Transform

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

Mitigating the impact of Covid-19 is no easy feat, and the senior living industry has been forced to adjust and innovate a rapid pace in 2020. But for Pegasus Senior Living co-founder Chris Hollister, there’s no substitute for executing on the basics. Hollister believes that common sense and consistency can go a long way in keeping residents healthy and safe amid the pandemic. And, it helps to maintain the crucial flow of move-ins. He also is drawing from his own family's experience to think about the value proposition that senior living holds for consumers, and the best ways to reach and serve future residents. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - How having an experienced clinical head helped Pegasus navigate through the early days of the pandemic - Covid-19's effect on senior living turnarounds, and what Pegasus sees ahead - How the pandemic is changing consumer preferences, and the promise of new housing and care models

Regularly testing senior living residents and staff for Covid-19 is not cheap. And yet, it is among the industry's best tools for limiting the disease's spread. Just ask Lynne Katzmann, Founder and CEO of Bloomfield, New Jersey-based Juniper Communities. She believes that senior living providers must test their residents and associates early and often in order to develop an effective battle plan --- and doing so has been a key component to Juniper's successful infection prevention and control strategy. In this episode of Transform, learn about: - Juniper's $100,000 per week strategy to test its residents and staff - How Juniper "bubbled up" its communities and what it learned doing so - Why more financial support is needed for private-pay senior living providers

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