From the continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act and its implications for the senior care industry, to the ongoing aging trends and impending “silver tsunami” and the need for new development that’s expected to ensue, Senior Housing News has covered a wide range of topics in the last 12 months.
Here’s a list of Senior Housing News’s most popular posts this past year, ending with the single most-read article of 2012:
#10. March 21—How Aging in Place Could Change Senior Living Communities’ Business Models
The aging-in-place movement has been touted as an effective strategy to keep folks in their homes, either delaying or avoiding altogether the need to enter senior-oriented housing, and this trend could potentially have chain-reaction implications for senior living communities’ business models and marketing strategies.
#9. November 28—Obamacare, Medicare Cuts Could be Death Knell for Up to 50% of Nursing Homes
While some have heralded the Affordable Care Act as a much-needed reform bill that will change the face of the healthcare industry, others say it may contribute to forcing up to half of the nation’s hospitals and long-term care facilities into a merger or out of business altogether in upcoming years.
#8. June 28—The Results are in: Supreme Court Upholds Limited Medicaid Expansion
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Affordable Care Act, but it did make one exception regarding the federal government’s power to cut off all Medicaid funding to states who choose not to participate in the Medicaid expansion.
#7. July 31—Think Tank Ranks 10 Best Cities for Aging in Place
Top senior destination states Arizona and Florida didn’t even make it onto think tank Miliken Institute’s top-ten lists ranking the cities best prepared for the 65+ crowd to age well and “successful aging” for those 80 and older. Checkout which cities and states did.
#6. February 13—Will the Nation Go Broke Paying for Senior Housing & Long-Term Care?
This article kicked off a series of posts relating to the future of long-term care considering skyrocketing government spending on healthcare, the steady rise of senior care costs, the approaching insolvency of key entitlements programs, and the many boomers who are struggling to regain their financial footing following the recession.
#5. February 8—Booze, Sex, and STDs in Senior Living Facilities
The seniors living in retirement communities haven’t all given up fun times of their youth, limiting themselves to knitting, pinochle, and soap operas. Au contraire: Studies show that sexual activity is common in older demographics, as is alcohol consumption—and sometimes the combination of the two activities yields unpleasant results.
#4. October 15—Senior Housing’s Top Development Locations for 2013
Despite a dearth of senior housing development in the past several quarters, there’s lots of chatter about new projects—and we think activity will follow in the new year. Read on to find out our top picks for development locations, including our in-depth follow-up posts on each projected “hot spot.”
#3. February 16—Transitional Senior Housing, Granny Pods as Aging in Place Alternative
With healthcare costs rising and the Great Recession still putting a crunch on many peoples’ wallets, companies have been developing senior living options such as “transitional housing,” called “Granny pods” by some. It remains to be seen if they will become a viable alternative to entering a senior care facility—or at the very least, postpone an eventual move-in.
#2. February 7—Baby Boomers are Going to Turn Assisted Living Model “On Its Head”
The boomer generation has generally gone through life demanding that things be done their way—not the other way around—and this attitude will likely play a large role in the assisted living landscape in the coming years.
#1. January 9—Top 10 Trends in Senior Housing for 2012
Just as evolution and adaption are necessary for human survival, senior living providers must also adjust to the influence of politics, economics, and society by positioning themselves for the fiscal realities and political uncertainty in the future of senior housing. Peruse SHN’s trend list and see how many you’ve seen or noticed in the last year.
Editor’s note: The top stories list is based on traffic data received on Senior Housing News content compiled beginning on January 1, 2012.
