Transform - Senior Housing News

It's either an exciting or a scary time to be in the senior living industry, depending on who you ask. For Aegis Living Founder and CEO Dwayne Clark, it's the former.

The senior living provider is opening unique communities with themed designs, and all the while building a corporate team that includes former leaders from companies such as Starbucks and Nordstrom, Clark said in this episode of the Senior Housing News podcast, Transform.

In this episode, learn about:

- Why Aegis Living wants to stop using the term "assisted living"

- How Clark sees the provider as a "patchwork quilt" of different industries

- Why Aegis doesn't hire any of its general managers from other senior living competitors

- What Clark learned traveling the globe looking for the keys to longevity and healthy aging

Senior living operators must change with the times — but for Integral Senior Living, this year has been more about execution than new initiatives.

In fact, it’s been an “initiative-free year” for the company, CEO Collette Gray explains in this episode of the Senior Housing News podcast, Transform.

Following busy years that saw a lot of changes, it was time to hit pause and focus on execution, Gray said. Still, ISL is not treading water. Rather, it’s taking a breath to prepare for the big push to meet a new consumer demographic, respond to major workforce challenges, and seize new opportunities to expand the already sizable portfolio of about 75 communities in 18 states.

In this episode, learn:

* How ISL approaches the “transactional” marketplace for third-party operators, to manage both new developments and turnarounds

* Why ISL created a new corporate role to address workforce challenges — a move that Gray would not have anticipated four years ago

* How Gray’ is working to bring more women into the leadership ranks of senior living

Addressing the growing demand for middle-market senior housing is one of 2019’s top issues in senior living, but HumanGood CEO John Cochrane says that the industry first needs to realize there is no simple solution, as middle-market senior housing encompasses varying product types and price points.

Cochrane, who is in his 11th year as head of the Pleasanton, California-based provider, shared his insight during a recent interview for the Senior Housing News podcast Transform. Transform focuses on the people and ideas shaping the future of senior living.

In this episode, Cochrane shares his thoughts on:

- HumanGood’s recent affiliation with Presby’s Inspired Living and his plans to build a national portfolio

- How he sees the senior living consumer changing over the next decade

- How nonprofit senior living providers are competing against their for-profit counterparts

- How HumanGood approaches the build vs. buy equation

- How HumanGood is evaluating its portfolio to meet the demand for affordable senior housing while maximizing value

Senior living is changing at a rapid rate, and CEO Doug Leidig has been focused on keeping Asbury Communities ahead of the pack.

Leidig is now in his fifth year at the helm of the Frederick, Maryland-based provider, which has a portfolio of seven CCRCs as well as an affiliated technology services company and other lines of business.

In this episode, Leidig shares how the nonprofit's culture has changed to support ongoing growth and innovation — without huge spikes in anxiety among its workforce. Learn more about:

-- How "co-opetition" has replaced competition in senior living

-- Plans for Asbury's new CCRC management technology platform

-- How Asbury is repositioning for tomorrow's consumer

New York City is undergoing a senior living renaissance, with high-profile projects coming together all across the area. One such project is Maplewood Senior Living's $300 million Inspir community, on Manhattan's Upper East Side. When it opens, Inspir promises to bring with it a bevy of cutting-edge tech features designed for residents' safety and quality of life.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Brian Geyser, chief clinical officer for the Inspir brand and Maplewood’s vice president of clinical innovation and population health. Learn more about:

* How Maplewood sees technology fitting into its senior living operations

* How residents of Inspir can use Amazon Alexa and other new technology

* Virtual reality tech and its uses in senior living

* What up-and-coming tech trends might change the face of senior living in the future

The massive opportunity to serve the middle market has been one of the hottest senior living topics in 2019, thanks to new findings from NIC and university researchers.

There is a tremendous business opportunity for providers that find a winning middle-market formula, NIC Founder and Strategic Advisor Bob Kramer explains in this episode of Transform. But, if a sustainable formula is not found, there could be a crisis for public health and government insurance programs.

In this episode, learn more about:

- The magnitude of the middle-market challenge and opportunity

- Concepts for making senior living more affordable

- The role major providers of managed care could play in driving down senior living costs in the future

- How public and private sector coordination is crucial to serving tomorrow’s seniors

The continuing care retirement community model is changing to account for boomers’ wants and needs, and to make CCRCs more important players in the U.S. health care system.

To hear more about where CCRCs are headed, listen to the latest episode of Transform, a podcast about the people and ideas shaping the future of senior living, sponsored by PointClickCare.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Kendal Corp. President and CEO Sean Kelly, and Summit Vista CEO and Executive Director Mark Erickson. Learn more about:

— How and why Summit Vista partnered with health care system Intermountain

— Kendal’s involvement in a $300 million CCRC being developed around Zen principles

— The role that skilled nursing will play in the CCRC of the future

— Whether partnerships and technology can lead to more affordable offerings

Two new senior living operators are creating multi-brand portfolios — a common practice in the hotel industry that is gaining traction in senior living.

To hear more about Phoenix Senior Living and Solera Senior Living, including how they are using multi-brand strategies as they expand, listen to the latest episode of Transform, a podcast about the people and ideas shaping the future of senior living, sponsored by PointClickCare.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Phoenix Founder and CEO Jesse Marinko, and Solera Founder and CEO Adam Kaplan. Learn more about:

- Why they decided to start operating companies after serving in the leadership of large senior living providers

- How they’re taking two different approaches to creating multi-brand portfolios

- The smaller-scale product that Phoenix is bringing to its more rural markets

- Interesting partnerships in the works for Solera

Affordability is a hot button topic in senior living.

The ongoing focus on developing market rate housing development is leading to a supply-demand imbalance for seniors seeking middle market and low income housing, and housing inventory.

But there are a growing number of developers looking to meet the need for middle market and low income senior housing across the country, allowing seniors with tight budgets to age in place and with dignity.

To learn more about the developers addressing the need for middle market and low income senior housing, listen to the latest episode of Transform, a podcast about the people and ideas shaping the future of senior living, sponsored by PointClickCare.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Sustainable Housing for Ageless Generations (SHAG) Executive Director Jay Woolford and Prime Senior Housing Group President of Development Debra Maynard. Learn more about:

- What are the target markets for middle market and low income senior housing

- The current state of affordability in senior living

- Leveraging partnerships with local organizations to help seniors age in place

- What they consider “middle market” and “affordable”

- How operations are the linchpin to successful middle market and affordable communities

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Smart home technology is becoming a must-have in senior living.

Thanks to the pairing of individual smart home devices with home systems such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, senior living residents can turn up the thermostat, dim the lights, find out what’s for dinner and get reminders about what programs they’re signed up for, all with the sound of their voice.

To learn more about the rise of smart home technology, listen to the latest episode of Transform, a podcast about the people and ideas shaping the future of senior living, sponsored by PointClickCare.

In this episode, you’ll hear from Kisco Senior Living CEO Andy Kohlberg and Vincentian Collaborative System CEO Nick Vizzoca. Learn more about:

- How smart home technology is quickly becoming a resident expectation, not an afterthought

- How these systems can improve resident satisfaction, reduce staff burdens and drive savings on energy costs

- Tips for implementing smart home technology across various levels of care, and which features are most popular with today’s residents

- One operator’s cost of smart tech on a new $19 million project, and why implementing this tech on new construction provides vast cost savings over retrofitting

- What the future holds, such as predictive analytics to flag at-risk residents based on how they interact with in-unit technology