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 …
Operations
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 …
Watercrest Hires Collin Baranick as Executive Director of Community in Sarasota, Florida
by Jeff Shaw
SARASOTA, Fla. — Watercrest Senior Living Group has hired Collin Baranick as executive director of Watercrest Sarasota Senior Living Community in Sarasota, a 198-unit community scheduled to open this summer. Baranick entered the senior living industry in 2010 as care manager on the nursing floor of a large senior living provider. He later transitioned to a wellness director role, where he improved community culture, staff training and quality assurance. Baranick most recently served as executive director, opening two senior living communities from ground up in South Carolina and Florida. When …
DENVER — As expected, seniors housing inquiries, tours and move-ins fell significantly in April as the industry felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to marketing software provider Enquire. The Denver-based company compiled sales and marketing data from over 2,200 seniors housing communities throughout the country. Compared with April 2019, inquiries fell 33 percent for independent living, 41 percent for assisted living/memory care and 43 percent for continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). “We have seen several surveys and opinions about the impact COVID-19 is having on senior living sales …
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Discovery Senior Living, an operator based in Bonita Springs with 62 communities in 14 states, has started a national program of targeted COVID-19 testing in its communities. The company is using a combination of rapid and swab testing. Encompassing current and incoming residents, as well as team members, the program represents the latest expansion of Discovery’s COVID-19 early identification and containment protocols. The company began its testing in its Florida-based communities and has continually expanded throughout the remaining states in which it operates. The testing will …
Organic social media content is more important than ever during COVID-19 pandemic for residents and prospects. By Greg Eves, United Group of Companies Independent living is a lifestyle choice for seniors. Whether prospective residents are looking to downsize their home, escape the burdens of homeownership, broaden their social life or move closer to their adult children and grandchildren, it’s crucial for property management companies to understand that they’re selling more than just a place to live. They’re selling a unique lifestyle. For years, property management companies have turned to social …
BEND, Ore. — Sunshine Retirement Living, a Bend-based operator with 32 communities in 16 states, now offers FDA-approved “Respira-ID” testing for COVID-19 at all its properties. Residents and employees that are exhibiting symptoms will now all be tested, as well as any new residents moving in regardless of symptoms. Produced by Vikor Scientific, Respira-ID tests for over 40 pathogens known to cause respiratory illness including COVID-19. The manufacturer will provide in-depth virtual training to the community nursing staff, which will administer the tests and oversee the shipment of samples for …
Operators Must Show Appreciation, Increase Safety to Retain Staff During Pandemic, Says SHB Webinar Panel
by Jeff Shaw
As the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down many businesses around the world, seniors housing is in a tough spot. In charge of caring for seniors — those most vulnerable to the disease — communities must stay open, but while doing everything possible to ensure the safety of residents. The industry already faced a staffing shortage for frontline workers. Now many of those workers either can’t come into work for fear of transmitting COVID-19 to an older family member, or are resigning out of fear of contracting the disease themselves. “Early …