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Introduction

The ultimate goal of Golden Age Hospital is to provide dedicated health care as well as support services to the people of Orange County. The hospital is also dedicated to becoming the most popular health care unit providing services at affordable rates. The hospital was established in the early 1970s and continues to develop new programs and services in order to meet the ever-transforming requisites of the community. Over the past years, the hospital has expanded its services by partnering with a different network of care. Market segmentation is a popular concept in today’s market. According to Cross, Belich, & Rudelius, (2015), market segmentation is the process by which product and services are designed and targeted to meet the needs of a specific group of consumers. As such, market segmentation is based on various factors like age, race and demographics to mention a few. Market segmentation is essential in the sense that it allows organizations to precisely reach a consumer with specific needs and wants. That said this paper analysis market research and segmentation of Golden Age Hospital.

The External Environment:

The plan to establish a hospital to cater to the senior populations of Mission Viejo and surrounding areas is a remarkable idea. Arguably, the success of establishing a health facility in this area is dependent on demand. Apparently, the region is served by two hospitals. Among the two hospitals, only one serves adults. The other serves the population of children in the region and the surrounding areas. Although the children’s hospital is performing well, this does not guarantee the success of the proposed senior facility. Conferring with Haggard (2017) the population of age citizens is rapidly increasing. Nevertheless, it is fundamental to investigate whether the region has a suitable number of senior populations to support the establishment of the facility. In other words, market research needs to be conducted before commencing the project.

As earlier stated Mission hospital is a member of St. Joseph Health and the former acts as the sponsor. St. Joseph Health has been serving the Orange County for a period not less than 40 years. The County has an estimated population of over 3 million although has steadily risen. The number of the ageing population is rising in tandem with the number of baby boomers. According to future projections, the numbers might go up. Seniors account for 2% of the total U.S population, a population that has rapidly risen in the past ten years. The United Nations reported that the older predict that by the year 2050, the number of old people worldwide will outnumber the children.

Common Medical Conditions of seniors:

As Haggard, (2017) points out, most nations are experiencing pressure in health care due to the high percentage of older people. It is right to say that the ageing population is posing a serious challenge in human lives. The truth is that the population of the world is becoming older. To have a better insight rising number of ageing populations is caused by advances in modern as well as in scientific research. In view of Swenson, Bastian, & Nembhard, (2018), ageing is the predominant risk factor for most common diseases and conditions. Majority of seniors have chronic diseases (stroke, cancer or diabetes among others). Cognitive health issues are common among the elderly. Dementia is the most common cognitive health problem. Many people above the age of 65 in the U.S are suffering from chronic related diseases like cancer or heart diseases to mention a few. Malnutrition and physical injuries are also common medical conditions of seniors.

Medical Institutions for seniors:

Ageing can bring about different health problems. It is also imperative to remember that ageing populations are rapidly increasing thus the need to understand the challenges they face. In this regard, there are different types of institutions and clinic serving seniors. The Anaheim Seniors Citizen Center is a specialty organization that works to meet the social and recreational needs of Anaheim’s senior population. The facility resides at age 60 and above. Most of these institutions are care homes that provide a wide range of services and programs to seniors’ citizens. Ageing brings about loneliness and desperation due to the inability to perform basic activities. As a result, these facilities provide recreational activities. Screening programs, counselling, education and exercise among others. The length of stay of seniors at various hospitals is dependent on a number of issues. For example, if a senior is a health condition is not severe, then they can be discharged immediately after treatment. In other words, there is not a specific length of stay of seniors.

Mission Viejo Area Demographics

Mission Viejo has about 96,000 residents. Males account for 50.6% while women account for 49.4%. The average median age in the area is 40.7 years. Mission Viejo is a diverse area because it is residence to multiple races. (White, Hispanic, Black and Asian among others) There are about twelve hospitals in Mission Viejo providing different services. Seniors male make up to15% of the area total population. As indicated in http://www.city-data.com/ , there are approximately 2,949 seniors living alone in the city. For population above 25 years in the area, 95% have completed high school education, 49.7% have pursued a Bachelor’s degree or higher. The average household income in 2016 was $ 111,837. Lastly, Mission Viejo has about 25 cities within a radius of ten miles. (Dove Canyon, Portola Hills and Laguna Hills)

Haggard, (2017) emphasizes on the significance of market information and research. One, it gives an organization a deeper understanding of what their subject wants and how to deliver in order to satisfy them better. The data collected about Mission Viejo will be very helpful in focusing on direct market research and segmentation of the senior community. My target market subjects will be seniors considering that they make up to 15%pf the area total population. Seniors in Mission Viejo are located in different cities within a radius of ten miles. Seniors require treatment of various diseases and conditions (chronic diseases, dementia, Malnutrition). Ageing brings about these health problems which makes the seniors targetable. Given the nature of their health problems, counsellors, nutritionist, and therapists are among the type of physicians seniors would like to have. Preference differs depending on their needs. However, considering that most seniors do not have access to vehicles, they prefer community clinic (CC).

Conclusion

In summary, the proposal to start a hospital to serve the senior people in Mission Viejo is a perfect idea. However, it is adamant to conduct market research. Market research is critical in the sense that it helps organization collects relevant information that might be critical in decision making. As indicated in the discussion this might involve gathering such information like age, level of income of citizens and geographical distribution among others. Once the information is gathered it becomes easier to assess the validity of a project.

References

Cross, J. C., Belich, T. J., & Rudelius, W. (2015). How marketing managers use market segmentation: An exploratory study. In Proceedings of the 1990 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 531-536). Springer, Cham.

Swenson, E. R., Bastian, N. D., & Nembhard, H. B. (2018). Healthcare market segmentation and data mining: A systematic review. Health marketing quarterly, 35(3), 186-208.

Haggard, J. M. (2017). The effects of power dynamics and social capital on cultural services in Mission Viejo, Caifornia: A case study (Doctoral dissertation).

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