Home care marketing in La Mesa:
a direct mail plan for senior care

Grossmont and Mount Helix (91941)

On the slopes of Grossmont and Mount Helix, custom homes sit on large lots along winding roads, many with views. Most of Mount Helix is county land with La Mesa addresses. Many residents are retired, incomes tend to be higher, and steep driveways and big properties are hard to keep up alone.

• What to offer: full-service home care, live-in or around-the-clock care, memory care at home and a care manager the family can call.
• How to mail: a mailing list filtered by age and length of residence, since the homes are spread out. EDDM® works on the denser routes lower on the hill.

Northwest La Mesa and the Lake Murray side (91942)

North and west of the Village, toward Lake Murray, most homes are single-story ranch houses from the 1950s and 60s. Many original owners still live here, often alone, next to young families who bought more recently. Single-story homes make it easier to stay put with a little help.

• What to offer: help that keeps people at home: meals, errands, housework, rides to appointments, and more care after a hospital stay. A free in-home assessment is an easy first step.
• How to mail: EDDM® to the routes closest to your office, every month or so. The young families on the same streets are often the ones who call for a parent.

La Mesa Village and Grossmont Center (91942)

Around La Mesa Boulevard and the trolley, the Village has older bungalows and small apartment buildings. Around Grossmont Center and the transit center, there are many apartments and condo complexes. Older renters here often live alone and like being near shops, buses and the trolley.

• What to offer: short visits, a friendly check-in each week, help with shopping, and clear hourly rates. Say whether you accept long-term care insurance or veterans benefits.
• How to mail: a mailing list filtered by age, since many residents here are young renters.

South La Mesa, toward Lemon Grove and Spring Valley (91941)

South of the Village and the freeway, the streets toward Lemon Grove and Casa de Oro are mostly modest single-family homes from the postwar decades. Long-time owners live next to families, and many households look closely at cost.

• What to offer: respite care for the family caregiver, a few hours a week of help and a clear price. For assisted living, a tour with lunch the whole family can join.
• Timing: before Thanksgiving, when families get together, and in January.
• How to mail: EDDM®. Most routes are single-family homes, so whole routes are the cheapest way to reach both the older owners and the families who help them.

Home care or assisted living: who to mail in La Mesa

• Home care agencies can mail every home on the routes they serve with EDDM®, or use a mailing list to reach households by age and how long they have lived in the home. The table above shows where older residents and seniors living alone are most common.
• Assisted living and memory care communities do best mailing every home within a few miles, since families want a parent close by. La Mesa sits in the middle of East County, so that circle often reaches into nearby cities too. Pick the routes in our EDDM® route planner and keep the card about the community itself.
• Both should mail the same homes again and again. Families often take months to decide, and the card on the counter when they are ready is the one they call.

Mail also works well beyond homes. Doctors' offices, discharge planners at Sharp Grossmont Hospital and senior centers refer families every week, and a card or letter to them a few times a year keeps your name in mind. Ask us about a mailing to referral partners in La Mesa and the rest of East County.

A year of senior care mailings in La Mesa

You don't need every mailing. Most La Mesa agencies and communities start by mailing the same nearby routes every month or so, then add the seasonal cards. Our senior care direct mail guide has more ideas for each one.

What every La Mesa senior care postcard should include

• Your license number. Home care organizations and assisted living communities (Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly, or RCFEs) in California are licensed by the Department of Social Services. Showing the number tells families you are legitimate.
• Who pays, said plainly. Medicare generally does not pay for ongoing non-medical help at home or for assisted living. Don't suggest that it does. Say whether you accept long-term care insurance or veterans benefits, if you do.
• Offers spelled out: what a free assessment or a move-in special includes and when it ends.
• For assisted living, describe the community, not the residents you want. Rooms, care, meals, activities and your location. Communities are housing, and fair housing rules apply to their advertising.
• Large type and a phone number a person answers. Many readers are older, and many callers want to talk to someone right away.
• Where you are in La Mesa, with a landmark people know and the areas you serve.

These are general points, not legal advice. Your licensing office or an attorney can confirm the exact wording, and we adjust any design to match.

Get a quote for your La Mesa mailing

Tell us which neighborhoods and services you want to focus on. We'll reply with a price for printing and mailing, and the routes or list we recommend.