Electric vehicles – and their charging apparatuses – are a hot topic. With electric vehicles accounting for only about 6% of U.S. new car sales in 2022, the country is one of the world’s largest markets for EVs. The federal government has set a goal of 500,000 EV charging stations at apartment buildings, public parking lots, roadways and other locations by 2030, up from 133,000 in 2020. At that point half of all road vehicles could be electric, if the government’s target is met. Owners of EVs, which use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, spend 60% less each year on fuel costs compared to drivers of gas-powered cars, according to a Consumer Reports study in 2020. The federal government, most states and the District of Columbia offer tax credits and other incentives to install charging stations. California, for example, has provided $1.2 billion to build the infrastructure for EVs across the state. The state will also adopt regulations requiring EV charging station installation in the parking facilities of buildings, including hotels, multifamily buildings and nonresidential development, by 2025. Other states, including Arkansas and Florida, offer rebates for EV charging station installation and EV purchases. Approaching essential status One outgrowth of these and other trends is that EV charging stations are evolving into an essential asset for property managers. By installing EV charging stations, retail business, offices and workplace property managers gain opportunities to attract customers and tenants by demonstrating “their commitment to new technology and innovation,” says industry resource Property Manager Insider. “For multifamily and commercial properties, … the availability of reliable EV chargers is not just a nice-to-have, but a vital factor for retaining and attracting residents and tenants,” adds CleanTechnica, a clean energy news source. Key steps that property managers can take to stay...

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...

As they say in New Orleans, “laissez les bon temps rouler,” which means let the good times roll! Mardi Gras is back in full swing this year, but two years ago it was canceled due to the pandemic and the creative, socially distanced tradition of Yardi Gras started. Historical Tradition, Reimagined Originally, Yardi Gras, as city officials of New Orleans called it, began as a fundraiser. The Krewe of Red Beans sought a way to help the artists who create the city’s typically over-the-top parade floats. But, with no parades, no income was coming in. After publicizing the fundraiser; the idea gained grassroots traction – often on grass. As a result, there were more than 3,000 “house floats” at individual homes around New Orleans and beyond in 2021. Today, however, parades with massive floats are back to running the traditional routes, but many individuals are sticking with Yardi Gras and making their homes into house floats. A house on State Street near the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans is decorated with animals to reimagine the zoo. Yardi Gras beyond LA Who says Mardi Gras can only be celebrated in New Orleans? Many have caught onto the tradition of decorating their homes with purple, green, and gold outside Louisiana and calling it Yardi Gras. From Georgia to Oregon and beyond, house floats are popping up. Pictured here is a house in Northern Georgia with the traditional Mardi Gras Indian reflection. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, they celebrated in the Historic Fostoria neighborhood for their third annual Yardi Gras. “Instead of the floats going by and throwing things, people are going by giving donations to a non-profit, and we (homeowners), in turn, hand out beads and doubloons,” said Launo Moore, event organizer. In the past two years, Moore...

Yardi has contributed a total of $1 million to four non-profit organizations working in Turkey and Syria to provide humanitarian relief after the catastrophic earthquake last week. The four organizations receiving support are: Direct Relief: Direct Relief is deploying medical supplies from its facilities in the U.S. and Europe for Turkey and Syria. More than 22 tons of medical aid has been staged or is being shipped for Turkey and Syria since the earthquake began. Items include medication to treat people with injuries and pre-existing medical conditions as well as hygiene items for those displaced. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): MSF teams responded immediately in northwestern Syria because the organization has an ongoing presence in the region. MSF-supported hospitals in the region have seen more than 3,500 injured patients. MSF has also donated emergency kits, trauma kits, medical supplies, and blankets to 30 hospitals and health facilities in Idlib and Aleppo governorates. World Central Kitchen: Alongside regional partners, World Central Kitchen has been distributing meals for survivors and first responders. Its teams were able to reach communities near the epicenter two days after the quake and have been providing sustenance continuously since. Red Crescent/Global Red Cross: Thousands of Red Cross and Red Crescent responders are on the ground providing blood products, millions of hot meals, emergency temporary shelter, medical care, emergency aid supplies and mental and emotional support to people in need. “Disasters of this magnitude require global support and we feel fortunate to be able to assist financially in the recovery efforts,” said Anant Yardi, founder and president of Yardi. “These four organizations are doing incredible work to support the victims of the earthquake in their time of...

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...

A feature on bed bugs was one of the most popular postings in the early years of The Balance Sheet. With higher post-pandemic travel volume, resistance to pesticides and other factors increasing the pest’s numbers in the U.S., this seems like a good time to revisit the issue. What are bed bugs? The common bed bug is a crawling, 5-millimeter-long oblong insect that feeds on human blood and causes itchy welts. Documented in the U.S. since Colonial times, bed bugs were largely eradicated by the 1950s but came back in the late 1990s due to rising international travel and a lack of public awareness about pest prevention. Where are they found? Just about everywhere. A National Pest Management Assn. survey in 2018 reported that single family homes, apartments/condominiums and hotels/motels are bed bugs’ most common targets. They can hide in couches, bed frames, luggage, stuffed animals, purses and even lamps. They’re also present in nursing homes, schools, daycare centers, libraries, offices, college dorms, hospital and public transportation. In office buildings, they can lurk in cubicle dividers, underneath raised floors, beneath alcove moldings, in folders and in computers and other equipment. Is there any good news? Yes, sort of. Bed bugs don’t transmit or spread disease, latch onto skin, form colonies or nests (although they do aggregate), fly from host to host, damage building structures or live in human hair. And the presence of bed bugs is no reflection on a property’s cleanliness. They feed on blood, not filth. “They’re not cockroaches. They don’t feed on debris. You could have a pristine environment and they could still get introduced,” says Mike Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky. Best of all, bed bugs’ presence can be curbed with the right measures. Such as? Here...

In the face of inflation and rising costs of living, some affordable housing residents may struggling this year. Here are some creative ways to provide for families at your properties. Residents could be struggling with rising grocery prices. Local food banks and kitchens are the best options. Create easily available resources, such as a website page or flyer posted in community common areas, letting residents know where they can find assistance with groceries. Many food banks provide healthy foods as well. Find a guide to local food bank locations here. If your location allows, onsite community meals are another idea, which could be prepared with resident help or assistance from a non-profit willing to visit your location. For families with small children, childcare assistance is available in many regions. Become familiar with local resources and regulations in order to best assist residents. Consider a weekly or monthly activity for children living at the community so that parents can have a short break. Refreshments, games, or a movie afternoon are easy ideas for potential entertainment. Affordable healthcare is challenging to access for many, especially seniors who may have limited transportation options. Talk to local public health clinics and consider holding a quarterly mini-health assessment clinic. This can benefit all age groups. Many nonprofits help with health and wellness and are able to provide access assistance. If not onsite, a pickup/dropoff transportation service may be available, and you can share that information with residents. Car services like Uber and Lyft can get very expensive. For residents who do not have a personal car, consider having a “taxi” service available for them for a moderate fee. This can benefit many who need to pick up prescriptions or do quick errands. For residents who need access to technology,...

We’re pleased to share a new round of updates in the Yardi EHR Care Stream App, our on-the-go platform for senior care staff. We’re continuously striving to improve our solutions in the Yardi Senior Living Suite, including the accompanying apps, and hope our clients enjoy the latest functionality Care Stream has to offer. See below for a snapshot of what the update entails: About Care Stream As a brief overview, the Yardi EHR Care Stream app allows nurses and other senior care staff to access resident health records, perform order resolutions, execute point-of-care charting and more from a single, mobile platform. Care Stream is accessible on both smartphones and tablets, allowing more staff members to utilize the app depending what devices their community has available. Taking a step back, Yardi EHR is our full-service electronic health record solution for senior living. Learn more about Yardi EHR. New features and enhancements Focusing on what’s new and improved in Care Stream, the app now includes the following functionality: You can now view, add and edit daily log entries and progress notes in the app. In resident view, tap the new daily log or progress notes button below the resident header to add a new entry or to view previous entries The add observation button (for initiating one-step assessments) has been replaced by an observation button located between the new daily log and progress notes buttons You can now view and record vital signs in the app. In resident view, tap the new vitals button below the resident header to record a new vital or view a filterable list of previously recorded vitals Download the app As always, these updates were developed with client feedback in mind, and to help senior care staff succeed. We hope you...

Many of us have changed the way we go about our daily lives since social distancing efforts began in late 2019. Not only have we rolled with the changes, we’ve embraced them, morphed them into something better, and created new ways to work with each other. A major change affecting affordable housing providers and public housing agencies came in a notice from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2020 by which HUD authorized use of electronic signatures in place of “wet” (i.e. ink) signatures to execute documents for many of its housing subsidy programs. Examples of affected programs include: Project-based Section 8 Rental Assistance Demonstration Project-based Rental Assistance (RAD/PBRA) Section 202 Senior Preservation Rental Assistance Contracts (SPRAC) Section 202/162 Project Assistance Contract (PAC) Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contract (PRAC) Section 811 PRAC and Project Rental Assistance (PRA) Rent Supplement Section 236 (including RAP) Section 221(d)(3)/(d)(5) Below-Market Interest Rate (BMIR). Why are e-signatures a game changer for subsidized housing? Eliminating ink signature requirements save time and money for affordable housing providers and public housing agencies. Rather that dealing with paperwork, these organizations can now set up digital workflows that reduce paper usage and storage costs. Those online workflows can save significant staff hours and create more time to serve residents. E-signatures are more convenient for affordable housing and PHA applicants and residents. They can execute documents when they have a free moment, instead of taking time off work or from childcare to visit an office to sign forms. Audits are also faster, easier and safer with the use of e-signatures. Because workflows are paperless, auditors can monitor files without having to come into an office. Instead, they can access affordable housing and PHA files from a remote workstation to...

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,...

This is the latest of our periodic updates on the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. Department of Energy’s statistical and analytical agency. EIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates energy information for the benefit of energy policymakers, analysts and consumers. Winter costs on the rise The EIA expects higher wholesale electricity prices this winter in every region of the country, with increases ranging from 33% higher in California to more than 60% in the mid-Atlantic and Central regions. Electricity price could peak more than three times higher in New England than elsewhere in the U.S., due to limited pipeline capacity for liquefied natural gas coupled with stronger global demand for LNG. In one encouraging sign for consumers, the EIA does not “expect retail electricity prices to increase as much wholesale prices this winter,” said Administrator Joe DeCarolis. Batteries on growth curve through ‘25 Developers and power plant owners plan to significantly increase utility-scale battery storage capacity in the U.S., reaching 30 gigawatts by the end of 2025. Batteries store extra energy produced by intermittent resources such as wind and solar. Battery storage capacity in the U.S., negligible prior to 2020, grew to 7.8 GW by October 2022, with 1.4 GW more capacity expected by the end of the year and an additional 20.8 GW through 2025, more than 75% of which will be in California and Texas. Developers have scheduled more than 20 large-scale battery projects to be deployed by 2025. The 409 megawatt Manatee Energy Storage in Florida is currently the U.S.’s largest operating battery storage project. Uptick in commercial building efficiency A recently released U.S. commercial buildings energy consumption survey report shows that the average total amount of energy used per square foot in commercial buildings decreased by 12% from 2012 to...

Curious how the right technology can help you optimize staff efficiency, maximize occupancy and boost revenue? In our new ebook, in partnership with McKnight’s Senior Living, you’ll discover how CRM tools thoughtfully designed for senior living drive success. Read the highlight below then read the ebook for all the insights, including a closer look at RentCafe Senior CRM (our single connected solution).   How to choose the right CRM technology Given the life-changing nature of moving into a senior living community, it’s important for sales counselors to connect with prospective residents in a thoughtful, strategic manner. And in today’s day and age, CRM technology is available to aid that process throughout the prospect to resident journey. The right CRM helps sales staff track and nurture leads, build positive relationships and so much more, but not all solutions are built the same. For providers, a CRM solution needs to be designed for the unique needs of senior living in order to maximize success. That’s a key focus of the ebook, which shares the benefits of senior living CRM tools and offers guidance on selecting the solution for you. “A good CRM should do the work for you and allow you to focus on what’s most important: building relationships,” says ebook interviewee Candace Seidle, senior living team leader at Yardi. Discovering RentCafe Senior CRM In an effort to illustrate how the right CRM solution builds success, the ebook spotlights our single connected solution, RentCafe Senior CRM. This all-in-one platform is part of the Yardi Senior Living Suite for senior living providers. Not only does RentCafe Senior CRM help you nurture leads from first contact to move-in, it’s also configurable, mobile-friendly and fully integrated with key elements of your business. The ebook covers top benefits and reasons...

When exploring a software solution, you may wish to see testimonials from that vendor’s clients — those who can speak to benefits and results based on their own experience.      At Yardi, we strive to capture these testimonials in various ways. Meeting with our clients to chat through their journey — and see how our solutions are helping them succeed — is our favorite thing. And a recent interview with one of our fantastic senior living clients is no exception. We’re pleased to share pieces from our conversation with Kim Smart, director of systems and support at Anthology Senior Living, in our brand-new case study. The case study covers Anthology’s success with the Yardi Senior Living Suite, featuring Smart’s firsthand experience implementing, customizing and using new tools (plus so much more). We encourage you to read the case study in full, but for now, enjoy the highlight below: Meet Anthology Senior Living Anthology Senior Living, CA Venture’s senior living platform, works to provide their residents with the best hospitality and care. The company develops, acquires and operates senior housing communities across the United States with options for independent living, assisted living and memory care. Anthology has a total of 37 communities in their portfolio, with growth on the horizon. The challenge with antiquated processes Prior to welcoming the Yardi Senior Living Suite, Anthology relied on manual processes. Not only were the processes time consuming, they also increased the risk of errors and led to miscommunication among teams. With a range of communities to serve and rapid expansions underway, the company needed software built to streamline workflows, save time and reduce errors across the board. They searched for a solution that covered every need — software that combined resident care, sales, finance, business intelligence and...