Transform - Senior Housing News

Revera is one of the biggest names in North American senior housing, serving 20,000 older adults in long term care homes and retirement residences in Canada, and as the majority shareholder in Sunrise Senior Living.

Like senior living providers of all sizes, Revera was affected by the Covid-19 in myriad ways. In an effort to understand what happened in the pandemic’s first months, and to be better prepared for what is in store during the rest of this crisis, the company worked with a panel of medical experts to create a 90-page report.

In this episode of Transform, hear from Revera CEO Tom Wellner about:

— Key takeaways from Revera’s pandemic report

— His take on the multi-brand strategy in senior living

— An update on the search for a new Sunrise CEO

John Atkinson, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Willis Towers Watson by Senior Housing News

Cadence Living entered 2020 thinking it would pursue some interesting acquisition opportunities. That was before the pandemic.

But Cadence managed to grow last year in other ways, such as by inking new third-party management agreements, according to Principal Rob Leinbach. Today, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company has 26 communities in its portfolio and six more coming down the pike. Cadence is also piloting an innovative infection control technology that could act as an alarm system for Covid-19 outbreaks or other diseases.

In this episode of Transform, learn:

- What Cadence Living is preparing for in 2021 and beyond

- Whether the pandemic will make offering wellness harder in the future

- How Cadence Living plans to use its new outflow testing technology to detect Covid-19

When Chris Guay founded Vitality Living, he was frustrated at the industry’s slowness to innovate. Now, he believes that more operators have started “think differently” — and he anticipates that the next 10 years will bring significant, positive change.

Vitality itself is changing, by opening its first active adult project. The company is also taking stock of lessons learned during the pandemic to refine its operating model.

Listen to this episode of Transform to learn:

— Why Vitality is bullish on active adult and its plans in the space

— How the company leverages digital communication platforms

— Why smaller markets are appealing for new development

Like other senior living providers, Generations LLC has faced lower occupancy rates and higher expenses due to Covid-19.

But Executive Chairman Chip Gabriel is optimistic about what is in store for the Clackamas, Oregon-based provider. In particular, he is bullish on its slate of intergenerational and middle-market projects. And he believes that future operating models shouldn't focus solely on Covid-19, but instead address the unique needs and desires of the incoming baby boomer generation.

In this episode of Transform, learn about:

- Why Generations is bullish on intergenerational and middle-market senior living

- How the company is preparing for a return to growth, and when that might occur

- The mental fatigue of Covid-19, and how Generations is combating it

Randy Bury, president and CEO of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, is looking forward to 2021 for one simple reason: It has to be better than 2020.

More specifically, Bury is optimistic about the prospects for a Covid-19 vaccine, and is focused on restoring consumer trust and confidence. But in this episode of Transform, Bury is also frank about the challenges facing Good Sam and the industry as a whole.

Listen to learn:

-- Why occupancy might recover more slowly than some people think and hope

-- How Good Sam went from a "double-A baseball club" to the "major leagues" through its affiliation with Sanford Health

-- How the nonprofit is planning for the Covid-19 vaccine

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