{"id":57863,"date":"2026-06-22T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=57863"},"modified":"2026-07-21T17:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T00:45:12","slug":"changemakers-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/changemakers-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the 2026 Changemakers of senior living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With rising demand, workforce challenges and evolving resident expectations, the senior living industry is under pressure to rethink how to operate. The 2026 Changemakers of senior living<\/a> are leading the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The annual Changemakers series, celebrating innovators in the senior living industry, kicks off this month. Each conversation published in Senior Housing News (SHN)<\/a> honors a bold leader who is rewriting the rules of senior living and keeping residents at the center of a changing industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As sponsor for the eighth year in a row<\/a>, we\u2019re proud to join SHN in presenting the 2026 class of honorees. Their interviews reveal how these leaders got to where they are today and their insights into challenges faced by the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations to the 2026 Changemakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chris Bird, president & CEO, LCS<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Loe Hornbuckle, founder & CEO, Sage Oak Assisted Living & Memory Care<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Allison Pendroy, CEO, WesleyLife<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Paul Boethel, CEO, Watermark Retirement Communities<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Quintin King, president & principal, Brightwater Senior Living<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nick Stengle, CEO & director, Brookdale Senior Living<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Chris Bird, 2026 Changemaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Chris Bird, president and CEO of LCS<\/a>, a Yardi Senior Living Suite<\/a> client, believes meaningful change in senior living starts with greater choice, stronger wellness programming and more personalized experiences for residents. He also calls out the need for middle-market and affordable options as the biggest industry challenge. He’s focused on rethinking how work gets done, using technology to free caregivers from administrative tasks so they can spend more time with residents. For Bird, every innovation should begin with one question: Does this improve the lives of the people we serve?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for a glimpse into the conversation or see the full interview with SHN<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what ways do you think senior living operators need to change for the incoming generation of older adults?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The next generation of older adults will expect choice, flexibility and experiences that reflect the lifestyles they\u2019ve enjoyed throughout their lives. That starts with offering more housing options across a broader range of price points. One of our industry\u2019s biggest challenges is the lack of a middle market and more affordable senior living options, and addressing that gap will be essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology also has to become foundational. Residents expect seamless Wi-Fi, connected living environments and technology that enhances convenience, communication and safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the senior living industry moving quickly enough to change in the ways it needs to? Why or why not?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In some areas, yes. In others, we\u2019re constrained by how long it takes to develop new communities. Even if demand continues to accelerate, planning, financing and constructing new senior living communities takes years. That means we\u2019ll likely continue falling behind demand as more baby boomers seek senior living options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The encouraging news is that many existing communities can evolve through renovations and technology upgrades. We don\u2019t always need to build from scratch to improve the resident experience. Our team is constantly working with our communities to ensure we are reimagining what each community can be and how it should be repositioned to meet the desires of the customer of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My greatest concern is that limited supply will continue driving prices higher, making senior living less affordable. That represents a significant opportunity and responsibility for our industry to develop solutions that serve a broader segment of the aging population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What senior living technology do you find most promising or interesting right now?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The technologies that interest me most are those that improve safety, wellness and human connection while allowing caregivers to spend more time building relationships with residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passive monitoring technologies and fall prevention systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated, allowing us to identify potential issues before they become emergencies. Advances in nurse call technology are also creating faster, more personalized responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial intelligence is another exciting area. Beyond operational efficiencies, AI has the potential to identify residents who may be experiencing isolation or changes in behavior, allowing caregivers to intervene earlier and provide more meaningful support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loe Hornbuckle, 2026 Changemaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Loe Hornbuckle, founder and CEO of Sage Oak Assisted Living and Memory Care<\/a>, is betting on small. While much of the industry focuses on scale, Hornbuckle believes the future of senior living lies in smaller, more personalized settings that feel less institutional and more home-like. He’s growing Sage Oak’s community count while staying deliberately focused on eight- to 16-bed communities, innovating at a scale larger operators aren’t pursuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the highlights here and explore the full interview with SHN<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about some of your efforts to change the senior living industry for the better.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We’ve done some acquisitions recently, growing our community count and bed count by about 20%. But we’ve done that while remaining very focused on scaling small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of our acquisitions have been between eight- and 16-bed communities. We’ve bought several of those either adjacent to one another or close to existing Sage Oak locations. From our point of view, the way we’re trying to innovate is by scaling something that larger institutional players don’t seem intellectually interested in learning how to scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, it is very hard to scale small buildings. The solution to that is a more portfolio-based approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you talk about a time when you tried to execute a change? Things didn\u2019t go according to plan. How did you pivot? What did you learn as a leader?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Assisted living and dementia care operations are dynamic environments. Change is constant. No day is identical to the day before, and no two nurses or caregivers are ever going to be exactly the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, pivoting is baked into the business model. People sometimes talk about pivoting like it is a huge accomplishment, but the reality is that it is literally part of what we do for a living. In order to be great at this, you have to be flexible. You have to be willing to pivot and change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is similar to the old Mike Tyson adage: everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. In this business, getting punched in the mouth can be both figuratively true and, occasionally in dementia care, literally true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What advice do you have for other senior living companies implementing their own changemaking efforts? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Always test-drive concepts from the customer experience or staff experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a company grows, people roll out all kinds of initiatives for staff and clients. But in my experience, they often do not actually replicate the experience of the person they are trying to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you put out a social media ad, what is the customer experience when someone clicks on it? Where do they go? What happens next? If you roll out new HR software, what is the staff experience with that software?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You always have the best intentions, but you have to get out of the intention space and see how it actually gets executed. You’re trying to solve a problem when you roll something out, but you don’t know whether it will solve that problem until you test-drive what the customer, staff member or intended target of the initiative is actually going to experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allison Pendroy, 2026 Changemaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Allison Pendroy, CEO of WesleyLife<\/a>, says change begins with reframing how the industry itself talks about aging. She’s intentional about language, replacing terms like “levels of care” and “facility” with words that reflect dignity, possibility and purpose. For Pendroy, human-centered technology and long-term workforce strategy are how senior living keeps that promise to residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for a snapshot of the conversation or see the full interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us about some of your recent efforts to change the senior living industry for the better.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At WesleyLife, we are intentional about how we use language because language shapes perception, and perception drives experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We developed and actively use our “Language for Living.” It guides how we communicate both internally and externally. It\u2019s designed to reflect dignity, personhood and possibility, rather than decline or limitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, our employees are referred to as \u201cteam members,\u201d reflecting shared purpose and belonging. Our communities are not CCRCs or life plan communities. They are \u201ccommunities for healthy living\u201d because we are a health and well-being organization at our core. We\u2019ve moved from \u201clevels of care\u201d to \u201clevels of living,\u201d and instead of saying, for example, that someone \u201chas dementia,\u201d we reframe it by saying they are \u201cliving with dementia.\u201d Most obvious is the fact that we\u2019ve eliminated the word “facility” from our vocabulary altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking this a step further, we\u2019ve even challenged ourselves to move beyond the term \u201csenior living,\u201d which coincidentally is carried in this question. We find its use is outdated or has limiting connotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These shifts may seem small, but they are deeply intentional. They influence how people feel about aging, how team members show up in their work and how those we serve experience belonging and purpose. We are proud of this differentiator at WesleyLife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, our goal is to help reframe aging, not as a period of decline, but as a continued opportunity to live well. Language is one of the most powerful tools we have to lead that change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the biggest change you ever made in your career or life? How did it go and what did you learn?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest shifts in my career was leaving the safety and comfort of my previous employer of 15 years to join WesleyLife as COO. Joining a completely new organization requires a leap into the unknown: new systems, new people and a new culture. It required me to learn and adapt from the ground up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, looking back three years later, it has been one of the most fulfilling decisions of my career. What I\u2019ve learned is that growth rarely happens in comfort. Time and again, I\u2019ve found that periods of uncertainty are where the most meaningful personal and professional development occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My advice: Embrace change, stay curious and lead with humility when stepping into something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What book are you reading right now?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m currently reading Joyspan<\/em> by Dr. Kerry Burnight. It resonates because it aligns so well with WesleyLife\u2019s focus on health span and our belief that joy is an essential part of well-being. It\u2019s a thoughtful reminder that aging well is not only about living longer, but about living with purpose, connection and meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Boethel, 2026 Changemaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Paul Boethel, CEO of Watermark Retirement Communities<\/a>, is rethinking how senior living grows, staffs, markets and delivers the resident experience. He’s standardizing operations across Watermark communities and leaning into technology and data to keep teams responsive. He advocates for the industry becoming more agile to meet the expectations of the next generation of older adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for a glimpse into the conversation or see the full interview with SHN<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what ways can senior living companies change the public\u2019s perception of the industry?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best way to change the public\u2019s perception is for the public to experience it. That\u2019s difficult to do at scale physically, but with a strong social media presence and engagement, we can display the experience and benefits of living in a senior living community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an industry, we are far behind others when it comes to social media presence and authentic engagement. We have an opportunity to showcase the experience and benefits of senior living more effectively and tell our story in a more meaningful way. As that improves, sharing more intimate, real experiences on these platforms can help deliver consistent, meaningful messages at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What staffing changes does the larger senior living industry need to make to meet the staggering level of demand ahead from new residents?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the immediate term, operators need to drive stronger rental rate growth as we approach high occupancy levels and minimal new supply. Historically, hospitals have outpaced senior housing in top-line revenue growth, achieving a 4 to 5% CAGR compared to senior housing CAGR closer to 3 to 3.5%. That disparity has contributed to a significant wage gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more we\u2019re able to push rates relative to other health care sectors, the more we can close that gap, become more competitive for high-quality talent and expand the pool of individuals willing to consider senior housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long term, we\u2019ll need to explore technologies that support care delivery. Some countries, like Japan, are already facing significant labor shortages. They are leaning heavily on robotics and predictive technologies, and they offer valuable insight into how we can improve efficiency without sacrificing the quality of the resident experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What advice do you have for other senior living companies implementing their own changemaking efforts? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think this will be controversial, but the planning and execution of the rollout of something new is as important as the change itself. We often spend significant time researching, modeling and testing new initiatives, but less time on implementation and execution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An experienced project manager is invaluable. The difference between success and failure often comes down to how well a change is rolled out and adopted by the field and by residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quintin King, 2026 Changemaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For Quintin King, the path forward in senior living follows a deliberate sequence: people, process, then technology. King is president and principal of Brightwater Senior Living<\/a>, a Yardi Senior Living Suite<\/a> client. He’s focused on reducing friction for staff through connected systems, bringing CRM, EHR and financial tools into a single environment. Then teams spend less time chasing information and more time focused on residents and families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the highlights here and explore the full interview with SHN<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n