Welltower, Johns Hopkins Unveil Assisted Living Quality Framework

Welltower (NYSE: WELL) has released the results of a study conducted for the health care real estate investment trust (REIT) by Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) that may eventually establish best operating practices in assisted living and memory care communities across the country. The National Assisted Living Quality report is the result of a three-plus-year process […]

Senior Living Providers Positioned For More Managed Care Partnerships

Independent living and assisted living providers today offer a host of ancillary services that can help residents maintain wellness and keep them out of hospitals and other high-cost health care settings. Having these capabilities should make senior living an attractive partner to Medicare Advantage and managed care organizations, but these relationships are still rare. These […]

Watermark, Mather Improve Resident Experiences with THRIVE Approach

Watermark Retirement Communities, Mather LifeWays and the University of Arizona recently teamed up on a project to improve the quality of life for senior housing residents, with promising early results. The effort was several years in the making, and involved funding from the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA). “I was on the executive board of […]

Tax Reform Proposal Could Make It Harder to Pay for Senior Living

Senior living providers, industry associations and residents are mobilizing against a provision of the recently introduced tax reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying this element of the legislation would increase the tax burden for residents and threaten their ability to remain in private-pay communities. For over 70 years, the medical expense deduction has been part […]

Potential Labor Laws Threaten Senior Living Profitability

While federal policies have shifted in a pro-business direction since President Donald Trump took office last January, potential labor law changes still could threaten the bottom line for senior living providers. “It has played out that the new administration is friendlier to business,” Maribeth Bersani, COO of senior living association Argentum, said last week at the […]

3 Untapped Technologies With High Value in Senior Housing

To increase resident satisfaction and attract more business, senior housing providers may want to focus on a few technologies that are not so common across the industry at the moment. Integrated fitness systems, resident locating technology, and telehealth appear to be in use at relatively few communities, but they are among the tech that residents […]

Senior Housing Construction Costs Keep Surging

Senior housing construction costs continue to increase across the country, as contractors report a widespread labor shortage. In fact, 70% to 80% of contractors report difficulty in finding qualified labor, according to a Jan. 19 construction costs brief prepared by Larry Graeve, senior vice president of construction firm The Weitz Company. The brief was prepared […]

Brookdale Takeout Chatter Focuses on Valuation, Deal Structures

Many questions have been raised by the rumor that Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) is negotiating with the Blackstone Group and other potential buyers over a sale of the company. Perhaps foremost among these questions: What is the value of Brookdale’s real estate, and what deal structures appear most likely? The real estate piece is […]

New Year, New Repayment Law for CCRCs

Continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in California are preparing for a new law that will impact the way they repay contracts. The new law requires CCRCs to repay entrance fees if a unit is vacated by the resident in a certain amount of time, or else risk accruing interest. The law has the potential to […]