Nine months of shifting COVID-19 protocols have revealed many new best practices. By Bob Burg, Moves for Seniors (NOTE: This article is intended to summarize many of the lessons learned during Phase I of COVID-19, and that are driving the seniors housing industry through another surge as we enter 2021.) The COVID-19 pandemic has demanded an evolution in the approach to protecting at an-risk audience. Because we work with multiple operating companies and communities nationally, Moves for Seniors has a great vantage point to see what’s being done and what’s …
coronavirus
Survey: Operators Must Talk About the Right Issues to Lure New Residents During Pandemic
by Jeff Shaw
PHILADELPHIA — While seniors may still have a high interest in moving into seniors housing communities, it’s crucial that sales teams hit on certain difficult topics in a world shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic Philadelphia-based marketing firm LevLane Inc. and MarketVision Research Inc. conducted a research study of 250 adults over age 65. The study found that 64 percent of those surveyed who had been considering a move to a senior living community pre-COVID were still interested in moving into a community within the next five years, and of those …
Survey of Sunrise Residents, Families Shows 92 Percent Plan to Request COVID-19 Vaccine
by Jeff Shaw
MCLEAN, Va. — A recent survey of Sunrise Senior Living residents and families found that more than 92 percent of respondents would “definitely” or “probably” request the vaccine for themselves, or their loved ones. This data point is one of several findings in a recent survey powered by Qualtrics with more than 8,000 respondents. According to Pew Research Center, only 60 percent of all Americans said they would definitely or probably get a vaccine to prevent COVID-19. McLean-based Sunrise recently announced that its senior living communities, which offer assisted living, …
Now approved for use in the United States, the first round of COVID-19 vaccines has officially landed. Employees and residents in assisted living and skilled nursing communities are in the first group slated to receive the immunization. While this is a strong sign that an end is on the horizon for a pandemic that has disproportionately affected seniors housing, it comes with a new challenge. Operators must now find a way to handle the complicated logistics of implementing the vaccine to millions of caregivers and residents. “It’s the first sign …
The secret to beating COVID-19 may have less to do with PPE and testing, and more to do with processes, design and mission. By Donna Moore In late January, the first case of novel coronavirus was confirmed in the U.S. Previously unheard of, COVID-19 dominated nightly newscasts. By February, seniors were dying in nursing homes. This coronavirus was seemingly more contagious than anything seniors housing operators had ever faced. We regularly control infections and wear personal protective equipment (PPE). COVID-19 was different Immediately, my senior leaders at Park Springs in …
Technology such as needlepoint bipolar ionization can help keep residents safe. By Julie Fields Seniors housing occupancy rates have hit an all-time low. The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) announced that the average occupancy rate for seniors housing properties fell 2.8 percent between the first and second quarters of 2020. According to NIC, the second-quarter rate of 84.9 percent is the lowest occupancy rate the organization has ever recorded. While it’s easy to cast the blame for this occupancy drop on COVID-19, the truth is the …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), a Washington, D.C.-based organization representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and assisted living communities across the country, has released a report showing new COVID cases in nursing homes in the U.S. have now reached a record number of weekly new cases. Recent data released by Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show that with the recent spike in new COVID cases in the general U.S. population, weekly nursing home …
HHS Partners with CVS, Walgreens to Distribute Free Vaccines to Seniors Housing Providers Once Available
by Jeff Shaw
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) have announced agreements CVS and Walgreens to provide and administer COVID-19 vaccines in long-term care facilities nationwide with no out-of-pocket costs once the vaccines are available. The free vaccines will be available to both staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, residential care homes and adult family homes. “Today’s historic pharmacy partnership will truly help jurisdictions solve a logistical hurdle and decrease the burden of distributing, administering and …
NIC Panel: Simple Solutions Can Shorten Pandemic, But Seniors Housing Has Bright Long-Term Future Regardless
by Jeff Shaw
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an existential crisis for the seniors housing industry, where the people most susceptible to the disease are the same who live in the communities. But many still believe in long-term viability and success of the sector. That was the message of panelists in a discussion titled “Four Weeks Out from the General Election: A Policy Discussion” held at the 2020 NIC Fall Conference. Being held virtually this year due to the pandemic, the event is still going on this week. Panelists included moderator Soledad O’Brien, …
HHS to Distribute $20B in Additional Pandemic Relief to Providers, Including Assisted Living Operators
by Jeff Shaw
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will begin accepting applications on Monday for a Phase III distribution of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). The new round of coronavirus pandemic relief totals $20 billion, and assisted living is included in the list of eligible providers. HHS is providing the opportunity for providers that have already received funding to apply for additional funding based on financial losses and changes in operating expenses as a result of COVID-19. Also, providers that were previously ineligible, such as those that …