Memory care operators are retooling their culinary programs to emphasize personalization, engagement g and education, all in an effort to set a higher standard for their residents. While coming up with a culinary program that senior living residents like and enjoy is already a challenge, it is even more so in memory care due to […]
As senior living companies build new communities, some are putting culinary services at the forefront of their development plans. Gone are the days of standardized menus and batch cooking. Instead, residents want more control over what they’re eating, and have started taking a more active role in their nutrition choice — a preference that is […]
The future of dining in senior living will include more locally-sourced ingredients, resident-facing technology and a rise in resident choice. Senior living operators including Commonwealth Senior Living and Kisco Senior Living are using technologies to improve their ability to offer better, healthier food and a more enjoyable experience in their dining rooms. For example, Commonwealth […]
The Covid-19 pandemic has burdened senior living operating budgets, and operators say two items on their balance sheets pose the biggest threat to financial stability: labor and food. On the labor side, expenses have risen as operators have leaned on overtime and agency workers to maintain service levels amid staffing shortages. At the same time, […]
Last month brought news that non-traded REIT Healthcare Trust would transition 20 senior living communities managed by Cedarhurst Senior Living to other operators. This portfolio change is part of a comprehensive effort that Cedarhurst is undertaking, which involves new strategies and operational practices shaped by the challenges and disruptions of the last two years. “We […]
Senior living operators have been enacting changes in operations since the Covid-19 pandemic began, but some adaptations have been fleeting while others have proven longer-lasting. Recent conversations with several executives — including with large providers such as Brookdale, Frontier and Senior Lifestyle — highlight that operators now have committed to new practices across essentially every […]
Dining is a key component to senior living — and it is also among one of the industry’s fastest-changing areas. On the one hand, supply issues, rising food costs and lingering staffing issues are forcing senior living providers to become more efficient, and in some cases to do more with less. On the other, resident […]
Senior living providers generally excel at caring for residents, but many operators could make “truly huge, shocking” improvements in how they run their businesses. This is the perspective that Welltower COO John Burkart shared last week, speaking at the Citi Global Property CEO Conference. The event shed light on how Burkart is approaching his role […]
Five Star Senior Living (Nasdaq: FVE) is undertaking a new approach to dining across its recently restructured portfolio, in partnership with Compass Group. Newton, Massachusetts-based Five Star will begin transitioning from in-house management of its culinary program on Feb. 1, 2022, the company announced on December 3. The transition process is expected to be completed […]
By Patrick Filbin More than 18 months since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, senior living providers face extraordinary staffing shortages and employee retention challenges, including in their dining operations. A recent survey of 110 senior housing facilities by Senior Housing News, conducted with Sodexo, attempted to gauge how companies are experiencing the staffing crunch, […]
