The Top 10 Senior Housing News Stories of 2015

Senior Housing News kept readers on top of breaking and innovative senior living industry happenings in 2015. There were new players, new ideas, trend analyses and touching memorials to industry leaders lost this year.

Here’s a list of Senior Housing News‘s most popular posts this past year, culminating with the single most-read article of 2015:

#10. December 28 — Senior Living Operators Ready for Post-Holiday Sales Rush

The holiday season is a busy time for senior living sales teams, who face additional pressure to convert an influx of leads into move-ins. Benchmark Senior Living, for example, sees internet inquiries for its communities pick up between November and December as families start to do their own research into senior living options for their loved ones.

#9. September 25 — Remembering the Beloved Granger Cobb

Justin Hutchens, executive vice president and chief investment officer of senior housing and care at HCP Inc., wrote a touching tribute to his “closest friend and mentor,” Granger Cobb, after Cobb’s passing. Before his death, Cobb served as CEO of Emeritus Senior Living and was one of the architects of the company’s 2014 merger with Brookdale Senior Living.

#8. April 27 — Why Senior Living Must Change ‘Dramatically’ by 2050

Dilip V. Jeste, senior associate dean for Healthy Aging and Senior Care at the University of California, San Diego, and head of the university’s Stein Institute for Research on Aging, and Center for Healthy Aging, shared his ideas around “model” nursing homes, assisted living facilities and independent living settings that will contribute to maintaining health throughout the aging process.

#7. March 1 — ‘Ritz-Carlton Meets Disney World’ For New Senior Housing Developer

Affinitas Life kicked off a $50 million funding campaign for the first of a proposed pipeline of senior housing developments targeting seniors in the 10% wealth and income category. “This isn’t your parent’s retirement community,” said Anthony Santiago, CEO and co-founder of Affinitas Life. “It is where the Ritz-Carlton meets Disney World for seasoned adults.”

#6. June 8 — Titan Deal Will Make America’s Largest Senior Community Even Bigger

With over 105,000 residents, The Villages is the largest retirement community in the U.S.—it is even its own census-designated place. In May, it joined with Titan Senior Living and KR Management on plans to develop a series of senior living communities strategically located to serve The Villages master development. In total, The Villages in partnership with KR and Titan plans to provide residents with about 3,000 senior care beds at build-out.

#5. April 6 — ‘Uber for Home Care’ Raises $20 Million from Investors

In April, Honor, a startup that offers on-demand in-home services, secured $20 million in funding. Honor is a system to both match home care providers with clients and to provide monitoring so that family members can keep track of the care a loved one is receiving.

#4. February 18 — Best of Assisted Living Design 2014: The Boutique ‘Hotel’

Senior Housing News took an in-depth look at the winner of the 2014 Senior Housing News Design & Architecture Award in the assisted living category, Waterford Grand. Located in Eugene, Oregon, Waterford Grand. Though Waterford’s levels of care distinguish it from other stand-alone assisted living communities, its organic design, paired with high-end finishes and a concentration on wellness, made it a standout among the rest.

#3. February 10 — New Senior Living Operator Launches with 21 Properties Under Development

Thrive Senior Living Founder and Principal Jeramy Ragsdale partnered with Granger Group Founder Gary Granger to create First & Main, a new senior living operator based in Atlanta. “First and Main, from a consumer standpoint, is targeted at keeping the senior at the center of everything—from the daily commute to the grocery store and Starbucks,” Ragsdale told SHN. “From a real estate standpoint, this is just good real estate. It is right at the corner of ‘First and Main.’”

#2. March 26 — The Top-10 Largest Senior Living Providers in 2015

The Assisted Living Federation of America’s report on the 80 largest senior living providers in 2015 reflected the growth and consolidation of the top players in the market. The biggest change in the list is was merging of Brentwood, Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) and Emeritus Senior Living Corp. (NYSE: ESC).

#1. January 19 — The Top 10 Senior Housing Trends for 2015

At the start of 2015, SHN predicted that there would be increased senior housing M&A activity in the coming year, and that companies would have to review both their recruitment and retention strategies due to staffing woes. SHN also predicted the trend for senior housing communities to have a defined home health care strategy and business plan. Check out SHN’s list of 2015 trends and see how many you have noticed this year.

Editor’s note: The top stories list is based on traffic data received on Senior Housing News content compiled beginning on January 1, 2015.

Written by Mary Kate Nelson