This article is part of your SHN+ membership The need to improve operations is driving all that senior living operators do as they pivot to the offensive.  One big pressure point is the need to do more with less. In 2024, operators are living that mantra in a variety of ways, from maintaining staffing expenditures while growing their portfolios to creating new ancillary revenue sources. Data and technology are typically central to those efforts, given the need for more fine-tuned operations. Slow adopters in that regard could be left behind in the race to attract the baby boomers. Take it ..read more

This article is sponsored by Dreamscape Marketing, now a part of Unlock Health. This article is based on a Senior Housing News discussion with Larry Williams, Marketing Strategist for Dreamscape, and Christy Van Der Westhuizen, SVP of Sales and Marketing for Legend Senior Living. The discussion took place during the recent Senior Housing News Sales & Marketing Conference in Tampa, Florida. The article below has been edited for length and clarity. Dreamscape, which recently joined forces with Unlock Health, has conducted senior housing industry research in partnership with Senior Housing Ne ..read more

Behavioral tech platform Rippl has acquired a startup aimed at providing information and services for dementia caregivers in its ongoing quest to broaden and deepen its memory care-related services. Rippl acquired the startup, Kinto, in last month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In the coming months, Rippl will integrate technology developed by Kinto from the last two years to improve Rippl’s virtual patient and family experience, according to Rippl co-founder and CEO Kris Engskov. The acquisition also included access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to leverage data insights to em ..read more

Morning Pointe Senior Living is going bigger on memory care, with plans underway to expand those services in three of the company’s communities. The expansion comes from an increasing need for memory care services within the markets Morning Pointe serves, according to Co-Founder and CEO Franklin Farrow. The Ooltewah, Tennessee-based company is currently engaged in expanding communities in Danville, Kentucky; and Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee, with projects to add both assisted living and memory care at those communities. The company is expanding the communities in two phases. In the cas ..read more

Occupancy and revenue gains pushed Brookdale Senior Living’s (NYSE: BKD) operating margins closer to pre-pandemic totals in the first quarter of this year, with CEO Cindy Baier noting the company is seeing its “highest reported adjusted margin rate since the initial impact of the pandemic.” The Brentwood, Tennessee-based senior living operator is building on the momentum it has gained in recent quarters, with “significant runway for future revenue and operating income growth,” Baier said during the call with investors and analysts Wednesday. As of the first quarter of the year, the company’s a ..read more

By Audrie Martin Senior living operators have for years sought to provide their services at a rate that middle-income older adults can afford. For memory care operators, that is a tough task. Faced with a resident population that needs much more care than is typical in other product types like independent living, memory care operators often incur higher staffing costs that are translated into resident rates that are higher than other product types. At the same time, the need for more middle-market senior living services is great. According to the latest “Forgotten Middle” report by NORC at the ..read more

After a rebranding last year, Ciel Senior Living is moving forward with strategic growth plans, including  acquisitions and future development. The Winter Park, Florida-based operator which rebranded from Park Avenue Lifestyle last year, has a portfolio of 11 communities under management agreement along with a handful of joint venture agreements for land to be developed into senior living in the future.  With communities in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and plans to build new along the East coast, the company is poised for future expansion. Ciel Senior Living also recently completed ..read more

Fast-growing senior living operator and developer Distinctive Living has acquired Validus Senior Living Management, according to a joint company announcement. Distinctive Living will continue to be led by Distinctive Healthcare CEO Joe Jedlowski, with the organization now managing 10 of the Inspired Living communities from Validus in three states, along with other Validus communities, according to a news release issued on Tuesday evening. “This acquisition offers Distinctive a unique opportunity to expand its footprint, with the ability to leverage additional efficiencies across our portfolio ..read more

National Health Investors (NYSE: NHI) is continuing to build on momentum gained through stronger results for its senior housing operating portfolio, with an eye toward more growth in 2024.  Occupancy for the Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based real estate investment trust’s (REIT’s) 15-property SHOP segment has ticked up in recent quarters, ending March at an average rate of 86.3%. At the same time, the segment’s net operating income (NOI) totaled $2.9 million in the first quarter of 2024, representing a gain of $1 million compared with the same period in 2023. Those first-quarter results repre ..read more

Planning for the next generation of senior living residents propelled leaders at the Bay Village life plan community to pursue redevelopment to modernize the community on Florida’s Gulf Coast.  In updating outdated design at the 12-story community, sweeping amenities changes and space redesigns were made to refresh the building first built in 1975. A major focus of the repositioning was the addition of a modernized dining venue space. “We wanted to keep the community’s competitive edge in the market and provide residents with additional amenities,” Bay Village CEO Eric Nichols told Senior ..read more