Empower and Retain Staff

In today’s landscape of operating senior living communities, how can you alleviate staffing challenges? Organizations of various sizes seek answers in technology. Yet, how do you find the right technology that won’t overwhelm your essential care staff who are already busy? Our single connected solution — the Yardi Senior Living Suite — can simplify daily tasks for caregivers, helping you empower and retain your team members. For insight into actions that can promote both staff satisfaction and quality of care for residents, don’t miss our informative new ebook. After checking out a few highlights here, explore the full ebook. Why choose a single connected solution for your senior living community? According to 2024 data from the American Health Care Association, two-thirds of senior living communities are concerned they may have to close due to ongoing workforce challenges. Over 50% say their workforce situation has stayed the same or gotten worse in the past six months. 7 out of 10 still have fewer employees than they did before the pandemic. 46% are limiting admissions due to labor shortages. With no end in sight for these staffing challenges, it’s critical to invest in tools that simplify daily tasks for your caregivers — and incentivize them to stay longer. How does our technology support staff retention? Supporting your staff with an integrated electronic health record (EHR) and electronic medication administration record (eMAR) solution helps them provide better care for your residents.   Take a closer look at how our comprehensive care solutions support staff by: Uniting integrated workflows on a single platform. Supporting all types of senior living including independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and life plan communities/continuing care retirement communities. Reinforcing value-based care (VBC) initiatives that empower staff. Keeping sensitive data safe with HIPAA and SOX compliance. Delivering solutions backed by a Forbes Cloud 100 company with 40+ years of industry experience. Providing interoperability and secure interface partners. Simplifying staff training with robust, built-in educational materials that allow employees to learn at their own pace, including videos, recorded webinars and job aids. Explore our integrated care solutions Yardi EHR: Yardi EHR is a full-service electronic health record solution that unites clinical intake processing, medication management, resident assessments, interoperability, care planning and more. It enables streamlined analysis of population health metrics and real-time information sharing — helping you track and improve resident health outcomes. Yardi eMAR: Yardi eMAR is a comprehensive medication management solution built for senior living. It streamlines medication passing and facilitates seamless communication between pharmacies, care staff and senior management, all on a single platform. Read the ebook in full The Yardi Senior Living Suite offers more ways to improve staffing challenges — read the ebook in its entirety to learn more. And if you have any questions for our team, don’t hesitate to reach...

Streamline Move-Ins

Paper leasing poses significant challenges for senior living operators. In addition to being error-prone, paper processes are also time-consuming and costly to maintain. Fortunately, innovative solutions exist to alleviate these challenges — including our mobile-friendly, integrated CRM solution: RentCafe Senior CRM. Take it from Morning Pointe Senior Living, an organization with 38-plus communities using the electronic leasing in RentCafe Senior CRM to build success today. We spoke with the Morning Pointe team to learn more about their journey (including the challenges they faced before Yardi and the success they’ve since experienced). Enjoy the recap below, then read the full case study. The challenge: Tedious paper processes Morning Pointe previously used paper to generate leases, collect signatures and store records. With lease agreements averaging at 80 pages each, daily processes were time-consuming, susceptible to errors and costly to maintain. The solution: Seamless electronic leasing Morning Pointe now operates with RentCafe Senior CRM, our fully integrated sales and marketing solution that offers a seamless electronic leasing workflow. Communities are mitigating errors, empowering staff and experiencing significant time and cost savings. The results: Time savings, cost savings and more With RentCafe Senior CRM, Morning Pointe is streamlining every stage of the leasing workflow. Time savings: Rather than devoting time to printing and assembling paper leases, Morning Pointe can now generate documents with ease — all digitally. With RentCafe Senior CRM offering intuitive features to quickly create, sign and store every file needed, communities are saving approximately 1.5 hours per move-in. Going paperless: With help from RentCafe Senior CRM, Morning Pointe is reducing costs, mitigating errors and eliminating wasteful practices. With all documents centralized on an electronic platform, leaders rest assured that they’re operating efficiently — and being environmentally friendly. “Switching from our old paper system to the digital leasing program by Yardi has helped bring Morning Pointe forward in technology — and in customer service,” shared Doru Mihaescu, vice president of information technology at Morning Pointe. Explore the case study with Morning Pointe Ready to see more of Morning Ponte’s success? Read this short client spotlight, then explore the full case study. Have questions for us on RentCafe Senior CRM? Reach out to team Yardi...

Understanding Value-Based Care

Value-based care (VBC) is an important topic for today’s senior living providers — but why? What is it, how does it impact you and why implement it now? We’re pleased to sponsor a brand-new white paper, published by Argentum, that delves into all of the above. Keep reading for a highlight of the informative resource (featuring insights from our director of health care solutions and VBC expert, Fil Southerland). What is value-based care? Value-based care (VBC) is a health care model grounded in providing proactive, personalized and person-centered care. More specifically, providing this level of care to improve resident health outcomes and increase operational returns. Unlike traditional fee-for-service models that reimburse providers based on the number of services provided — rather than the effectiveness of those services — VBC reimburses based on the quality of care provided and optimal resident health outcomes. Hear from an industry expert Argentum interviewed Fil Southerland to gauge where the industry is headed — and help providers understand how to maximize their success in adopting VBC.  “Providers need to feel confident, number one, in their technology stack,” shares Southerland in the white paper. “VBC requires coordination and insight on a level that isn’t possible or scalable in a paper-based or disparate electronic solution.” Read the white paper to get all of Southerland’s insights. Assessing VBC in today’s landscape While VBC has gained traction in recent years, the growth in the last 12 months has been the most significant — with more senior living providers implementing VBC than ever before.  This acceleration is based on a variety of factors, including the prevalence of truncated margins and increased care costs in today’s communities, as well as goals to target the middle market and improve staff retention through proactive care. VBC is also strongly supported by policy initiatives, particularly those led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS has set the goal of having 100% of Medicare and the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries tied to VBC by 2030. How does VBC affect today’s providers? Senior living services enable a fundamental, positive impact on health outcomes and therefore, the bottom line for providers receiving Medicare reimbursement in VBC arrangements. Senior living providers can choose to actively participate, or allow the value they deliver to accrue exclusively for health care providers.  How does technology support VBC? With effective technology solutions in place, senior living providers are uniquely positioned to provide VBC. Since multiple technology elements are needed to support VBC, opting for a single-stack, interoperable solution like the Yardi Senior Living Suite can be optimal since tools are integrated and accessible from one platform. With Yardi, you can: Facilitate vertically and horizontally integrated clinical and operational data flow with an electronic health record solution. Assess clinical trends and population health with business intelligence software. Enhance resident engagement and reduce social isolation with wellness management tools. Read the white paper in full Read the entire white paper for a better understanding of value-based care, why it’s relevant and how providers can get started. If you have questions about the Yardi Senior Living Suite, reach out to our...

Maximize Efficiency

Regardless of which type of life plan community (LPC) or continuing care retirement community (CCRC) you serve, it’s crucial to recognize the value technology brings. Our new ebook shares more — covering the value of single connected solutions like the Yardi Senior Living Suite. How do LPCs/CCRCs benefit from technology? LPCs/CCRCs offer long-term care to seniors who wish to age in place as they progress through multiple levels of care. With a continuum of care being offered, residents access everything they require, as their needs evolve. Not only can technology equip LPCs/CCRCs to streamline operations and optimize care services, but it also helps save time, prevent errors and empower staff. Integrated, single-stack solutions offer the most value (especially those designed for the unique needs of senior living). That’s because with tools uniting on a single platform, you eliminate the need to license multiple systems — and navigate multiple platforms — boosting efficiency in ways disparate systems can’t match. Explore the Yardi Senior Living Suite The Yardi Senior Living Suite is a fully integrated solution that unites community management, finance, marketing, business intelligence, resident care and more in one secure place. When you choose Yardi, you access a complete senior living software toolkit — all built to meet the needs of your communities — including: Property management and accounting. Business intelligence and analytics. Electronic health records. Electronic medication management. Customer relationship management. Resident and family portals. Wellness and activity monitoring. Our comprehensive technology is also HIPAA and SOX-compliant, built to support value-based care, recognized as a Forbes Cloud 100 platform and designed with 40+ years of industry experience. Start your journey with us Ready to power your LPC/CCRC using one solution? Reach out to get a closer look at the Yardi Senior Living Suite. Want...

Yardi EHR & SafelyYou...

We’re happy to announce that Yardi EHR officially integrates with SafelyYou®, the leader in empowering safer, more person-centered care across senior living through world-leading artificial intelligence (AI), industry-changing hardware and remote expert clinicians. With accurate and complete resident data readily available, communities can optimize care planning, improve resident outcomes and maximize margin. Learn about SafelyYou Originating in 2015 as the doctoral research of CEO George Netscher — and inspired by his own family’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease — SafelyYou was spun out of UC Berkeley’s Artificial Intelligence Research Lab, one of the top five AI research groups in the world. The company’s passionate mission is to empower safer, more person-centered dementia care through world-leading, real-time AI video technology and 24/7 remote clinicians. See how Yardi EHR integrates with SafelyYou With the interface, Yardi EHR clients will benefit from SafelyYou’s critical care insights, including staff time spent in-room, time spent on direct care vs. indirect care and resident time spent alone. This data is combined with other important care information in Yardi EHR, creating a more robust picture of resident health. SafelyYou offers this data through SafelyYou Clarity™, senior living’s first and only choice for automatic, accurate care measurement without wearables.  “The interface between Yardi EHR and SafelyYou is a step forward in improving resident safety and enabling value-based care models,” shared Fil Southerland, director of health care solutions at Yardi. “We’re proud of this partnership and aim to continuously evolve how we help clients improve resident outcomes.” Get in touch with us Learn more about Yardi EHR, our fully integrated electronic health record solution designed for senior living. To get more information on SafelyYou, visit the SafelyYou website.   And if you have any questions about the new integration, be sure to get in touch with our...

New Nutrition Module

We’re excited to announce a brand-new nutrition module in Yardi EHR! This module was created based on feedback from our senior living clients. The nutrition module provides one intuitive place to see all nutrition intake — and output if applicable — for each resident. Streamline nutrition management with Yardi EHR In order to optimize care outcomes in senior living, you need to efficiently manage resident nutrition. With that in mind, we developed a brand-new nutrition module in Yardi EHR — our integrated, full-service electronic health record solution. The innovative module offers a centralized place to track all nutrition-related data for residents. Not only does this streamline workflows for food and nutrition staff, but it also empowers caregivers to provide personalized, effective care.   At a glance, staff can view a resident’s dietary intake, BMI and weight gain or loss. They can also see a resident’s nutritional preferences, current dietary orders and allergies — all in one place. There’s the option to add meal and intake information, too, as well as output charting (if necessary). Learn why we developed this module It’s challenging for staff to track resident nutrition without dedicated resources. Caregivers have to navigate multiple modules — primarily the assessment and vital sign sections — to document dietary intake and preferences. Not only is this approach inefficient, but it also leads to confusion, since vital-sign templates get cluttered with unrelated data. This inspired us to create the nutrition module, which alleviates these challenges, streamlines nutrition management and improves resident care. Explore key features of the nutrition module The nutrition module consolidates vital information in one easy-to-access area, allowing you to: View resident intake at a glance — staff can quickly assess a resident’s dietary intake, weight fluctuations and BMI without sifting through multiple systems. This...

Advancing Value-Based Care

With the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aiming to have 100% of Medicare and the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries tied to value-based care (VBC) by 2030, the time to implement VBC is now. Explore our new infographic to see how the Yardi Senior Living Suite helps you seamlessly deliver VBC — all from one integrated platform. See how the Yardi Senior Living Suite supports VBC Enhance communications among residents, families and the entire care team. Gather data-driven insights to identify at-risk residents and offer preventative care. Empower staff with interoperable workflows, personalized to meet resident needs. Support community wellness programs that boost resident engagement. View actionable trends to ensure comprehensive population health management. Access a digital signature workflow to enable quick adaptation of care plans. Use health care data to report on resident status during transitions of care. Participate in value-based care reimbursement models. Share a cohesive picture of resident health with physicians, health systems and more. Connect to a thriving ecosystem of monitoring and fall detection systems to supplement staff observation and reduce adverse events. Take a closer look at our fully integrated tools The Yardi Senior Living Suite combines resident care, marketing, sales, finance, business intelligence, pharmacy, operations and more on a cloud-hosted, HIPAA and SOX-compliant software platform. As it relates to VBC, you can: Enable real-time information sharing with Yardi EHR, our full-service electronic health record solution. Access clinical trends and population health with Yardi Senior IQ, our comprehensive business intelligence solution. Improve resident engagement with RentCafe Wellness, our dynamic wellness management solution. Hear from our partners “Senior living operators need tools that allow them to communicate proactively as an integrated team with care providers, patients and families to be successful in value-based care,” explained Amy Kaszak, executive vice president of strategic initiatives at Curana Health. “This means that they need technologies that integrate across the continuum and that enable workflow-based alerts and processes.”  “We appreciate Yardi’s efforts to advance the technology needed to support the senior living industry’s move to value-based care,” shared Alan Fairbanks, president of the value-based care alliance at Serviam Care Network. We’re here to help Ready to chat with team Yardi? Reach out to book a meeting. We’ll share more on how our single connected solution supports...

Yardi EHR Success

“Yardi has enhanced our interprofessional communication by providing us with a single platform to document, monitor and coordinate our interventions and care plans.” We recently interviewed Michael Peng — director of data, digital health and projects at Bayshore Integrated Care Solutions (ICS) — to get insights like the one above. Peng and his team shared how Yardi EHR (and additional solutions in the Yardi Senior Living Suite) have transformed Bayshore’s operations for the better. Read the success story to see Bayshore’s transformative journey, including where they are today. The Challenge: Inefficient Paper Processes Bayshore ICS previously used paper processes that were time consuming, susceptible to errors and difficult to maintain. Paper workflows also meant information was scattered across locations — and wasn’t easily retrievable — risking inconsistencies that could affect resident safety. Bayshore ICS sought a single connected solution that would centralize everything needed in one secure place. The Solution: Yardi EHR Yardi EHR is an integrated, interoperable electronic health record solution designed for senior living. This single connected solution combines the clinical intake process, medication management, charting, behavior management and more on a browser-based platform. The Story: Centralizing Workflows, Saving Time & Empowering Staff Before Yardi, Bayshore ICS relied on paper for charting, assessments, medication management and more, which brought an array of challenges. Not only was there a lack of standardized practices across TCU locations, but paper also made it difficult to store and retrieve information, evaluate the clinical effectiveness and complete audits. Not to mention, paper workflows posed challenges for supporting care remotely. The obstacles paper workflows created didn’t stop there. Communicating information across teams wasn’t optimal, causing staff members to feel siloed. Communication during emergency transfers was particularly inefficient since caregivers had to manually transcribe data or photocopy charts. Since...

Improve Staffing Satisfaction

With the continued staffing challenges in senior living, it’s critical to invest in technology that simplifies your caregivers’ daily tasks — and incentivizes them to stay longer. Explore this quick but comprehensive infographic to see exactly how technology can help you. Why integrated software? Paper processes are time-consuming and error-prone. Technology can help, but not when solutions are siloed and housed on different platforms. The burden these options create translates to staff feeling unsupported and overwhelmed, which leads to high turnover. Integrated software equips caregivers to view resident information, complete daily tasks and manage communications in one place. There’s no need to devote energy to arduous, manual administrative work, which allows them to focus on what matters most: resident care. With Yardi EHR and eMAR — fully integrated tools — you alleviate caregivers’ burden and boost satisfaction and retention. Why Yardi EHR? Gain executive health care oversight with clinical reporting, centralized resident records and instant access to financial data. View real-time health information and utilize convenient workflows, readily available at the point of care. Channel interoperability through verified interface partners that allow data to flow to and from Yardi EHR automatically. Free more time for residents with simplified record keeping, easy information sharing and reduced data-entry tasks. Utilize customizable dashboards and reports to easily manage resident care and optimize health outcomes. Access comprehensive clinical data and a staffing analysis workflow when you pair Yardi EHR with our business intelligence solution, Yardi Senior IQ. Why Yardi eMAR? Use an intuitive, customizable dashboard and workflows that adhere to state regulations and promote compliance. Reduce paper documentation, processing time and expenses with web-based records that eliminate manual medication administration tracking and medication reconciliation. Enhance care with a centralized platform for documenting vital sign data, lab orders, treatment plans and more. Incorporate automated billing based on medication orders and integrate financial analytics with medication administration. Gain a competitive edge with access to a growing market of pharmacy providers that have joined the Yardi Pharmacy Network. Eliminate discrepancies between care plans and medication administration, helping optimize staff shift assignments. Your success is our priority With Yardi, you can power your workforce strategy from a single platform. Reach out today to get...

Accelerate Your Success

Ready to empower your teams, nurture leads effectively, streamline move-ins and improve resident retention like never before? You need RentCafe Senior CRM IQ — our integrated, mobile-friendly customer relationship management system for senior living. Enhanced from RentCafe Senior CRM, this single connected solution is designed with intuitive dashboards and next-level communication capabilities. Get the details in our brand-new infographic below. See what makes Senior CRM IQ incomparable Senior CRM IQ offers more than your average CRM solution, including: Designed for the unique needs of senior living. Attractive, user-friendly interface with fluid navigation. Expansive capabilities for communicating with prospects. Offers dashboards for managing waitlists, occupancy and more. SOX-compliant workflows that keep your data safe. Seamlessly integrates with solutions across the Yardi Senior Living Suite. Centralizes everything you need on a single platform. Comes from a Forbes Cloud 100 company with 40+ years of industry experience. Unlock unparalleled functionality When you start your journey with Senior CRM IQ, you access a comprehensive communication hub, lead stages functionality, a digital documents dashboard, customizable campaigns, electronic leasing, competitive analysis and more — all in one place. Experience the power of integration Thanks to secure integration with Yardi Senior Living Suite elements, Senior CRM IQ allows all prospect information to flow instantly between sales, finance and care staff. That means move-in proposals accurately reflect care costs — and caregivers have the information needed to serve residents best. Learn more from team Yardi Why wait to provide frictionless experiences for your sales counselors and prospective residents? Reach out today to get started with Senior CRM...

Connect With Us

2024 fall events are right around the corner! Our senior living team looks forward to meeting with you and sharing the latest innovations with our single connected solution. See which events we’re attending below, then book time to visit us at each. NIC Fall Conference Visit us at the Woodley Park meeting room at the NIC Fall Conference — you’ll learn how our fully integrated technology helps providers unify operations and deliver quality care. We’re pleased to be an official NIC Conference partner. Book time to meet us at NIC. Event details: Marriott Marquis in Washington D.C. September 23-25, 2024 AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo Connect with us at the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo to explore how the Yardi Senior Living Suite creates a foundation for success. You’ll find team Yardi at booth 2119. Schedule a meeting with us at AHCA/NCAL. Event details: Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida October 6-9, 2024 SMASH 2024 Let’s network at SMASH 2024 — we’ll share how our single connected solution helps providers raise the bar. We’re happy to be a Premier Platinum sponsor. Plan time to see us at SMASH. Event details: JW Marriott Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada October 14-16, 2024 LeadingAge Annual Meeting Meet with us at booth 2239 at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting. Our team will show you around the Yardi Senior Living Suite (including what’s new). Get a meeting on the books at LeadingAge. Event details: Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee  October 27-30, 2024 CALA Fall Conference & Trade Show Connect with team Yardi at booth 510 at the CALA Fall Conference & Trade Show. You’ll discover how our single connected solution offers every tool you need, all centralized in one place. We’re excited to be an Awards Luncheon sponsor. Reserve time to meet us at CALA. Event details: Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel & Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs,...

Support Value-Based Care

Looking to advance value-based care (VBC) in your senior living communities but not sure how to get there? Our fully integrated solution — the Yardi Senior Living Suite — is built to help. To give you a better understanding of how VBC works (and how our technology can support you) we created an informative new ebook. Don’t miss the insights shared — get a highlight below then explore the full ebook. What is value-based care? VBC focuses on the quality of care and the resident experience. More specifically, enhancing the resident experience through proactive, personalized and person-centered care. In today’s senior living communities, providing VBC can drastically improve resident health outcomes and increase operational returns. How does our technology support VBC? The Yardi Senior Living Suite combines resident care, marketing, sales, finance, business intelligence, pharmacy, operations and more on a cloud-hosted, HIPAA and SOX-compliant software platform. The suite of products is single-stack — uniting on a fully integrated platform — and offers intuitive functionality that helps you provide the best care and improve health outcomes across your communities. Taking a closer look, our single connected solution supports VBC by: Enhancing communications among residents, families and the entire care team. Providing data-driven insights for identifying at-risk residents, proactively mitigating issues and offering preventative care. Empowering staff with interoperable workflows, personalized to meet resident needs. Supporting community wellness programs and boosting resident engagement. Ensuring comprehensive population health management thanks to actionable information and trends. Offering a digital signature workflow that enables quick adaptation of care plans as resident needs change. Presenting health care data that’s pulled into the clinical intake, equipping you to report on resident status during transitions of care. Enabling value-based care reimbursement models.  Centralizing data in one secure place, sharing a cohesive picture of resident health with physicians, health systems and more. Explore our single-stack solution for VBC Yardi EHR: Yardi EHR is a full-service electronic health record solution that unites clinical intake processing, medication management, resident assessments, interoperability, care planning and more. It enables streamlined analysis of population health metrics and real-time information sharing — helping you track and improve resident health outcomes. Senior IQ: Senior IQ is a dynamic business intelligence solution that presents real-time, community-specific data in sharable dashboards. You have the power to analyze actionable information and identify trends — helping you predict resident health outcomes and adjust care plans accordingly. RentCafe Wellness: RentCafe Wellness is a comprehensive community wellness solution that enables you to schedule activities, share information via online calendars, track resident attendance and more. By supporting resident engagement and providing families with access to wellness information, you reduce the risk of isolation — optimizing resident health outcomes. Read the ebook in full The Yardi Senior Living Suite offers more tools built to support VBC — read the ebook in its entirety to learn more. And if you have any questions for our team, don’t hesitate to reach...

Inspiring Generations

It’s time for this year’s National Assisted Living Week (NALW), an annual recognition of assisted living communities and the individuals they serve. NALW was established by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) in 1995 and each year, a special theme is announced. The 2024 theme — Inspiring Generations — encourages senior living staff, residents and families to share stories and wisdom with one another. We’ll share more on this year’s observance below, covering how our senior living clients are participating. Happy #NALW! Learn about National Assisted Living Week NALW seeks to recognize assisted living communities and highlight the important role they play. Specifically, their role in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities. The 2024 observance encourages communities around the country to offer events in honor of NALW — and to educate the public about the importance of long-term care.   Fortunately, NCAL provides a thorough planning guide each year to help communities drive these events forward. Check out the 2024 planning guide from NCAL! See how Yardi clients celebrated this year Pacifica Senior Living took to social media to spotlight NALW, including an announcement post shining light on the joys of community living. Pacifica also shared posts celebrating individual communities — complete with heartwarming photos — including Pacifica Encinitas, West Park and San Leandro.   At Benchmark Senior Living, a celebratory blog post was dedicated to NALW (plus a LinkedIn post sharing a snapshot). The blog post honors this year’s NALW theme with inspiring stories from Benchmark communities, all focused on residents. Maplewood Senior Living also posted on LinkedIn for NALW, sharing a strong message: associates are the heart of Maplewood communities, and their devotion to residents deserves recognition. “This week, we celebrate the exceptional dedication and compassion of our associates who make every community a vibrant, caring place for our residents,” shared Maplewood in the post. For Vitality Living, NALW is all about honoring the incredible bonds formed between residents, team members and volunteers. Their social media post encourages other communities to celebrate the connections they share — and notes appreciation for individuals across Vitality communities. Join the 2024 observance It’s never too late to celebrate assisted living communities and the residents they serve. Join the cause by reading more on National Assisted Living Week — and share your own stories on social media with the hashtag...

Congratulating Stephanie Harris

The 2024 Changemakers series is complete! The annual series celebrates leaders who are paving the path for a brighter future in senior living — and we’re happy to play a part in sharing their stories. The final Changemaker to spotlight is Stephanie Harris, CEO and Principal at Arrow Senior Living. In her interview with Senior Housing News (SHN), Harris discusses how she’s changed as a leader over the years, her strong appetite for risk and her focus on staff satisfaction.  Get insights from Changemaker Stephanie Harris SHN: Obviously, we at SHN think of you as a changemaker, but do you see yourself that way — are you always excited to drive change? Harris: Absolutely, I see myself as a changemaker. Change is in my origin story. I founded this company in 2005 as Turnaround Solutions with the purpose of transforming previously distressed assets through hands-on problem-solving and relationship-based sales solutions. My business card even defines the word ‘Turnaround’ as “becoming changed for the better.” It’s ingrained in our culture to constantly improve and evolve, seeking better ways to operate senior living through best practices in sales, marketing, and technology. SHN: In what areas do you think you are a changemaker? Harris: I am a changemaker in building higher performing sales strategies and implementing technologies to automate and supplement workflows. What I am most proud of is the culture we have built. Most of our team members come from outside of senior living and must learn the business from our vantage point, versus bringing old solutions and habits. This fresh perspective has helped us build a continuous improvement model and attract a dedicated team committed to revolutionizing how we engage with employees, residents, and families we serve. SHN: Changemakers tend to be risk-takers. Do you agree with that statement? How do you describe your own appetite for risk? Harris: I am a risk-taker. I bet the house when I formed this business while in law school, so much so that I had to move into my office. Over the past 24 years in this industry, my appetite for risk has become more balanced by a strategic approach to decision-making. I believe in taking calculated risks that drive innovation and growth. I do find myself more focused on gentle evolution versus revolutionary change as our organization grows and matures. I worry in some ways that over time I may hinder future progress if my appetite for risk changes. Hear more from Changemaker Stephanie Harris Read Stephanie Harris’ entire interview with SHN. We hope you enjoyed this year’s series — visit SHN’s site to revisit the...

Appreciating Gottfried Ernst

This year’s Changemakers series is nearly coming to an end — we’ve celebrated several phenomenal honorees so far! We’re pleased to be the series’ sponsor for the sixth consecutive year, partnering with Senior Housing News (SHN) to bring you exclusive, detailed interviews that cover each leader’s story. Each honoree has brought a unique perspective to the table, sharing how they’ve grown throughout their career, navigated industry obstacles and most importantly, driven positive change. The Changemaker celebrated today is Gottfried Ernst, COO at Cogir Senior Living, one of our dedicated senior living clients. Through his interview with SHN, Ernst speaks to the value of technology, the unique ways Cogir navigates change and more. Learn from Changemaker Gottfried Ernst SHN: How have you changed as a leader since starting in the senior living industry? Ernst: When I started in this industry, I was more focused on learning and adapting to the tasks at hand. My focus was more on understanding the industry better and developing my skills to best fit. Over time, I’ve developed a deeper understanding of team dynamics, effective communication and the importance of empathy in leadership. As my leadership style matured and I became more confident, empathy and vulnerability has helped me over the years to really connect with people. I’ve learned to delegate tasks more efficiently as well. I trust my team’s expertise and provide support where needed. That has worked for me. Additionally, I’ve become more adept at navigating challenges and conflicts and finding constructive solutions that benefit both the team and the organization as a whole. I’ve evolved into a more confident and compassionate leader who strives to inspire and empower those around me. That’s what I believe and that’s what I stand for. I continuously try to improve how I can be the best leader for my team and for others. SHN: Can you provide an example of a change you’ve made in operations and why you made that change specifically? Ernst: In a former company, I changed the way we gather feedback from residents using technology. I’m a firm believer that successful businesses don’t just give a survey once a year to the customers and allow them to weigh in. I believe in continuous serving of our residents, team members and customers to be able to really get a holistic and full picture of what we can do better. That was an area that I dove into and made a change to and it worked really well. Another example is I worked on a program that allowed our Illinois customers to choose what package they would like to be part of when they move into the community, what service package they want with housekeeping and more. It was a dynamic senior housing concept where the customer is in the driver’s seat in what we offer, not us. It was not easy to execute economically, but certainly something that I’m very proud of. Then in the post-Covid era, it’s important to give team members more flexibility and truly allow them to be in control, similar to the residents. I implemented different ways of providing shifts, applying for schedules, and allowing our people to actually tell us when they can work versus the other way around. That made an impact on the retention side and certainly helped us with staffing on the clinical side as well. SHN: In your opinion, what is the single greatest driver of change in the senior living industry today? Ernst: Change in resident demand, desire, and what they’re looking for as we continue to gain occupancy, margin compression, and staff retention. Those are the three main drivers that drive change in our industry today and will continue to do so. Read Changemaker Gottfried Ernst’s entire interview Check out the full Changemaker interview with Gottfried Ernst. If you’ve followed the series since the start, we hope you learned something valuable from...

Power Your Communities with Yardi

It’s time to overcome the limitations and inefficiencies of disparate systems. Life plan communities (LPCs) or continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) can do so with the Yardi Senior Living Suite, our fully integrated solution that unites community management, finance, marketing, business intelligence, resident care and more on a single platform. As a leading tech solution in the industry (with 40+ years of experience and Forbes Cloud 100 recognition), the Senior Living Suite offers everything your communities need to unify operations, increase occupancy and most importantly, deliver the highest quality care. We put together a quick, informative infographic to show you how it works: Create a foundation for success with integrated senior living software Explore the Yardi Senior Living Suite Not every software solution is efficient. To meet the unique demands of your communities, you need a full suite of tools that are mobile, intuitive and efficient. Our single connected solution checks every box and helps you lower your total operating cost, eliminate duplicate data entry and enable a seamless transfer of information between operational divisions. Unlock functionality built for LPCs and CCRCs Help residents age in place as they progress through multiple lines of service including independent living, assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing. Ensure consistency and accuracy with centralized resident profiles, starting at the prospect stage. Eliminate siloed data and the need to re-enter information during move-ins and care-level transfers. Provide a continuum of care — at varying levels — on a permanent or temporary basis as resident needs change. Streamline pre-move-in and ongoing assessments, the clinical intake process, medication management, incident tracking and behavior management across all care levels. Help residents live their best lives with care-level-specific wellness and engagement tools. Maximize financial reconciliations with a built-in general ledger accounting system that offers real-time reporting and transaction-level drilldowns. Track entrance fees and streamline the monthly amortization process for A, B and C contracts. Customize and scale your software build to fit the unique requirements of your communities. Start with Voyager Senior Housing, the cornerstone product required, then add additional solutions across the Yardi Senior Living Suite to meet your needs. Learn more from team Yardi Want the full scoop on how our technology supports senior living communities? Continue exploring the infographic then reach out to book time with our...

Honoring Tim Gary

The 2024 Changemakers embody what it means to be an innovator. As sponsor of the Senior Housing News (SHN) series for the sixth year, we always enjoy seeing how each honoree spearheads change in unique, creative ways.   With that, meet honoree Tim Gary — CEO of Galerie Living and an innovator with decades of experience in senior living. His SHN interview details how Galerie is bringing innovation to the table today (and how they’re planning for the future). Read the interview with Changemaker Tim Gary SHN: From where you are now and looking back at your career, how do you think you’ve changed as a leader? Gary: Over the years I’ve become more confident in what I’m hearing from the customer and interpreting what the customer’s asking for and converting that into a product that they want or need. There’s this tough balance of understanding needs and wants in our industry, but gaining the confidence of listening to a customer and then being able to interpret that into the right product is very important. SHN: With that emphasis on lifestyle in mind, do you want to talk about the reason behind you wanting to make those changes? Gary: Initially, what I saw is that there’s a whole group of seniors out there who just don’t consider a senior living community. The reason we saw this was just that there weren’t enough lifestyle spaces built into the communities. This led to bad first impressions. First impressions are everything to us. We weren’t paying attention to first impressions of seniors coming into a new lifestyle. First impressions aren’t just about pretty buildings. It’s also about active and energized spaces. We build a beautiful product, but the beautiful product doesn’t get its full beauty until the...

Spotlighting Brandon Ribar

“I love change, but I don’t like change for change’s sake. I like thinking about the why around what it is that we’re trying to achieve.” That quote comes from Brandon Ribar — CEO of Sonida Senior Living, one of our amazing clients — in an interview with Senior Housing News (SHN). Ribar is an honoree in this year’s Changemakers series, which spotlights innovative, dynamic leadership in the industry. We’re proud to join SHN in presenting the 2024 class of visionaries, sharing the insights gathered during their in-depth interviews. In leading one of the nation’s largest senior living organizations, Ribar has extensive knowledge to share — including his growth strategies, focus on employee feedback and more. Get a snapshot of his interview below.   Meet Changemaker Brandon Ribar SHN: In what ways do you think that you’re a changemaker? Ribar: I put culture first and believe that Sonida is going to be successful only based on whether or not we have the best people working with us at Sonida. I continuously push not only the industry, but our company to bring people into the industry and to elevate people from within who really want to push hard to deliver that change. Where I’ve really pushed hard for change is in the types of people that we surround ourselves with, but also how hard we push to be something that’s special and differentiated in senior living. That’s what I love to bring to the discussions that we have and to not accept that what we do today is anywhere near good enough. We have to be better and better every day. SHN: Can you talk about a time when you try to execute a change and things didn’t go according to plan? How did you pivot and what did you learn as a leader? Ribar: I’ll go back to making decisions that I fundamentally believe were good ones but skipping the step of ensuring that the people that were really responsible for the day-to-day execution were involved in that development. I pivoted by immediately ensuring that it had nothing to do with me being the generator of the idea. It was really their idea. I was simply a conduit that brought to them options to think about. When people really feel like it’s their idea and their model that’s changing, then they will go full speed ahead. They’ll be excited about it. SHN: Choose one artist, scientist, thinker, entrepreneur, or other person living or dead to help change the senior living industry for the better. In only a few words, who are you choosing and why? Ribar: Steve Jobs is somebody who saw beyond what people thought that they needed, and he created products and services that people gravitated to because they were something they hadn’t thought about. That level of innovator who just has an ability to understand the customer and to develop things beyond what the customer thinks they need, that is senior living. Another person is Taylor Swift. If Taylor Swift did her concerts and her songs from senior living communities and told people about how cool of an experience it was with residents and sang all day about senior living, we’d get pretty good exposure and build our reputation that way. Jobs innovates, and then Swift’s going to sell it for us. Learn more from Changemaker Brandon Ribar Don’t forget there are more insights from Brandon Ribar — read his interview with SHN. If you’d like to explore the Changemaker interviews we’ve highlighted recently, visit our blog home page and social...

Celebrating Franklin Farrow

It’s time to introduce the next batch of 2024 Changemakers — senior living visionaries who are shaping the industry as we know it. Senior Housing News (SHN) has conducted thorough interviews with each of this year’s honorees, including the honoree we’re spotlighting today: Franklin Farrow. As the CEO and co-founder of Morning Pointe Senior Living, a Yardi senior living client that’s been in the industry since 1996, Farrow knows all about driving impactful change. In his conversation with SHN, Farrow shares how the company’s start still impacts how it operates today — as well as how he envisions Morning Pointe evolving in the future. Hear from Changemaker Franklin Farrow SHN: How have you changed as a leader since starting in this industry? Farrow: Our company was co-founded by myself and Greg Vital, who’s the president, 27 years ago in 1996. We each brought attributes and experiences, time, and talent to the table. He’s 15 years older, and so he had a different network of people than I did at the time. We blended our talents and experiences to launch the company. At that time, I was more capable of tasks and completion of thoughts and ideas. He was the more entrepreneurial leader having been in the business world in advance of me. To answer the question, I’ve transitioned from being more of executing the completion of the ideas that were generated to more of generating ideas and having others follow through on them. It’s been a metamorphosis of me, and I think this is true for any young professional who grows through any industry, that they are advanced because of their capacity to complete projects and they start leading others to help them complete projects, and then, ultimately, they start thinking and leading concepts and philosophies for others to complete and finalize and implement. I’m playing more of a top senior manager, owner role, setting larger vision, setting larger goals, and then, because I was involved in tasks and details, I’m able to articulate to them what I think the scope and capacity of the project is and make sure they have the resources, but don’t have to physically roll up my sleeves as much, although I enjoy that part. Also I have to caution myself that my time is more valuable being visionary and thought leading than task completion. SHN: If you could turn the lens back at yourself, what sort of changemaker do you think you are? What area do you think you’re a changemaker in? Farrow: I would say if you were to interview my senior management team who hears me pontificate and try to set direction, I think they would tell you that I do try to think through the mind, eyes, and feelings of those who are sitting in various seats, the seat of a regional operator, the seat of a senior manager, or the seat of a business office manager, or even a resident care aide. I’m constantly trying to shape and form the way we conduct our business, and I often use the word psychology. I’m not a psychologist. However, I’m constantly thinking, “What motivates a regional vice president or what motivates a nurse on the floor? What environment are they looking to operate in? How do they want to be treated?” I’m also trying to weave in principles of standards of conduct, ethics, and standards of the golden rule of doing to others. Not only are we trying to operate from the viewpoint of those in the seat or hot seat of those various capacities and roles, I’m also trying to say, “Let’s just do things because we want to be decent, honest, and upright standing people too, not just the pure business robotics of things.” I host a standing Tuesday morning session, where anyone in the company who can get away for 15 minutes can come and listen to an...

See The Value Of EHRs...

Forty percent of seniors take five-plus prescription medications on a regular basis — triple the rate from twenty years ago. In senior living communities, this level of medication use comes with a heightened risk for medication-related errors.  Fortunately, with effective technology solutions in place, providers can ensure they’re passing medications securely. This helps mitigate the risk of medication errors and in turn, enhances care, limits liability and boosts resident satisfaction. Our informative white paper explores the value of technology further, sharing the benefits of our single-stack, ever-evolving solutions: Yardi EHR and eMAR. Understanding medication errors in senior living The white paper — The Importance of EHRs in Senior Living — details the different types of medication errors with a focus on adverse drug events (ADEs). You’ll see how seniors are the highest-risk age group for ADEs, with supporting statistics like the following: Older adults are twice as likely than younger people to visit the emergency room due to an ADE, and seven times more likely to be hospitalized after an ER visit as a result. What can senior living providers do to help reduce ADEs? Implementing electronic health records and medication management technology is key — and the white paper shares why. You’ll see how EHR technology can help prevent anywhere from 28% to 95% of ADEs. See the power of technology Yardi EHR is our full-service electronic health record solution that combines your clinical intake process, wound care charting, behavior management, interoperability initiatives and more on a browser-based, mobile-friendly platform. By simplifying record keeping and centralizing workflows on a single online platform, you ensure residents receive accurate, effective care. When paired with Yardi eMAR, our dynamic medication management solution, our EHR solution offers even more benefits. Yardi eMAR eliminates inefficiencies and helps minimize...