Improvements in the last year are propelling non-profit Lifespace Communities into its next chapter after 50 years serving older adults.

In the last five years, Lifespace has bolstered its operations and made improvements in staffing, according to CEO Jesse Jantzen. He touted the fact that the operator increased independent living occupancy in the last six consecutive quarters and positive rating action by Fitch Ratings as evidence that it has the wind at its back in 2025. Today, the organization operates 16 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) and serves nearly 6,000 residents across seven states.

“The Fitch Ratings action was really an affirmation of what we’re doing right,” Jantzen said. “In 2025, we have that foundation to continue into the future.”

In 2025, Jantzen is positioning the organization for future growth via acquisitions and strategic affiliations. The company also is expanding its technology platform to enhance staffing effectiveness and support more connected, efficient operations for both team members and residents.

“If you take the Lifespace five years ago and Lifespace today, we’re a different organization. We’ve come a long way in strengthening our foundation and positioning ourselves to be a compelling partner for those who want to grow with us,” Jantzen said.

Positioning for future growth

In the last two years, small to medium-sized operators have joined forces to bring operational expertise together and create scale.In the future, Jantzen believes that trend will continue, with Lifespace seeking to affiliate with other operators as part of the company’s growth strategy.

“We can either be consolidated or become a platform that leads consolidation, and our goal is to attract strong, thriving organizations, not just those facing challenges,” Jantzen said.

In 2022, Lifespace acquired three Texas communities and a 257-unit CCRC in Geneva, Illinois in 2023. Today, Jantzen said the nonprofit is actively cultivating potential future partners to join a platform that is “fully integrated, value-driven and designed for long-term efficiency and impact.”

As he prepares the organization for growth, Jantzen is well aware of a “disruptive mind-shift” underway in the preferences of incoming senior living residents. Good care represents “table stakes” in 2025, and the “differentiator is in the resident experience, including holistic wellness, he said.

Lifespace has begun mapping the resident journey to better understand key moments that shape their experience and to uncover opportunities to elevate how residents engage “with the community throughout their time with us,” Jantzen said.

“We need to understand what truly drives residents to choose a community,” Jantzen said. “As we gather more data and deepen our connection to the voice of the customer, we believe we will be able to personalize experiences all the way down to the individual level.

Senior living operators in the last five years have made changes to their staffing models by infusing new technology, and that’s no different for Lifespace. After stabilizing from the Covid-19 pandemic, Jantzen said the organization was able to improve staffing through technology investments and engagement.

Jantzen said LIfespace is focused on showcasing how staff can “do their life’s work without limits” to highlight the stories and pathways for career growth and impact. Supporting this effort is the company’s employee brand campaign called “Our Space” which reinforces a commitment to fostering community and personal growth.

A recent company survey showed that the vast majority of team members feel their roles are vital to Lifespace’s success and that they want to have a strong, positive connection to the organization’s mission.

“It galvanized our team members to take ownership and feel empowered in the process,” Jantzen said.

‘Data is gold’

To improve connectivity and communication across its 12 CCRC campuses, Lifespace invested nearly $13 million to add Wi-Fi coverage in all indoor and outdoor spaces in communities. The company also added tech concierge services to aid residents with technology use and set-up.

“We’re focused on leveraging technology to better serve our residents,” Jantzen said. “It’s really about asking ourselves: ‘How do we continue to evolve to best meet the needs of those we serve?'”

The organization began employing a data science team 18 months ago to reveal new patterns in operational data and make better informed decisions. For example, Lifespace uses its data insights to improve sales and marketing by narrowing down leads and creating “precision marketing” campaigns.

“We can’t just have a broad-brush approach, our marketing team knows how to start calibrating to the markets they’re in,” Jantzen said. “You can better match what we have to offer in each particular community to the potential interests of the residents coming in.”

Lifespace is in the process of upgrading its enterprise resource planning system, integrating with applications across its technology platform. This will be completed in the first quarter of 2026, Jantzen said.

That’s so important because it forms the foundation for everything we’re working toward,” Jantzen said. “We know that advances in technology and operations depend on having the right infrastructure and this addition completes the robust tech stack we’ve been building.”

To Lifespace, “data is gold” but it’s true value lies in making it accessible and actionable for team members, Jantzen said. The goal is to streamline insights from large datasets so staff can spend more time with residents delivering quality care not tied behind a screen, Jantzen said.