Now in its fourth consecutive year, the Changemakers series showcases forward-thinking leadership in senior living. But not just any leaders earn the honor. The Changemakers title is reserved for those who drive positive change across the industry — and who pursue innovative strategies along the way.  It’s empowering to see how each honoree is transforming the industry as we know it. That’s made possible through in-depth interviews conducted by Senior Housing News (SHN) and sponsored by Yardi. And lucky for you, the first batch of interviews is live. That includes one from Tana Gall, president of Merrill Gardens, a family-owned company and Yardi client. Her story is one you don’t want to miss. Meet Tana Gall From decades of experience in senior living, Changemaker Tana Gall is skilled at problem solving. That comes from her initiative to take risks and forge new paths, which Gall has done throughout her career. Now as president of Merrill Gardens, she has an important perspective on what it takes to spearhead change. In her interview, Gall tells SHN about her bold but calculated risk-taking approach, plus she shares lessons learned from her 27 years in the industry. Keep reading for a highlight.   SHN: Thinking back on your career in senior living, what are some of the changes you’re especially proud of leading? Gall: In the early 2000s, I was able to work with a group on changing our industry messaging. For my first few years in the industry, a lot of the same words were used to describe what we did — respect, integrity, independence. They were generic and didn’t capture what the industry represented, so we took a leap. During my time at Leisure Care, I worked with a very creative group of people to roll...

As workers migrate back to their offices, they’ll enter an environment that’s dramatically more accepting of nontraditional working arrangements than before the pandemic. Most industry observers agree that openness to flexible work arrangements among employers will be the norm. A survey by video messaging platform Loom that found that 90% of workers and managers are happier with the increased freedom they now have to work from home. LinkedIn reports that 1 in 67 U.S. jobs offered a remote work option in March 2020; today, that number is about 1 in 7. Here are a few of the trends workers might encounter when – or if – they return to the office: Hybrid here to stay. Harvard Business Review reported in January that more than 90% of employers plan to adopt a hybrid working model in 2022. “In the U.S., employees expect flexibility within their job as much as they expect a 401(k). Employers that don’t offer flexibility will see increased turnover as employees move to roles that offer a value proposition that better aligns with their desires,” according to HBR contributors Brian Kropp and Emily Rose McRae of the Gartner HR Practice. “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach: Experiment with ‘Team Tuesdays’ or in-person office hours between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., two days a week. Consider quarterly off-sites that bring far-flung teammates together regularly,” suggests Microsoft in its Work Trend Index 2022 survey report.Growth in AI and automation. The World Economic Forum predicts that artificial intelligence and automation will spark the creation of 97 million new jobs by 2025. AI will affect many existing jobs as well, by automating managerial tasks such as approving expense reports and monitoring direct reports’ completion of tasks and letting workers focus on areas requiring creativity, imagination and high-level strategy....

Argentum is well known for their advocacy efforts in senior living. From influencing policy decisions to informing the public about pressing issues, they’re always working to better the lives of older adults.   This makes their annual conference a can’t-be-missed opportunity. The event gathers thousands of senior living professionals, operators, owners, executives and community leaders to discuss the future of senior living. And this year, you can connect with team Yardi at booth 805. Ready to network at the Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference? We’ll see you May 16-18 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Come to booth 805 There’s no denying the importance of technology in today’s senior living landscape. Integrated, comprehensive solutions like the Yardi Senior Living Suite have the tools needed to unify operations, increase move-ins and enhance resident care. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Our single connected solution has undergone some powerful enhancements lately, and each improvement was built to power your communities like never before. With that in mind, we invite you to meet team Yardi at booth 805 come Argentum 2022! We’ll answer any questions you have, whether it be on the Senior Living Suite as a whole, or individual tools like RentCafe Senior CRM and Yardi EHR. We can’t wait to show you what’s new with each product — and demonstrate how everything connects on a single platform. Want to get something on the books in advance? Schedule time to meet with us at Argentum. Start exploring our single connected solution Eager to learn more about Yardi before Argentum? Check out our newest infographic to see how our software evolves — with functionality like electronic signatures — to help operators succeed. We walk you through every step of our electronic leasing process, and offer testimonies...

It’s National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW)! Established by the American Health Care Association (ACHA) in 1967, this week-long observance recognizes the essential role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s seniors and disabled population.    Skilled nursing care centers across the country are hosting events to mark the occasion, which runs through May 14. And this year’s theme — Creating and Nurturing Connections — is especially inspiring.   We’re here to share the meaning behind NSNCW and offer some ideas to celebrate. We hope you’ll join us in recognizing skilled nursing care centers, and their staff members, for all that they do to improve residents’ lives.   All about NSNCW Skilled nursing care centers and their staff are no stranger to dedication. They continuously strive to provide high-level care for their residents, no matter the circumstance. And we’ve seen just how committed they are throughout the last two years of the pandemic. They’ve worked to provide exceptional care without fail, protecting residents around the clock during periods of limited visitation and social distancing. Staff members became family members and friends when residents needed social connection more than ever. It’s why this year’s theme, developed by ACHA, is perfectly fitting. The focus of this year’s NSNCW is simple: celebrate the essential role that skilled nursing care centers and staff play in creating and nurturing connections for their residents. Learn more about the role of skilled nursing care centers and staff, as well as details on NSNCW 2022. ​How to celebrate Don’t miss your chance to celebrate NSNCW! Drawn from ACHA’s 2022 planning guide, we have a list of activities designed to help residents staff and families create new connections — and nurture existing ones. Working together, we encourage you to create and...

Senior living is an ever-changing industry. It’s important for software solutions to adapt, grow and advance to meet providers’ needs as they shift. That’s our approach here at Yardi — our team constantly works to gather client feedback and enhance tools in the Yardi Senior Living Suite. From adding new features to improving usability, we bundle everything into a fresh release for our senior living clients to enjoy. And you guessed it, we’re sharing the latest release with you today, packed with exciting new functionality. Keep reading for a look at what’s new in 7.16, including enhancements to Yardi Voyager Senior Housing, RentCafe Senior Living, EHR and eMAR.   Voyager Senior Housing Voyager Senior Housing, our comprehensive financial accounting tool, received multiple enhancements. Access a new reapply payments option, track payer type history and more. Assign maintenance tasks thanks to an updated unit make ready feature, plus utilize an editable service charge rate option and new import ETLs. Watch the overview video RentCafe Senior CRM Enjoy various new features in RentCafe Senior CRM, our mobile-friendly sales and marketing platform. Explore a new lead manager dashboard, lease signing updates and detailed move-in data based on physical or financial dates. Enjoy the ability to create bulk activities for a prospect — and see automatic updates to move-in, lead and tour goals based on occupancy budgets. Copy setup information with ease when adding a new community to your portfolio.  Watch the overview video EHR Our full-service electronic health record solution, Yardi EHR, is equipped with fresh functionality. Tap into a late entry feature in the wounds dashboard, as well as strikethrough functionality in both the wounds and behaviors dashboards. Schedules can now be defaulted like care plan actions for wound progress checks, and assessments can now be...

When one thinks about big sustainability impacts, agriculture, energy production and other brawny industries often come to mind. But the manufacture, transport and disposal of t-shirts, pajamas, blouses and other garments create a sizeable footprint too. In fact, garment production and transportation account for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the aviation and shipping sectors combined. Growing and dyeing clothing material consumes 93 billion metric tons of clean water globally each year, about half of what Americans drink annually. Scientists estimate that 35% of the microplastics in the world’s oceans, which can take hundreds of years to decompose, can be traced to textiles. Three-quarters of shirts and shoes end up burned or buried in landfills. Less than 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments and over 25% of returned items end up being thrown out. “Because it is hard to make a better performing or more efficient blouse, handbag, or pair of socks, to motivate consumption, the industry pushes change. Not better — just different, cheaper, or faster,” said Kenneth P. Pucker, former COO of footwear manufacturer Timberland, writing in Harvard Business Review in January. ‘The biggest issue’ for the industry Statistics like these are why Judith Magyar, a brand contributor to Forbes, describes sustainability as “arguably the biggest issue confronting fashion brands right now.” The industry, she says, “is waking up to the fact that decreasing its environmental impact will pay big dividends to both its constituent companies as well as society at large.” Rising environmental, social and governance scrutiny is one reason for this growing awareness. “Younger consumers value transparency, honesty and authenticity. Companies that are upfront with their products — everything from where and how they are manufactured to the materials used and the environmental impact — may...

The pandemic was a wakeup call, affecting families and businesses and putting pressure on all levels of government to quickly provide financial assistance. One key lesson: without the right technology tools, it’s impossible to effectively assist those struggling to keep households and businesses afloat. What is your organization’s strategy to assist those affected when the next crisis hits? If relief funds are again available from federal, state, or local sources, are you confident that your agency will be able to expediently reach affected households, efficiently qualify them and securely disburse funds? Here are four factors to consider if you’re developing an implementation strategy for a direct-to-beneficiary economic relief program: 1. Outreach is Key Financial assistance programs are extremely targeted in nature. You need to reach households in qualified crisis quickly and outreach to the affected community is the best strategy. To be successful, you need mobile-friendly software that staff can easily get into the hands of applicants. Relying solely on paper applications and fielding office visits will not be sufficient. Consider the Connecticut Department of Housing’s successful outreach efforts in marketing its $420 million emergency rental assistance program, Unite CT. The Unite CT bus is an outstanding example of using mobile technology to make it fast and easy for potential beneficiaries to learn about available funds and submit digital applications. 2. Offer Live Support Agencies that make it easy to apply for help are the most effective in assisting their communities. Live telephone support staff are critical in helping families and business owners navigate the application process and ensure they submit necessary information and documentation. Equally important is having trained caseworkers available to quickly and accurately review submitted assistance applications and approve the distribution of assistance. A strong technology platform will make the jobs...

How can senior living providers use business intelligence (BI) tools to elevate their communities? We have the answer for you, and it comes in the form of a brand-new case study. We sat down with Michael Schefter, chief financial officer at Cascadia Senior Living to learn how Yardi Senior IQ has changed the company’s day-to-day processes for the better. From streamlined operations to saved time — Cascadia is reaping the benefits of a single connected BI solution.   Here’s a quick snapshot of the case study, which covers exactly how Senior IQ helps Cascadia prosper. An introduction to Cascadia Senior Living  Cascadia Senior Living & Development is devoted to their residents. Founded in 2013 and based in the Pacific Northwest, Cascadia manages over 13 senior housing properties with a focus on independent living, assisted living, memory care and respite care. Cascadia believes it takes a group effort — residents, their families, their friends and the Cascadia staff — to create vibrant communities. Most importantly, they’re always striving to better their communities. With help from technology, Cascadia drills into individual communities to uncover specific details — finding new ways to improve residents’ quality of life. The challenge with siloed solutions & jeopardized data Before adopting a single connected solution, Cascadia was manually pulling data from disparate sources. Finance, accounting and operations teams were devoting hours to extracting raw data each month, searching for specific metrics, making calculations and transposing data into graphs and slide decks. Digging for specific answers was part of the job — but it wasn’t an efficient use of time. With rapidly expanding communities and a larger pool of metrics, time wasn’t the only issue. Data integrity became a primary concern. Cascadia faced increased discrepancies, manual errors and ultimately, jeopardized data. They...

Earth Day began on April 22, 1970, as a response to environmental deterioration. Inspired by the 1969 Santa Barbara offshore oil spill and other catastrophes, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.) teamed with Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-Calif.) and activist Denis Hayes to organize a series of college teach-ins. The inaugural event went far beyond campuses, drawing 20 million Americans – 10% of the population – to demonstrations and teach-ins at schools, parks and auditoriums. “Pogo” cartoonist Walt Kelly created a promotional poster. New York City Mayor John Lindsay closed Fifth Avenue to cars and gave an impassioned speech. President and Mrs. Nixon planted a tree on the White House grounds. April 22 became affixed on calendars as Earth Day. Happy earth day banner to celebrate environmental safety One of Earth Day’s enduring legacies is providing a common frame of reference for a disparate range of animal conservation groups, anti-pollution activists and others. “I think the most important thing that Earth Day did was to take all of those different threads and weave them together into this fabric of modern environmentalism, to help them understand that they were operating from similar sets of values,” says Hayes, who remains active in environmental causes. “Earth Day has grown into a secular holiday recognized by billions of people and which has no goal beyond building a better world,” Rolling Stone writer Jeff Goodell said in a 2020 profile of Hayes. This year on April 22, under the theme of “Invest in Our Planet,” millions of private citizens, business leaders, government officials, academics and students around the world will recognize “our collective responsibility and to help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all,” according to EARTHDAY.org, a nonprofit that arose from the initial event. EARTHDAY.org will...

There’s no shortage of senior living events this year — but which are worth attending? How should providers fill their calendar for the remainder of 2022? While there are many trade shows packed with valuable takeaways, we’re here to share a few recommendations. These events offer opportunities to connect with experts, discover emerging solutions and ultimately, explore the future of the industry. You’ll find team Yardi in attendance at each, ready to greet you and answer questions about our senior living management software. Keep reading for a roundup of upcoming events to put on your radar. FALA Annual Conference & Tradeshow Happy 30 year anniversary to the Florida Assisted Living Association (FALA)! With decades of industry success, FALA’s Annual Conference & Tradeshow is a fantastic setting to learn tips for navigating an ever-changing industry. Whether you’re eager to network with other professionals, receive updates about the latest industry trends or connect with vendors who can help you deliver better care, this year’s conference has it all. You’ll find team Yardi at booth 423. We’ll show you how our single connected solution helps providers streamline operations and deliver excellent care. Schedule time to connect with us at the conference. Event details: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando, Florida May 31-June 2, 2022 CALA Spring Conference & Trade Show Join over 900 providers and top decision makers at the 2022 CALA Spring Conference & Trade Show, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, executive directors, clinical staff, marketing professionals and more. You’ll tap into a wealth of resources and learn what’s driving the senior living industry forward. Be sure to meet our team at booth 52 where we’ll discuss how the Yardi Senior Living Suite works to empower staff, automate workflows and enhance resident satisfaction. Visit this page to schedule...

In 2019 we reported on Local Law 97, a key element of the Climate Mobilization Act enacted in New York City in May of that year. Described by the Urban Green Council as “the most ambitious climate legislation for buildings enacted by any city in the world,” Local Law 97 aims to drastically reduce carbon emissions from buildings, which account for more than 70% of the city’s emissions. With the 2024 initial compliance milestone on the horizon, the time seems right for a recap. The ordinance imposes stringent carbon emission limits for most commercial properties over 25,000 square feet. It will impact more than 57,000 buildings and mandate reductions of 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 through caps, energy upgrades and retrofits. The first set of emissions caps carry stiff financial penalties for noncompliance – potentially millions of dollars in some cases. The first cap will go into effect in 2024. The city is responsible for setting new rules and regulations by the beginning of 2023. A new Office of Building Energy and Emissions Performance will clarify building categories, calculate emissions formulas before the first caps take effect and establish emissions limits for 2035-2039, 2040-2049 and beyond. The city also created a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program to help building owners finance energy retrofits and renewable energy projects, such as green roofs, solar energy systems, window insulation, upgraded HVAC systems, improvements to sealing and air ventilation. By the time the law’s tougher requirements take hold in 2030 and later, more labor- and capital-intensive upgrades will be necessary. Some easy fixes Some of the mandatory fixes are fairly easy, such as replacing incandescent light bulbs with LEDs, insulating heating pipes, covering or removing window air conditioner units in the winter, tuning and operating boilers correctly,...

With 40% of the U.S. west of the continental divide classified as being in “exceptional drought” and two-thirds of the world’s population facing water shortages by 2025, an old tactic is getting a fresh look. Authorities around the world are increasingly employing artificial weather modification to spur more rainfall. That usually means seeding clouds, which involves using aircraft or drones to add small particles of silver iodide, whose structure is similar to ice, to clouds. Water droplets cluster around the particles, and when enough droplets combine, they become heavy enough to fall to the ground as precipitation. Another technique, hygroscopic seeding, uses salt to encourage water droplets to collide and produce rain in warm clouds. The practice doesn’t create clouds but maximizes rain from naturally occurring ones. “With drought still a major concern, cloud seeding is an encouraged technology for Wyoming to use based on our drought contingency plan,” says Julie Gondzar, an official in the state’s water development office. “It is an inexpensive way to help add water to our basins, in small, incremental amounts over long periods of time.” “Rain enhancement has the potential to offer a more cost effective, sustainable and much less environmentally damaging option than other solutions, such as desalination” that relies on energy-intensive thermal desalination plants and produces waste that can damage marine ecosystems, adds Alya Al Mazroui, director of the United Arab Emirates’ Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science. Induced rain carries benefits, risks The practice of cloud seeding dates to the 1940s. Today, more than 50 countries around the world have weather modification programs. China reportedly cleared the skies by shooting salt-filled bullets into clouds ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2017 alone, the UAE, which gets about 4 inches of rain annually, carried out 242...

Affordable housing providers and public housing agencies across the country are celebrating Fair Housing throughout the month of April, led by HUD’s annual commemoration of the Fair Housing Act. What better time to look at how a smart approach to delivering service to the community can make a positive impact and promote equality? Reducing use of paper forms and in-person meetings with applicants, residents and participants is a smart strategy for affordable housing providers and PHAs to minimize exposure to fair housing claims. That’s because digital apps that qualify households for assistance eliminate the possibility of housing specialists unlawfully influencing the submission of an application or steering applicants to certain properties. Here are three ways to leverage digital affordable housing workflows to help keep in fair housing compliance. Stay Non-Partial While it is natural for employees to want to help customers, a hands-off approach is often better for everyone. Fair housing laws dictate that households are free to seek residency wherever they like. Neighborhoods or city districts cannot lawfully be unwelcoming, inaccessible or unavailable to households because specific demographic criteria. The most basic way to make sure affordable housing applicants have the freedom to consider a property for residence is to leave the decision up to them. Housing specialists should not be part of the process of deciding what neighborhood would be best for a prospective renter, lest you expose your organization to the perception of steering applicants to properties. Publicizing available units on the web ensures everyone has equal access to your list of properties and vacant units. There’s no need for your team to tell applicants about one property or the other because your applicants can see all vacancies online without need for assistance. Eliminate the Language Barrier Housing providers must accommodate...

How can property owners meet the growing demand for environmental, social and governance performance accountability from residents, tenants and investors? Yardi client representatives who lead ESG reporting for their organizations and an official from GRESB, the ESG benchmark for real estate assets, recently offered some insight. Juliette Apicella, director of sustainability for Atlanta-based apartment owner and manager Gables Residential Services, was one of three industry experts who appeared on a YASC Global panel. “More investors are interested in details about our ESG policies and achievements,” she said. That prompted the company to use ESG as “a tool that helps us monitor our assets’ environmental performance as a driver of returns.” Gables has stepped up its recruitment of employees, partners and residents in the effort to incorporate environmental priorities into its operations. Another panelist, Jennifer Plesnicar, vice president for Chicago-area industrial developer and manager CenterPoint Properties Trust, sounded a similar note: “ESG is becoming more important each year” among multiple company stakeholders. “How a company responds to ESG expectations can impact operations ranging from borrowing rates to talent attraction and tenant retention,” she said. The widespread attention to ESG is “pushing the real estate industry forward,” said the third panelist, Dan Winters, head of Americas for GRESB, which collects and validates data and disseminates it to more than 150 institutional real estate investors around the world. “Getting accurate ESG data, rolling it up to the portfolio level and sharing it with the industry increases insight for a company, which appeals to its institutional investors, and also provides better outcomes for GRESB participants.” Overcoming data gathering challenges All panelists agreed that the principal challenge to managing an organization’s ESG performance is gathering, tracking and disseminating the consumption data necessary to formulate ESG actions. “A lot of...

Ready to explore our Yardi EHR mobile apps? Each app — Care Stream and EHR Assessments — has undergone a fresh round of enhancements built to help senior living staff succeed. Keep reading to learn about the latest functionality in both apps: New functionality & expanded compatibility in Care Stream Thanks to Care Stream’s 1.29 update and release, senior care staff can now utilize a simplified task workflow. Shown as either their resident or task summary view, the enhanced workflow displays upcoming tasks using clear, pre-configured icons — all crafted to help staff streamline daily responsibilities and deliver better care. When caregivers enter the task summary view, they’ll see a resident photo, an icon related to a particular task and a color-coded icon representing the level of assistance needed. So if a resident is due for a bath that day, caregivers will see a bath icon in conjunction with a green icon representing minimal assistance, a yellow icon for moderate assistance or a red icon indicating extensive assistance. This means staff members see exactly how to care for each resident — and how much assistance is needed — at a glance. For staff with vision impairments or non-English speakers, these icons are especially beneficial. In addition to viewing their entire task list, staff can also use the icons to filter by individual task for added convenience and time savings. And that’s not all — the Care Stream app also received a compatibility update. Windows 10 users can now download Care Stream directly to their laptop or tablet, rather than utilizing the desktop version. This allows more staff, across varying communities, to utilize the app and access its benefits. Ready to see more? Be sure to download the Yardi EHR Care Stream app on the...