{"id":42163,"date":"2026-01-23T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=42163"},"modified":"2026-02-22T15:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:33:36","slug":"senior-living-operating-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-living-operating-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"How senior living leaders are tackling rising operating costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Image<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rising operating costs continue to challenge senior living operators as labor shortages, inflation and other increases persist. You can\u2019t cut your way out of rising costs, according to industry leaders, but you can focus on investing smarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insights from Earl Parker, CEO of Commonwealth Senior Living<\/a>, and Richard Nix, senior director of senior living sales at Yardi, point to a clear theme: long-term sustainability comes from investing in people, supported by the right technology and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invest in people as a long-term cost strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that investing in maintaining our current top talent is the best long-term decision,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commonwealth monitors local market wage scales and works proactively to address changes to remain competitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile this may result in some increased costs, it lessens the impact on turnover, overtime and potential need for agency staffing, which is extremely costly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understand the value of time caregivers spend with residents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In assisted living and memory care, Commonwealth, a Yardi Senior Living Suite<\/a> client, takes a data-driven approach to staffing and pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe engaged a third party to conduct time studies to better understand the staff time required for each level of assistance,\u201d Parker said. \u201cThis has allowed us to better calibrate how we charge for each service and level of care to ensure that we are being compensated appropriately based on the costs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result is a more sustainable operating model that aligns care delivery with financial reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology should reduce administrative work & increase human connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a 24\/7 environment with significant labor demands, technology is a critical tool for improving administrative efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family and resident portals like RentCafe Senior Living Portal<\/a> allow payments, rental document access and care coordination to happen digitally. This means fewer questions from family members and manual tasks like faxing rental agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImplementing a self-service portal versus having your own staff do all that work helps manage the rising cost of labor,\u201d Nix said. \u201cThis reduces calls to the community during business hours and frees up labor. The team gets more time to take care of residents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Culture, technology & efficiency must work together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both leaders emphasize that cost management isn\u2019t just about systems \u2014 it\u2019s also about culture. Creative recognition programs and leadership visibility help retain staff even in a competitive labor market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe most successful senior living organizations are family oriented,\u201d Nix said. \u201cWhen you work for them, they treat you like family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined with smart technology and thoughtful staffing strategies, culture becomes a powerful reason that employees stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe organizations that can find those people who really want to care for others do a good job of trying to hold onto them,\u201d Nix said. \u201cOne company I know fills up a gas tank for a special Employee of the Week. The CEO goes with them to the gas station and fills it up for them. They come up with innovative ways to reward employees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising operating costs present real challenges, but they also create an opportunity to rethink how senior living organizations operate. By investing in people, using technology effectively and strengthening culture, operators can control costs while continuing to deliver high-quality care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more from leaders across housing markets in Trends & tips for the modern residential landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senior living leaders share how investing in people, smart technology and culture-first strategies can offset rising labor and operating costs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3663,"featured_media":42164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3300,2952],"tags":[842],"class_list":["post-42163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rentcafe-senior-living-portal","category-senior-living","tag-senior-living"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Senior living leaders explain how investing in staff, culture and self-service technology can help offset rising labor and operating costs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/senior-living-operating-costs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How senior living leaders are tackling rising operating costs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rising labor and food costs are reshaping senior living. 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