BIRMINGHAM, Mich. — Bloom Senior Living, a Birmingham-based owner-operator of nine communities in Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Florida, has launched “Memory Making Stations as a safe way to visit family and friends during the COVID-19 outbreak. The stations meet the six-foot separation protocol for social distancing. The resident, located inside the station, and family member, located outside the station, are separated by plexiglass. Bloom is still taking additional precautions including screening family members; requiring residents and family members to wear masks and wash hands before and after visits; and …
Operations
BALTIMORE — Developer and owner Capital Health Group has launched its new management company, Elegance Living, with Josh Krull as the CEO. Krull has over 20 years of experience in all facets of senior living. He spent 13 years at Atria Senior Living where he was most recently the operations chief of staff. Among other roles at Atria, he worked closely with the COO to oversee operations of communities across North America. Headquartered in Baltimore, Elegance manages 46 senior housing communities in 16 states with approximately 4,150 units, 750 of …
Operators must find ways to keep residents social or risk their well-being. By Joanna Frank, Founding President and CEO, The Center for Active Design A less visible, yet very significant health impact of COVID-19 is the psychosocial implications for our senior populations. Seniors are not only particularly vulnerable to the medical risks of COVID-19, but also the effects of social isolation. Seniors housing operators are taking critical steps to reduce the risk of viral spread, such as suspending visitations and limiting face-to-face interactions. Although necessary, we must remember that these …
Communities Should Combine Digital, Print, Event Advertising to Keep Leads Coming During Pandemic, Say Marketing Specialists
by Jeff Shaw
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to take a bite out of seniors housing occupancy, communities should put the pedal down on lead generation in order to survive, according to seniors housing marketing firm The Roche Associates. “There could be an occupancy time bomb waiting. You don’t feel the effect right now, but you might soon,” said Joseph Roche, president and CEO of the Wilbraham, Massachusetts-based company. “During the Great Recession, the communities that kept marketing even though they were getting clocked were the ones that came out and did the …
LOS ANGELES — Cadence Living has been appointed manager at Nikkei Senior Gardens, a 78-unit independent living, assisted living and memory community in the Arleta neighborhood of Los Angeles. The property is affiliated with the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center. Although the community is open to everyone, it was designed to appeal specifically to Japanese-American seniors. Staff members are multilingual and programming includes cultural activities. “Nikkei Senior Gardens is a great testament to the Japanese-American culture with beautiful Japanese gardens on site and culinary menus that cater to …
On May 20, Seniors Housing Business hosted a panel discussion entitled “Navigating Marketing & Sales During the COVID-19 Pandemic & Beyond: Best Strategies & Tactics” where experts addressed how to keep residents safe and informed while maintaining and growing occupancy. The panel also discussed how to adapt resident care and business practices as well as messaging in the current environment. Joan Roche, a board-certified clinical nurse specialist in gerontological nursing, addressed current and post-pandemic best practices and how to keep residents happy as well as healthy. Sensitivity and relevance of …
Resident safety correctly took priority, but now occupancy concerns loom. By Sharon Brooks As the coronavirus pandemic reached the tipping point on the public’s radar, senior living was 100 percent focused on resident safety. Marketing questions loomed but weren’t high priority. For those of us who were focused on marketing, we quickly recognized this as a black swan event. We are now able to formulate an approach to marketing toward the proverbial “new normal.” Anticipating the course We can separate the pandemic into four phases: Crisis Containment Management Normalization Today …
Survey Shows 96 Percent of Residents Agree with Social Distancing, Visitation Restrictions
by Jeff Shaw
DALLAS — A vast majority of residents in seniors housing communities — 96 percent of them — approve of the current visitation restrictions and social distancing rules to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey by Dallas-based operator Buckner Retirement Services. The survey gathered 140 responses from residents across six different Buckner communities in Texas in early May. More than 75 percent of seniors surveyed listed family visits as something they miss most. Other top activities missed within the communities include going to church (56 percent) and group dining …
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Discovery Senior Living has named Jeff Floyd as the company’s vice president of operations. Floyd joins Discovery Senior Living after serving the past five years at Chicago-based Enlivant, where he held a divisional role as senior vice president of operations. The move is intended to support Discovery Senior Living’s continued portfolio growth, as well as the enhancement of the company’s lifestyle and care services for residents as part of its new experiential-living philosophy. Floyd began his career at ManorCare, where he ascended to become a regional …
On May 13, Seniors Housing Business hosted a panel discussion to explore the question: How will the coronavirus pandemic impact market valuation in the seniors housing sector? While there’s been a stock price rebound after REIT value plummeted at the outset of the pandemic, it isn’t clear right now where prices might end up for private and public markets. Join us to learn how the traditional components of seniors housing valuation have been upended by COVID-19 and what factors will most influence future prices. Listen in to hear what experts …