Transform

In the post-pandemic age, prospective residents and their families will crave more information than perhaps ever before. In turn, providers should prepare to be more transparent about infection rates, safety protocols, vaccination rates, and other quality indicators, according to Marvell Adams Jr., COO of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania-based The Kendal Corporation. Adams has been working to safeguard residents and associates, while also striving to build a more transparent and more diverse organization. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - What increased transparency for the senior living industry might look like - Kendal's plans to build a more diverse management team - How Kendal is preparing for the one-two punch of flu season and a spike in Covid-19 infections

Covid-19 has made risk management more critical for senior living operators — but, challenges that existed prior to the pandemic have not gone away. Arbitration agreements, fall reduction and response, communication and documentation practices, and early claim resolution are among the “Risk Management 101” topics that Tara Clayton, senior claim consultant at Willis Towers Watson, addresses in this episode of Transform. In this episode, learn about: — Tips for utilizing arbitration agreements — Best communication practices and how providers slip up — Covid-19 risks and efforts to shield providers

Ascension Living knows the value of health care services in senior living. The organization, the senior care subsidiary of St. Louis-based health system Ascension, has leaned on its parent organization for help sourcing crucial resources and broadening telehealth access for its residents during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ascension Living is also evaluating its communities for new opportunities to best serve older adults in the pandemic age, and looking to innovate with new care models, according to Ascension Living President Danny Stricker. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - How health system integration helps mitigate the pandemic's challenges - Why telehealth will play a larger role in senior living in the future - Stricker's thinking on middle-market and rehab-to-home models

Jayne Sallerson, COO, Partner at Charter Senior Living by Senior Housing News

Chris Hollister, Co-Founder & Vice-Chairman, Pegasus Senior Living by Senior Housing News

Lynne Katzmann, Founder and CEO of Juniper Communities by Senior Housing News

Vi President Randy Richardson is an optimist, but he finds it hard to maintain a bright outlook in the midst of Covid-19 -- in fact, he fears that the worst is yet to come for senior living. But Richardson is still bullish on the industry's long-term prospects. Vi was able to adapt its operations, sales and marketing in order to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 to its 10 high-end CCRCs. All told, the company's occupancy has only dropped about 1%. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - Why Richardson thinks worse days may come in the Covid-19 fight - How the pandemic has impacted Vi's bottom line - If Vi still plans to return to rental senior living - Why Richardson is still bullish about Vi and the industry

Covid-19 could act as an accelerant for senior living trends that were already underway. For example, these challenging times could prompt more non-profit providers to find new and creative ways to affiliate or partner, or to increase annual technology budgets. Ingleside, a Rockville, Maryland-based senior living nonprofit, is currently exploring ways to do both. The organization invests 3% of its annual budget on technology, but has made it a goal to increase that investment to as much as 10%, according to President and CEO Lynn O'Connor. And, it's working with several other innovative nonprofits on new ways to collaborate. In this episode of Transform, learn about: -- How Covid-19 could drive consolidation among nonprofit providers -- Ingleside's vision for technology investment -- How the pandemic has affected the nonprofit's thinking about the care continuum

Scott Stewart, Founder and Managing Partner of Capitol Seniors Housing by Senior Housing News

Avanti COO Lori Alford strove to be an unflappable leader when Covid-19 first struck. But her approach changed as the pandemic taught her valuable leadership lessons. By embracing transparency and authenticity Alford was able to bolster the culture during a tough time for the provider, based in The Woodlands, Texas. Avanti is now seeing its lowest levels of overtime and call-offs in the company's history. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - How Covid-19 tested Avanti's operational model and culture - Alford's efforts to keep morale high during the Covid-19 pandemic with authenticity and transparency - Why Alford believes the senior living industry must use its collective voice to receive more recognition - Avanti's efforts to keep Covid-19 out of its communities, and why that can be a frustrating effort at times

Senior living providers across the country have seen their expenses rise and their occupancy rates drop as the Covid-19 pandemic drags on. Sunshine Retirement Living, a Bend, Oregon-based provider with 32 communities spread throughout 16 states, is no exception. Though Sunshine has taken a hit to its bottom line amid the pandemic, it has not experienced a major outbreak in its communities. Still, the lockdown is not sustainable in the long-term, and the industry must find a way to return to some semblance of normalcy, according to Sunshine Retirement Living's president and CEO, Luis Serrano. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - Sunshine Retirement Living's origins in working with Holiday Retirement - Why Sunshine focuses on the middle-market, and how Serrano thinks the pandemic could affect demand for that sector - Sunshine's approach to testing residents and staff for Covid-19 - Why countries like South Korea and Sweden might offer a blueprint for reopening the industry

The Covid-19 pandemic is something every senior living provider must tackle head-on --- but doing so comes at a significant cost. The Springs Living, a McMinnville, Oregon-based provider with 17 communities throughout Oregon and Montana, expects to spend more than $500,000 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. But that money is well worth it if the company is able to stop the deadly disease from spreading, according to The Springs Founder and CEO Fee Stubblefield. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - Successful campaigns The Springs launched to stop the spread of Covid-19 - How the provider is mitigating the financial hit - What The Springs has learned testing more than 260 of its residents and workers for Covid-19 - The opportunity awaiting senior living providers in the post-pandemic landscape

The senior living industry needs more resources in its fight against Covid-19 --- and is having to fight hard for that help. Ohio Living CEO Larry Gumina learned that lesson firsthand as he struggled to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) for his organization earlier this month. While Ohio Living did eventually procure much-needed PPE, Gumina was "infuriated" by the situation, and how easy it was for a large senior living provider to slip through the cracks. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - Ohio Living's search for much-needed PPE, and how Gumina channeled anger into action - A new effort from Ohio Living and National Church Residences to test thousands of older adults for Covid-19 - An update on the Perennial Consortium Medicare Advantage initiative - What keeps Gumina up at night as the pandemic drags on

Like senior living providers across the country, Seasons Living is facing a changed world and difficult situations due to Covid-19. In this episode of Transform, Seasons President and COO Dan Williams speaks frankly about the fear, trauma and grief that Covid-19 inflicts. He shares his reactions to the news that, for the first time, one of company’s workers had been infected. In the midst of this dark, difficult time, he’s taking heart in how the industry is pulling together. In this episode, hear: -- Reflections on the toll that Covid-19 takes on senior living workforces -- How Seasons has changed its operations due to the pandemic -- How Seasons is collaborating with other providers to acquire PPE and determine best practices

Senior Care’s next phase of response to the Covid-19 pandemic will be harder and will tax the industry’s resources in unimaginable ways, Dr. Bill Thomas believes. And when the outbreak is finally contained, it will fundamentally change senior housing, how it is integrated into the health care continuum and accelerate ongoing trends. In This episode of Transform, Thomas discusses: -- How Covid-19 will spur new middle-market development -- How the pandemic exposed the workforce pressures facing the industry -- What will happen with current development trends

The accelerating trend of bringing primary care into senior living communities might gain even more momentum as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. One innovative example of combining primary care and senior living comes from Illinois, where Oak Street Health recently brought its care model into four assisted living communities managed by Pathway to Living. Since being founded in 2012, Oak Street has expanded to nearly 60 locations across eight states — and now is making its first foray into senior living thanks to a partnership with industry veteran Brian Cloch. In this episode of Transform, learn: — How Oak Street and Pathway are working together to face Covid-19 — What makes the partnership work and the early benefits being seen — Why new payment and health care delivery models are driving these types of collaborations

As the wave of baby boomer demand nears, senior living providers must be "all things to a lot of people," SRG Senior Living CEO Michael Grust believes. Achieving this requires innovation and entrepreneurship at a time when operators face a “mosh pit” of challenges, but despite ongoing margin compression, Grust is bullish on the future of the industry. In this episode of Transform, Grust discusses: -- How senior living providers are still "inventing a business" decades after the industry began -- The impact of new capital chasing senior living and the pitfall of "add water and stir" management companies -- Why current market conditions are both very challenging and invigorating

Relying on demographics to drive senior living occupancy in the years ahead is a recipe for failure, according to Robb Chapin, CEO of Seniors Housing and Medical Properties at Bridge Investment Group. Consumers have an increasing number of options for where they live as they age, meaning senior living operators must be innovating to create a more desirable product, Chapin says on this episode of Transform. Under his leadership, Bridge has been growing in new directions. Last year, the investment firm got into operations through its acquisition of Somerby Senior Living, which has been rebranded as Bridge Senior Living. Overall, Bridge’s senior housing fund deployed about $300 million of equity into the space in 2019, equating to about $1 billion worth of transactions. In this episode, learn: — How Bridge is building occupancy through its “heels down the hallway” approach to management — How the firm is approaching transactions in an increasingly competitive marketplace — Why Chapin is focused on innovations

For-profits and not-for-profits can and should work together to tackle some of senior housing's biggest challenges. There is no perhaps no organization that exemplifies that concept better than Englewood, Colorado-based Christian Living Communities (CLC) and its for-profit management arm, Cappella Living Solutions. Both organizations are growing and finding new ways to stay one step ahead of potential disruptors, CEO Terry Rogers told us in this episode of the Senior Housing News podcast, Transform, sponsored by PointClickCare. This year, CLC made headway on several innovative initiatives, including its participation in Medicare Advantage group The Perennial Consortium and in its efforts to create a development of small homes in partnership with Bill Thomas’ Minka. In this episode, learn about: - CLC's plans to optimize and grow its owned and managed senior living portfolios - How nonprofits can compete with and partner with for-profit providers - Plans to build a small-home community with Minka - Progress

A senior living pioneer, Brandywine Co-Founder and CEO Brenda Bacon is now pushing the industry toward its next chapter. Old capital structures and operating models must change to accommodate a new generation of consumers and a market in “full-risk territory,” Bacon believes. Through Brandywine’s own experiences, she has grown skeptical of triple-net leases, and she's embracing the “sea change” as senior living adapts to the rising demographic of aging boomers. In this episode of Transform, Bacon discusses: — Why there might be a lot of money in senior living before boomer demand hits — How current challenges are compelling providers to embrace different capital structures — What she anticipates future residents will want and need, and how Brandywine is innovating