Prices are going up and Americans are already feeling the effects of higher food, property taxes and energy prices that are having a direct impact on their pocketbooks and the psyche. These rising costs and the fixed incomes of retirees are on collision course given the current trajectory of price increases. Regardless of technology prices [...]
By Lee Simon As a child, The Jetsons always intrigued me. There were clearly numerous cartoon programs to choose from, but something about the ability to temporarily immerse myself in “the future” fascinated me. The moving walkways inside your home, space ships, elevated or floating buildings, robot housekeepers, and meals in a pill all were [...]
By Eric Stevenson In addition to the obvious concerns when picking senior housing, including cost, staff approachability and services, individuals need to consider threats that can jeopardize the health of an elderly relative. Besides considering whether an elderly relative needs the supportive care of an assisted living facility or the independence of a retirement living [...]
By Dan Greenshields Do you have a grandchild graduating from kindergarten, high-school or college this year? Have you started thinking about what kind of gift you’ll give? A new study from Grandparents.com finds that American grandparents spend more than $50 billion annually on their grandkids. Of that astonishing total, $16 billion alone is going toward [...]
Assisted living cost structures are outrageous. Perhaps you saw it — the New Old Age article about one family’s encounter with ballooning costs in Assisted Living (year-over-year cost growth of 5.2% nationwide), now an 18% (additional $12,000) hike proposed for this 72-year-old gentleman because he ‘needed the next level of care.’ Then there’s the nursing [...]
By Sally C. Pipes Bad news continues to plague the Obama Administration’s signature achievement — health reform. Medicare’s Chief Actuary recently projected that the nation’s healthcare bill will increase — not decrease — as a result of the new law. And a separate study from private research firm Avalere Health estimates that more than three [...]
By William M. Matz, Jr., Major General, US Army Retired Five years in, Medicare’s prescription drug benefit is a striking success. The program, known as Medicare Part D, gives tens of millions of seniors access to life-enhancing medicines and dramatically lowers out-of-pocket spending. Better yet, Part D’s greatest flaw – the gap in coverage known [...]
Written by Robert Blancato November 15 marks the beginning of open enrollment for the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Public officials have already taken steps to streamline the program, otherwise known as Medicare Part D, making it that much easier for seniors to sign up and customize coverage to best fit their medical needs. Part D [...]
On the Record: Steven Insoft, CFO & COO of Aviv REIT
While publicly traded healthcare real estate investment trusts (REITs) like HCP, Inc., Ventas, Inc., and Health Care REIT Inc. grab a lot of headlines, privately traded ones like Aviv REIT often seem to fly under the radar. But as Senior Housing News recently discovered after speaking with Aviv’s Steven Insoft, who holds dual roles of [...]
On the Record: Majd Alwan, Executive Director of LeadingAge CAST
With technological advancements tied so closely to the future of senior care, Senior Housing News recently interviewed Majd Alwan, Ph.D., the Senior Vice President of Technology and Executive Director of the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) at LeadingAge, an association of not-for-profit, long-term care providers of senior services. At any given time, CAST is [...]
On the Record: Keith Reuben, EVP of Commercial & Specialty Lending at Capital One Bank
In the past 30 years, Capital One has transformed itself from “just” a credit card company into one of the U.S.’s top banks. And as part of its lending arm, Capital One Bank says it has a significant focus on its commercial and specialty finance business, which encompasses senior housing and care lending. Last Fall, [...]
On the Record: Adam Kane, SVP of Corporate Affairs at Erickson Living
In 2009, the company known as Erickson Retirement Communities, headquartered in Baltimore, Md., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In December of that year, Hanover, Md.-based Redwood Capital Investments LLC bought most of the bankrupt company’s assets for $365 million, out of which emerged Erickson Living. Senior Housing News recently caught up with Adam Kane, [...]
On the Record: David Reis, CEO of Senior Care Development
After seeing that Senior Care Development, LLC had placed a stalking-horse bid on the bankrupt Clare at Water Tower, in Chicago’s Gold Coast, Senior Housing News tracked down its chief executive officer David Reis for an exclusive interview. Reis has extensive experience in senior living development, and specializes in ground-up development of large-scale continuing care [...]
Op-Ed: ObamaCare’s Many Victims
A federal court in Washington, DC just handed down the fifth ruling in the ongoing battle over the constitutionality of ObamaCare. Tipping the previous 2-2 decisions in favor of the president’s plan, Kessler’s ruling is being viewed by many Obama supporters as a decisive victory. Her reasoning is worth a closer look, because it nicely [...]