Senior Living Positivity

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us. And for those in senior living communities, it’s been especially difficult.

Despite the struggles and devastation, we’ve seen tokens of positivity, endurance and strength in the last year. Most recently, a new study by NORC at the University of Chicago revealed something remarkable: 51% of senior living communities experienced no COVID-19 deaths in 2020.

We hope that the content below sheds light on this revelation, brings feelings of optimism and of course — highlights the resilience of seniors and their families.

Positivity shines through in senior living  

Funded by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), the NORC study examined the impact of COVID-19 on senior living communities. Examining mortality rates by property type, NIC aimed to understand how the pandemic impacted different care settings, while showing that seniors housing provides safe environments for older adults. Fortunately, the NORC study revealed quite a few positive findings.

Relayed by Senior Housing News and McKnight’s Senior Living, here’s an overview of what NORC found:

  • 51% percent of seniors housing properties studied experienced no COVID-19 deaths in 2020
  • Roughly two-thirds of independent living (67%), assisted living (64%) and memory care (61%) communities had no COVID-19 deaths
  • 39% of skilled nursing facilities experienced no deaths
  • The COVID-19 mortality rate in independent living communities was comparable to that of their respective counties — suggesting that residents who live in these properties were not at higher risk by virtue of their care setting
  • The mortality rates in memory care and skilled nursing were higher than in other levels of care, and they were statistically equivalent to each other
  • Seniors housing properties continued to operate and care for their residents, while facing a range of evolving circumstances

“While COVID-19 has been devastating for older adults, a majority of properties avoided any resident deaths,” said Caroline Pearson, senior vice president of healthcare strategy and lead researcher at NORC.

We hope that you’ll explore the NORC study, The Impact of COVID-19 on Seniors Housing, to learn more. We’re empowered by NORC’s research and pleased to recognize the strength of older adults and their families, as well as senior living communities’ commitment to care throughout the pandemic.

Check out the Yardi blog for more positive stories in senior living during COVID-19.

SHARE POST

Facebook LinkedIN

AUTHOR

Natalie Mahn is a senior marketing writer at Yardi. You'll find her writing for the REACH by RentCafe team, where she loves putting her creativity and agency experience to the test. Natalie is based in Thousand Oaks, California.

Recent articles

Yardi Aspire training platform indicating a completed training.

Beyond course completions: Validating skills at enterprise scale

Training completion is not enough. Discover a proactive, repeatable model for building workforce competency at scale across your portfolio.

Many at laptop with holographic image of checkmark over his phone

Connect CRE lease renewals from pipeline to signed lease

With $875 billion in CRE loans maturing in 2026, lease renewal management is a financial priority. Yardi Deal Manager replaces manual tracking with automated alerts and live deal comparisons.

03 / 30 / 26

Modern portals for today’s renters

Simpler leasing, happier residents with refreshed RentCafe portals

From application to residency, today’s renters expect a completely digital leasing experience from the convenience of their smart phone.