It’s no secret that technology use is growing exponentially. Tech solutions are transforming the way various industries operate — including senior living — from EHRs to business intelligence tools. This ties into a recent Ziegler study, which examines 150 senior living organizations to learn how they’re using technology moving into 2023. With input gathered from CFOs, the study shares which solutions these organizations are implementing to meet today’s challenges. Read on for a quick snapshot of the study’s findings: Ziegler study reveals investments in EHRs The study — Ziegler CFO Hotline — gathers survey responses from CFOs across senior living. Ziegler presented various technologies relevant to the industry, and respondents were asked to identify which they’ve invested in over the last 12 months. Interestingly, the responses show a return to priorities of years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the top investments revealed was electronic health records — with 54% of respondents claiming they’ve invested in EHRs in the past year. When asked what they planned to invest in for the next 12 months, 31% of respondents pointed to EHRs as well. It’s no surprise given the major benefits EHRs bring to senior living organizations such as easing staff burden, empowering caregivers, mitigating risk, eliminating manual data-entry and more. Read the Ziegler study to gain further insights. Finding the EHR solution for you We know the world of technology is vast. Senior living organizations are faced with solutions left and right, and it can be challenging to determine how one differs from the next. That’s why we’ve created several resources that delve into our own solution, Yardi EHR, to show what makes it unique. At a glance, Yardi EHR is a full-service electronic health record solution that combines clinical intake processing, assessments, interoperability...

“In the midst of a growing drug overdose crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians’ use of prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) technology is critical to improving opioid prescribing practices, informing treatment decisions and supporting safe and effective patient care. Recent efforts, such as mandating use of EPCS technology and integrating PDMPs into electronic health record (EHR) systems, aim to improve prescribing practices.” That information comes from a recent post by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), which covers the importance of EPCS technology and PDMPs in today’s world. With relevance to the senior living industry, we’re highlighting the article’s key points and sharing how our EHR solution fits into the picture. Tracking the progress of PDMPs and EPCS technology Health care providers have historically relied on paper-based processes to prescribe controlled substances. But as shared by the ONC, we’ve made a lot of progress in shifting toward electronic prescribing in recent years. Reports show substantial growth in the use of EPCS systems due to DEA regulations — and state-mandated EPCS laws — with 71% of physician prescribers having used EPCS technology in 2021. Looking at PDMPs, there’s been a significant increase in usage as well. The article relays that one-third of prescribers now access a PDMP through their EHR system, compared to one-fifth in 2019. What are the benefits? So what are the benefits of electronic prescribing workflows? You can read the full article for all the insights, but in summary, the benefits of using EPCS technology and PDMPs is promising. Not only do these digital systems prevent data-entry errors, which in turn enhances resident safety, they also save time, streamline workflows and more. The largest benefit may be how they reduce...

Love was in the air across senior living communities this Valentine’s Day, including the communities of our amazing clients! So if you’re a fan of heartwarming stories, you’re in the right place. We hope you’ll take a moment to see how these communities made this love-filled day special. Valentine’s Day in senior living We’re loving how our senior living clients celebrated Valentine’s Day this year, whether they organized festive activities or celebrated resident lovebirds. From blogs to social media posts highlighting charming moments, we’re happy to be resharing it all:  Pacifica Senior Living put together a blog post sharing how their communities celebrated Valentine’s Day — and they spotlighted the relationships their residents cherish. Take Joyce and Joanne from their Laguna Hills community, two sisters who have maintained a loving relationship since their early days. From attending nursing school together to now residing in the same Pacifica apartment, these two lovely ladies enjoy spending quality time together each day. Read the Pacifica post to learn about Joyce and Joanne, plus see more Valentine’s stories featuring Pacifica residents. At Maplewood Senior Living, one resident couple brought the Valentine’s Day spirit by reflecting on their lifetime of love. Residing in Maplewood at Princeton, residents Vicki and Marty have been together “forever” (as quoted by Vicki in Maplewood’s blog post). The post delves into their journey individually and as a couple — sharing everything that led them through decades of love. Read Maplewood’s post for all the feels, and to see then-and-now photos of Vicki and Marty.   Continuing with the theme of long-lasting love, check out this video featuring Benchmark Senior Living residents. As shared on Benchmark’s LinkedIn, the video shows how residents Dave and Pauline celebrated 25 years together by renewing their vows. The two...

Did you know that by 2050, the total number of adults ages 65 and older is projected to rise to 85.7 million, roughly 20% of the U.S. population? Delivered by America’s Health Rankings, this data reveals the growth of the aging population (taking into account that we’re at 54 million seniors in the U.S. today). So how does this relate to senior living operators? Simply put, as the aging population continues to grow, the number of seniors residing in communities will likely increase. This affects more things than one, including energy consumption in these communities. More residents, expanding properties and increased services equals more energy use. And without technology built to monitor that consumption and identify areas for improvement, senior living operators face heightened costs. Fortunately, leading solutions like the Yardi Energy Suite equip you to reduce costs and enhance efficiency all while meeting state, county and local benchmarking regulations. We’re excited to show you around this single connected solution below, but you can view our Yardi Energy guide for even more insights. The rise in energy consumption As we’ve covered, with more seniors living in communities, energy consumption will naturally increase. But monitoring consumption — and strategizing ways to save energy and reduce costs — isn’t easy. That is, without technology to lend a hand. In fact, the average building wastes roughly one-third of the energy it consumes, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This could be a result of not having the right solution in place to track consumption and identify savings opportunities. How to save Energy matters in senior living. With the right technology solution, you can save big time and boost efficiency all while meeting state, county and local benchmarking regulations (there are over 40 jurisdictions with mandatory...

To ring in the new year among our senior living team, we’re doing one of our favorite posts — one that features our senior living clients! That is, we’re highlighting clients’ positive stories and celebrations from the 2022 holiday season. We hope these bits of magical, holiday wonder help you start the new year off with a smile. Holiday momentum in senior living At various Maplewood Senior Living communities, the holiday season was filled with creative activities for residents. We’re talking classics like wreath-making and Christmas tree decorating, all the way to an educational class on official White House ornaments. Maplewood also shared one community’s participation in a local holiday toy drive in which residents, families and staff donated to gift to children in need. You can find cheerful photos from each holiday event on Maplewood’s LinkedIn page. Benchmark Senior Living partook in quite a few holiday activities, too. You can see for yourself in this carousel of photos on Benchmark’s social media, which features things like community decorating and residents singing around the piano. Our personal favorite might be this compilation of holiday cookie recipes Benchmark shared, featuring their residents’ top picks. We may have to save these for baking year-round! Residents at a Watercrest Senior Living community enjoyed a holiday feast with loved ones this Christmas season, before heading for horse-drawn carriage rides. Did we mention hot cocoa and freshly-baked cookies were involved? There may not be any horses spotted in their social media collage, but you’ll see another surprise visitor (think red suit, white beard) enjoying the evening with residents. The community even did a second round of this event, pictured on LinkedIn as well. Tapping into the magic of Christmas Eve, check out this video shared by Brightview Senior Living,...

Advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) is a focus for many senior living operators. And thanks to a recent survey conducted by the Senior Living DEIB Coalition, we can see how operators’ efforts look today. The report reveals where the industry stands in terms of diversity — and shares how organizations can drive positive change moving forward. Be sure to read more on the Senior Living DEIB Survey for all the insights, but we put together a summary to highlight the main takeaways:   Survey reveals diversity efforts in senior living Previewed back in March, the Senior Living DEIB Survey provides baseline data regarding diversity initiatives. The data acts as a starting point for establishing trends in the senior living space, which future surveys will build upon.   While there’s still work to do in terms of operators improving diversity within their organizations, according to the report, the industry is starting from a place of strength. Summarized by McKnight’s Senior Living, the report reveals that: 95% of participants said they are taking steps to recruit potential employees from underrepresented groups 90% of responding organizations focus on gender, race/ethnicity and sexual orientation, whereas age and religion are less commonly used dimensions of diversity 73% of senior living professionals in participating organizations are women. Overall, 53% of employees are white, and 46% are people of color 56% of survey participants’ companies have a formal DEIB committee responsible for developing and implementing DEIB strategies or initiatives 27% of participants have a formal DEIB program, whereas 46% have implemented some initiatives or policies 17% of executives in participating companies are people of color, with 40% of women in executive roles This data was captured from 44 participating organizations across assisted living, memory care, independent living, skilled nursing...

Ready to advance your sales and marketing? Meet RentCafe Senior CRM, our mobile-friendly single connected solution. To paint the picture of how this solution helps senior living operators — and their sales teams — reach new heights, we put together a brand-new infographic. We hope you enjoy learning all about RentCafe Senior CRM and the benefits it brings: Did you know 65% of sales professionals use CRM, and 97% consider sales technology to be important or very important? And out of companies using mobile CRM, 65% achieved sales quota compared to 22% of those without mobile CRM? Everything you need on a single platform As the infographic shares, RentCafe Senior CRM allows you to: Configure and automate the sales process to guide your unique selling approach View real-time census data, occupancy status, unit rates and amenity offerings Eliminate duplicate data entry with a united leasing and move-in workflow Lead with confidence using a platform integrated with multiple elements of the Yardi Senior Living Suite Generate, complete and upload documents to RentCafe Senior Living, where residents and family members can sign electronically Reduce risks with a solution that is HIPAA and SOX compliant Access visual reporting with configurable, group-based dashboards and a wide selection of KPIs Drive efficiency with a convenient mobile app built for iOS and Android devices Enjoy the convenience of Yardi as your single support avenue Evolving functionality designed for senior living What makes RentCafe Senior CRM a differentiator? At a glance, this mobile-friendly system offers: Inbound and outbound calling, texting and emailing Duration and engagement tracking Triggered activity follow up Predictive analytics Automated prospect and referral correspondence Event management Third party API integrations Lead scoring Level up with RentCafe Senior CRM Curious what else RentCafe Senior CRM can do? Read the...

Employee turnover and attracting caregiving staff (traditionally cited as the top challenges among senior living operators) are now being reported as the second and third biggest challenges senior living organizations are confronted with. That finding comes from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) via their recent survey. Described as a “positive sign of relief” for senior living operators, the data suggests the industry is slowly turning the corner in regard to staffing challenges. The survey — Executive Survey Insights: Wave 44 — in addition to NIC’s latest survey (Wave 45), are packed with more discoveries on the state of senior living. Keep reading for a highlight: About NIC Executive Survey Insights What are NIC Executive Survey Insights? Introduced back in 2020, the initiative seeks to deliver real-time insights on the pandemic’s impact in senior living. By distributing surveys to operators across the U.S., NIC gauges what obstacles communities are facing and measures their pace of recovery. This Wave 44 survey includes responses from July 25 to August 21 of this year, drawn from owners and executives of 55 small, medium and large senior housing and skilled nursing operators across the nation. As for Wave 45, responses are from August 22 to September 18, pulled from 47 operators. Wave 44 & 45 findings While the Wave 44 report reveals several important findings, this stands out most: staffing challenges are no longer being cited as the number one concern for industry operators. Instead, the report shows rising operator expenses as the top challenge organizations are currently facing (according to 86% of survey respondents). So in regard to the staffing crisis, the Wave 44 data shows promise. And building off that positivity, three-quarters of respondents say they’re optimistic that more improvements are on...

If you’re planning to attend SMASH 2022, the Senior Care Marketing and Sales Summit, you’ll get the chance to network with innovative sales and marketing professionals in senior living. Taking place in Las Vegas, there’s no event quite like it in the industry. We’re proud to be a platinum sponsor of this one-of-a-kind event, scheduled for October 24-26 at the Green Valley Resort. If you’re set to attend, we can’t wait to meet you! Team Yardi will be in attendance and looks forward to connecting throughout the two and a half-day experience. About SMASH 2022 What makes SMASH 2022 different? Simply put, the SMASH conference is exclusive to sales and marketing executives in senior care. That allows for a value-packed few days where attendees receive takeaways applicable to their role. The agenda was crafted to meet the needs of sales and marketing experts, too, with over 40 tailored workshops, master classes, foundational sessions and boot camps in total. Explore the full SMASH 2022 schedule. With experts coming together from leading organizations across the continuum of senior care, SMASH 2022 is bound to be a great experience. Visit team Yardi We’re excited to partake in SMASH 2022 as a platinum sponsor, and we invite you to come chat with us anytime. Our senior living management software includes a dynamic sales and marketing solution, RentCafe Senior CRM, which we’ll show you in detail. In preview, this single connected solution helps providers nurture leads, save time and ultimately maximize occupancy.   Wanting to learn more about Yardi solutions in advance? Reach out for a personalized demonstration. Either way, we look forward to seeing you at SMASH...

Congratulations are in order! We’re pleased to recognize Brightview Senior Living, a wonderful Yardi client, for two recent achievements that highlight their dedication to residents and employees. Congrats to Brightview for earning a place on People Magazine’s Companies That Care® list for the second year in a row, as well as being named the number one Fortune Best Workplace in Aging Services™ for the fourth consecutive year. Brightview earns People Magazine accolade To earn a place on People Magazine’s Companies That Care list, organizations need to go above and beyond in more ways than one. Leaders must ensure they’re honoring employees, uplifting their communities and ultimately, striving to make the world a better place. That criteria comes directly from People in describing the 2022 list. Brightview surely meets that criteria, as they’ve spent over 20 years creating an exceptional environment for their employees and residents. This is the second consecutive year they’ve earned a place on the list, and they’re the only senior living company that’s been recognized. “This highly competitive ranking features 100 U.S. companies across all industries, and we are honored to be the only senior living company recognized,” shared Brightview on LinkedIn. “We are proud to be named as an organization that genuinely puts people first.” Plus the #1 place on Fortune’s esteemed list It’s pretty exciting to earn not one, but two exceptional accolades that highlight a commitment to care, service and staff. For Brightview, that includes the number one place on Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Aging Services list. To build the 2022 list, Fortune analyzed data from more than 140,000 employees in the senior living industry. From those surveys, over 90% of Brightview associates reported feeling welcome at the company, and they believe their work has special meaning. This...

For senior care staff, taking resident vitals is often done manually. From capturing vital signs to recording data for each resident, the process is time consuming and heightens the risk for transcription errors. Luckily for providers and care staff, technology exists to capture, protect and connect that data. That describes our new partnership with Direct Supply, an integration between our electronic health record solution, Yardi EHR, and their DS smart technology. At a glance, the integration enables data drawn from supported equipment — like vital signs monitors — to flow into Yardi EHR. It’s an exciting step forward for us and our senior living clients. But how does this integration simplify care workflows? Reduce errors? Improve the resident experience? We have the answers. There’s a lot to cover, but that’s what we’re here for! See below for a breakdown of how the integration works — and how it benefits communities.   About Direct Supply First things first, who is Direct Supply? Founded in 1985, this employee-owned company specializes in providing equipment and services to healthcare organizations, skilled nursing and assisted living communities throughout the United States. Their technology comes in different forms, but for our purposes, we’re introducing their DS smart solution. This intuitive platform gathers resident vitals taken from varying devices — from monitors to scales — in real time. This ensures resident vitals are captured quickly and efficiently, leaving no room for errors.   Our new integration For Yardi EHR clients, a typical staff workflow with this integration involves:  Connecting a mobile device to vitals equipment via BluetoothTaking a resident’s vitalsReviewing measured vitals on the DS smart appApproving a real-time upload to Yardi EHR   So once a resident’s vitals are taken using DS smart technology, that data flows seamlessly into Yardi EHR. As...

We’ve loved bringing this year’s Changemakers series to The Balance Sheet. Presented by Senior Housing News (SHN) and sponsored by Yardi for the fourth consecutive year, the series interviews industry visionaries to capture their experiences, strategies and advice. And to earn the Changemaker title, leaders need to push boundaries and take innovative approaches in senior living. The 2022 honorees certainly do — including our final Changemaker: Dale Watchowski. As the president and CEO of American House, one of our senior living clients, Dale shares insights about his leadership journey to date — plus more. Keep reading for a quick highlight of his interview. Meet Dale Watchowski When you meet someone with 30 years of industry experience, you know they have a few strategies up their sleeve. For Dale Watchowski, three decades in real estate and senior living have taught him valuable lessons, sparking his ability to drive strategic change. At American House, he brings that strategy — and unique leadership skills — to help the organization stand out from the crowd. That’s the basis of his interview with SHN, but there’s more to uncover. View the snapshot below then ready Dale Watchowski’s full interview. SHN: How have you changed as a leader since you’ve joined American House? Watchowski: I’ve always seen myself as an investor in real estate, as REDICO is the parent company of American House. REDICO is an acronym for Real Estate Development Investment Company, and throughout my career I’ve been investing in real estate and operating real estate. But the business of senior housing requires much more than that. Of course, you need financial discipline and some institutional character, but the business of serving and caring for seniors has to be top of mind and for me, it’s always felt philanthropic....

We’re nearly at the end of the 2022 Changemakers series, an annual tradition presented by Senior Housing News (SHN). Although each year brings a wave of unique leaders, the 2022 series in particular has recognized a great range of individuals across the industry. As we approach the conclusion, it’s time to showcase the interview from our second-to-last honoree! Keep reading to meet Jesse Marinko, president and CEO of Phoenix Senior Living and a Yardi senior living client. All about Jesse Marinko With 20 years of experience in senior living, Changemaker Jesse Marinko has taken strategic risks throughout his career. That includes founding Phoenix Senior Living back in 2014, an organization offering innovative, personalized experiences for residents in assisted living, independent and memory care settings. In his SHN interview, Jesse Marinko talks about his lessons learned in recent years, how he’s approached change and the importance of serving the middle market. Keep reading for insights from this one-of-a-kind leader. SHN: Looking back on your career in senior living, what changes have you led that you’re especially proud of? Marinko: During my time at Benchmark and my time here in Phoenix under my own flag, I’ve prided myself on recognizing the industry’s youth, in terms of how long our industry has been in place. There’s not only a talent shortage, but also a recruitment shortage, and that has been a focused effort at Phoenix. We’ve made a strong effort to create training and educational platforms built for high-touchpoint customer service people by understanding how effective tactics in other industries could translate into senior housing. That’s not the norm, and I am proud of our effort. For senior housing to succeed in its infancy, we’re going to have to bring in new talent and train people who...

Ready to meet the next senior living Changemaker — or in this case — Changemakers? Up today is Jim Coughlin and Wendy Nowokunski, a duo of senior living leaders from Northbridge Companies. We recently announced the plan to share four final interviews, but as an added bonus, this particular interview features two industry pioneers. And with Northbridge being a Yardi senior living client, we’re ecstatic to share a snapshot from their conversation with Senior Housing News (SHN). Meet Jim Coughlin and Wendy Nowokunski CEO Jim Coughlin and President Wendy Nowokunski founded Northbridge Companies with one purpose in mind: ensuring their residents, families and associates live well and love life. And that purpose has held true for over 15 years, as they’ve built Northbridge into what it is today. Read more about Northbridge Companies.   In their interview with SHN, Coughlin and Nowokunski speak to the lessons learned over the course of their careers, each explaining how they navigate change. Read on for a highlight from their interview. SHN: Talk about a time when you tried to execute a change and things didn’t go according to plan. How did you pivot and what did you learn as a leader? Coughlin: I tend to be the one who focuses on acquisitions and growth. As we’ve alluded to in the past, we have a very engaged and vocal leadership team. One of the most comical experiences I had was when I went to our senior leadership and I said, “I’ve made progress. I think we’re going to move forward with this acquisition.” The leadership team said, “Absolutely not. We’re not doing that deal.” That was a really good sign … despite that we didn’t get to move forward with the acquisition. It really showed the empowerment of...

Planning for the future isn’t always easy, especially for seniors considering how they’ll navigate life as they age. Interestingly, most older adults recognize that they’ll need some form of assistance in the future — but less have concrete plans for how to get there.  That’s the focus of a recent study conducted by AARP, which surveyed 1,011 U.S. adults aged 50 and older. The goal was to gauge older adults’ attitudes related to long-term care planning. Curious about the findings? See below for a snapshot: Senior living study: Preparing for aging   According to the study — Long-Term Care Readiness — 68% of older adults believe they’ll need assistance with their daily activities in the future, but only 28% have thoroughly considered what life will look like when that assistance is needed.   In short, older adults may not be preparing for their aging journey as much as they could be. Relayed by McKnight’s Senior Living, the AARP study also revealed the following:    74% of those aged 65 and older believe they’ll need future assistance, compared to 64% of respondents aged 50 to 65Those aged 65 and older gave more thought to how they’ll live independently as they age, compared to respondents aged 50 to 65Not being able to live independently (63%) and becoming a burden to family members (62%) were the top two concerns noted by all respondentsFewer respondents were concerned about savings (59%), living in assisted living or nursing homes (58%) or not being able to age at home AARP sought to understand the effect of COVID-19 too, assessing whether older adults plan for the future more than they did two years ago. Read the study to learn what respondents said, and uncover additional findings. More research This isn’t the first...