How has the pandemic affected the Senior Community?

Piali Dasgupta is the senior vice president of the marketing department in Columbia Pacific Communities, one of India’s largest senior living community operators. 

She is a prominent marketing and communication leader with more than 15 years of cross-category expertise in media, e-commerce, retail, and real estate. Ms. Dasgupta, a Bangalore University alumni who has worked for notable companies including the Hindu, Amazon, and Myntra.com before joining up with Columbia Pacific Management Inc. in 2020, is highly innovative, imaginative, and ambitious.

Covid As An Emerging Challenge

The senior consumers were not able to interact with their children or relatives physically, which made them feel isolated and hopeless”

Everybody has faced hardship over the past 1-2 years, but the section which suffered majorly was senior citizens. Ms. Piali Dasgupta expresses something similar and talks about how seniors who already had medical issues suffered greatly throughout the entire COVID pandemic. As most of them have weakened immune systems, they have increased vulnerability to contracting the virus. Hence elderly were thought to be the group most at risk from covid. 

Digitalization- A Way To Spread Positively

We launched an initiative called ‘The Living Room’ on Facebook, a live session where senior consumers can have a conversation with experts, test makers, and celebrities from the comfort of their living room

According to Ms. Dasgupta, everyone must now prioritize helping senior citizens so that no one of them suffers in isolation. She explains how Columbia Pacific Community uses digital techniques to create a comfortable and joyful environment for senior adults. 

Through campaigns, their organization attempted to instil optimism and enthusiasm among the senior consumer during the pandemic. Every campaign’s main goal was to promote the concept of positive ageing.

Philosophy Of Positive Aging

Positive aging is a philosophy that begins by looking at age as just a number

According to Ms. Dasgupta, this idea enables elders to live lives that are stronger, happier, healthier, more connected, and more agile. Senior consumers’ demand for senior living communities has been greatly amplified by the COVID pandemic. Ms. Piali further adds how their organization promotes living in a neighbourhood where elderly residents’ daily needs are met so they may have fulfilling lives.

Digital Savvy Seniors

One of the unexpected revelations highlighted by Ms. Dasgupta is how well-versed in technology seniors are, using practically every social media site possible. As a result, their familiarity with Facebook, WhatsApp, and email makes it simple for brands to reach them.

Conclusion

It is a fact that senior citizens are not looked after well in the present time and the COVID pandemic worsened it even more. But, at the same time, Ms. Piali Dasgupta has thrown light on a new side of the senior consumers which shows that they are able to get over such problems. 

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The effect of the corona epidemic can be seen clearly on people of all age groups and senior citizens are nothing different. But, Ms. Piali Dasgupta helped us visualise their struggle and fight back from a much better and deeper perspective. Icons behind brands have more such interesting interview videos that you can watch. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated.