Government healthcare spending is set to skyrocket, costs of long-term care are steadily rising, while at the same time, most seniors’ wallets are strained thanks to the prolonged economic recession. Add to that dwindling government benefits programs such as Medicare and Social Security that are unfortunately linked to an enormous federal deficit problem, and the future [...]
It began in 2011, and it’s going to keep happening until 2030: 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 each day, and those in the senior housing industry don’t think the “Greatest Generation” is going to enter quietly into accommodations that don’t meet their standards and expectations. The Boomer generation has generally gone through life demanding [...]
Adaptability is one of the cornerstones of human evolution. Evolution is a slow process but adaptability, or the ability to “get by” in the short term, happens quickly and is reactionary. With the economy in a state of disarray during 2010 and 2011, the senior living industry and businesses in other areas were focused on [...]
When looking back on 2011, senior housing industry professionals agree that the billions of dollars worth of real estate investment trust (REIT) activity played an integral role in shaping today’s market. But some say that going forward into 2012, healthcare reform will be a key influence in the industry, and others point out the changing [...]
Despite the attractive terms and interest rates offered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) senior housing financing programs, many have been turned off by the lengthy HUD queue and are resorting to other funding sources. “The basic problem with the FHA program is that it takes way too long, and a lot [...]
Change in lifestyle is a crucial issue that has a huge impact on someone’s decision to enter a senior living community. As senior living communities market to new residents, there is a critical time period—it can be as short as a few minutes—during which they engage or lose the potential customer. That engagement revolves directly [...]
Back in February, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it would raise mortgage insurance premiums on several Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan programs, including for some of its healthcare facility loan programs widely used in the senior housing industry. Several industry trade groups, including the American Seniors Housing Association, the National Association of [...]
The Obama Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services announced new funding to help the nation fight Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday. To help accelerate the work, the President’s proposed FY 2013 budget provides a $100 million increase for efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease. These funds will support additional research ($80 million), improve public awareness of [...]
Senior living communities are increasingly being asked about pets by potential residents. For as many as 40% of older Americans, it is a strong consideration when they are looking to move into an assisted living or independent living community, according to an Associated Press report citing data from A Place For Mom. While not everyone [...]
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) recently announced the winners of its fifth annual Best of the Best Awards, which recognizes forward-thinking companies in or related to the senior living industry for innovative programs and services they’ve implemented. The awards encompass eight categories, listed below with the winner of each: Resident Health & Wellness—Senior [...]
Establishing partnerships between assisted living and other post-acute care providers—particularly rehabilitative services—is essential going forward in the senior living industry, a panel of senior care executives told attendees of ALFA Community 2012 session in Dallas on Wednesday. While there are many different components of the post-acute care continuum, the relationship between rehabilitation and assisted living [...]
The senior living industry is in the midst of a “perfect” storm—global aging, healthcare reform requirements, threatened entitlement programs, and substantially lowered home values—that requires a culture of innovation in order to thrive, writes Michele Holleran, the founder of research firm Holleran and consultancy firm DeArment Consulting, in a recent white paper. That storm isn’t [...]
A recent NBC News investigation looked into the costly world of “permanent” hospital patients: when hospitals are forced to keep patients for months—even years—because the patients have nowhere else to go. All of this happens at enormous costs to hospitals, costs that usually can’t be recouped because the patients have no way of paying for [...]
