.Don’t feel like you can’t speak up and ask questions to your care provider, either. Any concerns and questions should be answered in order to give you the best care. If they are impolite, won’t explain things to you, or delay responses when you ask for something, report this to any other health care professionals.Now that you know a little more about home health care, search some sources of information for more details. They will describe good and bad experiences from their patients, which ones benefitted from them the most, and pricing will be offered, as well. It can be a very helpful alternative for you and your loved one.