CHICAGO — Nearly 70 percent of seniors housing communities are reporting at least one case of COVID-19 within their walls, while 60 percent say they have no immediate plans to loosen isolation restrictions, according to a survey undertaken by Chicago-based specialty investment bank Ziegler. The Ziegler CFO Hotline network survey was conducted between May 15 and May 22. Nearly 320 providers, largely nonprofit, participated, representing approximately 650 individual communities. Staff were notably more likely to have the virus than residents — 65 percent of communities had staff that tested positive, …
coronavirus
CHICAGO — Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR), a Chicago-based REIT and one of the largest owners of seniors housing in the United States, has adjusted its corporate cost structure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the company. In mid-June, Ventas plans to eliminate roles representing over 25 percent of its corporate positions, excluding onsite field personnel, according to a May 27 SEC filing. In addition, for the second half of 2020, the company will reduce the base salary of CEO Deb Cafaro by 20 percent, while reducing the salaries …
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has formed several Congregate Care Unified Response Teams, with the goal of testing residents and staff members at skilled nursing facilities in the state. “Nursing facilities have been aggressive regarding testing and managing COVID-19 outbreaks on their own, but this effort will provide them with additional resources,” says DeWine. “As we continue to ramp up our testing in Ohio, we must deploy our resources in a way that will save the most lives.” The response team will include medically trained members of the …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Testing all residents and staff and skilled nursing facilities nationwide just once would cost $440 million, according to data compiled by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), based in Washington, D.C. The organization notes that at that rate, the CDC’s recommendation of weekly testing would cost skilled nursing operators over $1 billion per month. The AHCA describes the costs as “unsustainable” without additional funding from federal and state governments, especially since it doesn’t account for other types of senior care. “For months now, we have been advocating …
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 …
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 …
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Seniors housing occupancy experienced a 110-basis-point decrease to 88.7 percent in the month of, while nursing care facility occupancy was down 220 basis points to 84.7 percent, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). The data is featured in NIC’s Intra-Quarterly Snapshot, a new monthly publication developed to keep owners and operators better informed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data, which comes from 15,000 stabilized seniors housing communities in 140 U.S. markets, was previously released on a quarterly basis. “Challenges in senior …
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 …
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) has announced plans to make advertising buys in several high-profile newspapers as part of the organization’s plan to protect the seniors housing industry’s reputation during the COVID-19 outbreak. Outlets to receive ads include The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Dallas Morning News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Globe and AARP magazine. The PR campaign is known as “Senior Living Today & Every Day.” Concurrent with the ad buy, ASHA also produced a video showing the measures that seniors …
BALTIMORE — Capital Funding Group (CFG) and CFG Bank are reinvesting some of the funds earned from facilitating Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to provide meals to frontline healthcare workers at skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Maryland. Rise Biscuits will provide lunch meals and dinner will be provided by both Maryland Blackwall Hitch locations and some of the Maryland Greene Turtle locations. Driven Private Transportation will deliver the meals to 53 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Baltimore and surrounding areas. “Nursing homes/assisted living facilities and their …