What the Senate Hearing on Assisted Living Foretells About Sector’s Future

This article is available as part of your SHN+ membership The Jan. 25 Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on assisted living covered a lot of ground – which makes sense, considering that the committee’s last hearing dedicated to AL took place 20 years ago. Given the variety of topics covered – including resident safety, […]

Argentum CEO: ‘Pain Still There’ in Senior Living Despite Dwindling Odds of More Federal Relief

Argentum President and CEO James Balda is still optimistic about the industry’s future — but in the short-term, he sees many hurdles left to clear. Educating lawmakers, confronting the senior living workforce shortage and grappling with occupancy and expenses are just a handful of the challenges left for industry stakeholders to solve at this juncture […]

Argentum Proposes Dedicated Senior Living Relief Fund as Advocacy Effort Launches

Still reeling from the financial toll of the pandemic, senior living providers now are facing a worsening labor crisis and are fearful about complications related to Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for residents. Meanwhile, federal lawmakers are wrangling over key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, including a budget reconciliation bill and an infrastructure package. With this […]

‘We’ve Been Too Reactive’: Argentum Pivots to Invest More in Public Policy Efforts

Senior living industry association Argentum is pivoting to focus more on public policy, particularly at the federal level, in light of the Covid-19 crisis. Over about the last 18 months, the organization doubled its government relations staff to six people and increased its expenditures related to public policy, Argentum President and CEO James Balda told […]

Brandywine CEO: We Must Draw Clearer Connection Between Senior Living and Medicare, Medicaid

The senior living industry was sidelined from federal financial support for much of last year, due in part to lawmakers’ lack of familiarity with the sector. Going forward, the industry should do a better job of connecting private-pay senior living with the Medicare and Medicaid programs that command so much attention from lawmakers, Brandywine Living […]

Court Ruling Offers Hope, But Uncertainty Remains Over Senior Living Liability Protection

A federal court ruling last week that the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act grants liability to senior living providers taking measures to protect residents from Covid-19 is seen by industry advocates as a positive sign. It came after months of lobbying Congress for liability immunity from pandemic-related lawsuits. “It is an overwhelmingly positive […]

Biden Pledges ‘Laser-Focus’ on Vaccines for Residential Care, Targeted Interventions for Assisted Living

One day after President Joe Biden took office, his administration released its national strategy for combating Covid-19. The 200-page plan calls for a “laser-focus” on vaccinating people at highest risk, including older adults and people in congregate settings, as well as “targeted surge assistance” to help contain Covid-19 outbreaks in assisted living. “The United States […]

‘Defining Who We Are’: Top Senior Living Concerns, Goals as Biden Takes Office

For the senior living industry, the incoming Biden administration and Democratic control of Congress means new opportunities for advocacy and education — and potentially some pitfalls in the form of new and tighter regulations. The presidential election and the Georgia Senate races have resulted in the Democrats taking the White House and narrow control of […]

4 Ways a Biden Administration Could Affect Senior Housing Businesses

Senior housing investors and operators can anticipate several changes that will affect the industry as a result of the 2020 U.S. elections. Democratic President-Elect Joe Biden has floated proposals including a major investment in home care, changes to real estate programs and policies, and pledges related to the caregiver workforce. The incoming administration also may […]