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 nearly time for the annual Argentum Senior Living Leadership Summit, a 4-day event gathering thought leaders and policy makers in senior living. This one takes place December 5-8 in Amelia Island, Florida. With a range of speakers set to host inspiring sessions, the can’t-be-missed event will spark conversations on the most pressing topics in senior living. Most importantly, leaders will discuss relevant solutions for today’s challenges. You’ll find team Yardi at the summit, too. We’re pleased to be a sponsor and we can’t wait to meet you there. Check out the details Argentum is a leading association in senior living. They’ve proudly advocated for choice, independence and quality of life for all seniors since 1990. They’re expert at bringing industry leaders together for insightful discussions, networking and learning. And this year’s summit, inviting C-suite and corporate leadership from senior living’s most influential companies, is no exception. Hosted at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, the schedule includes: The Argentum Board of Directors and member group meetings (December 5-6)The Argentum Advocacy Fund Golf Classic (December 6)The Senior Living Leadership Summit (December 7-8) Speaking sessions start December 7, covering intriguing topics such as: Tested Strategies for Driving OccupancyDemographic Strategies for the Post-COVID EraWorkforce Technology and Solutions You can check out a more detailed agenda from Argentum. For a list of event speakers, visit this page.   Meet with us at the Argentum Senior Living Leadership Summit Not only is this a stellar opportunity to convene with fellow leaders, address industry obstacles and discuss the future of senior living, it’s also a chance to explore innovative solutions built to drive your business forward. We invite you to find team Yardi to chat about our single connected solution, designed for the unique needs of senior living management. We’ll...

Did you know women hold 70% of senior living management jobs? Still, despite being dominated by female leadership, the senior living industry lacks equal representation in the C-suite. That’s exactly why leading association Argentum is stepping in to drive change. We’re pleased to highlight Argentum’s Women in Leadership (WIL) mentorship program, a monumental grassroots effort to develop C-suite diversity. The program was officially launched at this year’s Argentum Senior Living Conference & Expo. Argentum kickstarts Women in Leadership program If you attended Argentum 2021, you may have witnessed the WIL launch in the “Are you building relationships or leveraging them?” session. Team Yardi was proud to attend and learn about the impactful program, which is all about opportunity and balance. Led by Collette Gray, president and CEO of Integral Senior Living, the program will guide women on their paths to more senior-level positions. And the program’s support subcommittee is something special. Including two inspiring Yardi clients, CEO of Clearwater Senior Living Danielle Morgan and COO of Thrive Senior Living Nicole Moberg, the group will support women in the program.   Other subcommittee members include COO/EVP of Century Park Esmerelda Lee, CEO of Arena Myra Norton and the group’s chairwoman, CEO and Co-Founder of Connected Living Sarah Hoit.   The program has four pillars of focus including education, support, celebration and measurement. Argentum anticipates an abundance of interest, too. Mainly because they’re making it easy for women to sign up via a quick online survey. Once they’re signed up, women are matched with mentors and the supportive journey begins. The Women in Leadership program is paving the way for females in senior living. We encourage you to read more about WIL...

The annual Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference Argentum wasn’t live with thousands in attendance as is usually the case, but it still lived up to its legacy as a major event in the professionally managed senior living community industry. Held in September and hosted by a major national trade association, Argentum offered 30 hours of programming over three days. Leaders from Life Care Services, Mather, Eclipse Senior Living, Heritage Communities and other providers offered tips on such timely topics as shifting from survival mode to a sales-oriented environment, giving buyers a seamless journey (“omnichannel marketing”), protecting health data from cyberattacks and staying ahead of COVID-19. Besides sponsoring registration for the event, Yardi’s principal contribution was hosting a virtual session that addressed how advanced business intelligence technology can drive informed decision-making. Senior living executives J.R. Southerland and Richard Nix focused on one of Yardi’s new contributions to efficient senior living management – Yardi Senior IQ, a BI solution designed for senior living that compiles portfolio-wide information. Southerland and Nix explained how executives can use Yardi Senior IQ to execute benchmarking, elevate reporting to investors, board members and others, and deliver details on everything from unit availability to current market rates. Please contact us if you would like to know more about the business intelligence presentation or the Argentum conference in...

Argentum’s largest event of the year is back. And this time, it’s virtual. The Senior Living Executive Conference, originally scheduled for the spring, is now set for September 22-24. Out of consideration for safety, Argentum leadership made the choice back at the start of the pandemic to go virtual, but they’re committed to making the experience as valuable and insightful as it’s ever been. “Through the virtual event, we can continue to educate and advance the industry on important matters through a medium more accessible and convenient given the extraordinary circumstances we are facing as an industry and as a country,” said James Balda in an email announcing the decision. “We can incorporate much of what we are learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as focus on what support the industry needs to get through — and eventually beyond — this crisis.” Argentum is offering 30 hours of programming across the three-day live event. From big general sessions with C-suite panelists to smaller breakouts across multiple tracks, there are plenty of opportunities to come together. Those include sessions with best practices and lessons learned for COVID-19. Plan on attending? We hope you do. We’re sponsoring the registration this year, and we’re also hosting a special Zoom Room discussion about business intelligence that you don’t want to miss. Join us for our virtual session Today’s communities require data that combines real-time financial, clinical and marketing intelligence. How can technological advances in BI help? Richard Nix and J.R. Southerland from the Yardi Senior Living team will discuss emerging technologies and how they could impact your community, including your operational processes, resources and residents. We plan to highlight Yardi Senior IQ, our new BI tool built for senior living. The solution offers hundreds...

For nearly 30 years, Argentum has been a staple of senior living. The advocacy group, whose membership now represents close to 75 percent of the industry, strives to raise the bar of excellence in communities nationwide. Formerly called the Assisted Living Federation of America, the organization changed its name to Argentum a few years back to reflect the always-evolving industry. They chose the term Argentum for its roots in the Latin word for silver, which pays homage to the silver generation that Argentum members serve. Argentum’s mission did not change, however. They continue to promote choice, dignity, independence and quality of life for seniors. In pursuit of these goals, Argentum has undertaken listening tours across the country, meeting with senior living leaders and exploring concerns. From these research efforts have grown multiple initiatives to accelerate change. New campaigns to support senior living One example of a key senior living concern was the workforce shortage. In the next 6 years, the industry will need to hire an additional 1.2 million people to meet growing demand. About three-quarters of those new hires will be replacements for caregivers who leave the industry. Senior living has an unfortunately high turnover rate, which makes retaining and promoting talent a top priority for Argentum and their members. To that end, Argentum launched Senior Living Works last year. “As an industry, we need to continue to build on the awareness that senior living offers rewarding careers,” said James Balda, Argentum president and CEO, in the announcement. The Senior Living Works website and toolkit offers resources to recruit and engage a thriving workforce. But Argentum isn’t only focused on the labor challenge. In tandem with Senior Living Works, Argentum launched Senior Living IQ, which shares best practices for delivering quality care. The...

The recently released Argentum 2019 Forecast Report takes a quick peek at past senior economic activity as well as current trends and future projections. A Glance Back, Ending 2018 At the end of 2018, the economy added more than 19.4 million net new jobs over the span of 94 consecutive months of expansion. The national unemployment rate dropped below 4 percent, which is the lowest unemployment rate since 2000. The 15 percent improvement in the employment base created a positive foundation for 2019. Looking Forward to 2019 Economic forecasts for 2019 are positive. Argentum projects a robust labor market with ample opportunities for workforce entrants as well as advancement amongst seasoned laborers. The nation’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to increase by 2.8 percent in 2019. Following a 2.9 percent gain in 2018, the projection would represent two historic back-to-back years of growth. It is likely that the Federal Reserve will assume a neutral monetary policy, neither accommodative or restrictive. Trade woes may lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers, particularly on goods imported from China. Senior Households Thanks to recent tax cuts, most households can expect an improved financial outlook. Disposable personal income may increase by 2.6 percent, similar to income increases in 2017 and 2018. For households headed by seniors ages 65 to 74, median income bumped up 1.4 percent to about $50,804 in 2017, the most recent figures reported. While income growth has slowed, expenditures steadily rise. Average household expenditures exceeded $60,000 in 2017, an increase of 4.8 percent from 2016. On trend, seniors are still big spenders. Between 2012 and 2017, expenses in older households increased by 25 percent. In 2017 alone, households headed by seniors ages 65-74 experienced an 8.1 percent increase in expenditures. Seniors were not...

Leading executives will head to Washington D.C. this November to attend one of the senior living industry’s preeminent annual events, the Argentum Fall Symposium. The conference is set to take place November 8-10 at the Courtyard Washington Downtown Convention Center. The event program features three areas of focus for attendees to choose from: sales and occupancy, quality and operational efficiency, and workforce development. Sessions will focus on generating powerful business ideas to improve operations, including the importance of developing an organizational culture that will attract and retain top talent. Yardi is the sponsor of the conference keynote presentation given by Dee Ann Turner, vice president of sustainability for Chick-fil-A and corporate talent expert. Turner brings more than thirty years of experience hiring and developing talent and transforming organizational culture. She works with companies around the globe, helping transform businesses with an “It’s my pleasure” service model. According to Turner, two of the most important differentiators of a business are its talent and its culture. She believes businesses are built by growing relationships with customers and culture is created by the stories those relationships tell. When companies recognize the value of individuals, they succeed not only ethically, but financially as well. “We’re not in the chicken business, we’re in the people business,” says Turner of Chick-fil-A, which was named the number one fast food restaurant in America. “For us, in our quest to impact lives, selling chicken is only a means to an end.” She learned all the wisdom she shares from Chick-fil-A’s founder, Truett Cathy, who was known for recruiting top-tier talent and cultivating and nurturing a culture rooted in integrity, loyalty, generosity and excellence. “A company’s culture is its soul. It will define the way employees interact with one another and guests and has the potential to reach...

Thought leaders and influential policy makers are headed to the annual Argentum Chief Executive Summit hoping to uncover ways to foster innovation and address the most significant business issues affecting the future of the senior living industry. The event is set to take place Wednesday and Thursday, September 12-13, in Boston, Massachusetts. A benefit of Premier Membership with Argentum, the summit provides networking opportunities as well as informational sessions and a lineup of inspiring guests. Speakers include Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Sociobiologist Rebecca Costa and Senior Economist and Policy Advisor Dr. Christopher Foote, among others. Program highlights include sessions focused on the impact of the economy on senior living workforce trends, midterm policy implications, the changing face of media communications and technology, in the form of a senior living science fair. Participants will also tour the MIT Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and take a private riverboat cruise on the Charles River. Attendees can schedule time to meet with Yardi to learn more about its single connected solution for senior living...

Hurricane season is here! Even if you have a previously existing plan, it’s worth updating it with new resources for staff and residents. Check out these suggestions for thorough hurricane preparedness for senior living communities. Post evacuation plans in large print Ensure that building evacuation plans are clearly posted, in large print and with large graphics, on each floor of each building. It may also be helpful to email residents and their loved ones a copy of the city evacuation routes. Though they may not read it immediately, they will have it as a references when the time approaches. Prepare the property Make sure that gutters and downspouts are cleared for the best water management possible. Trim back trees and shrubs, particularly branches that are already weak or worrisome, to minimize property damage and projectiles. If residents are not required to completely vacate the property, ensure that there is an adequate store of plywood, nails, and other materials that can help maintenance fortify windows leading to units and public spaces. Honor staff efforts Create a way to honor staff that excel during times of crisis. Let them know that their efforts are appreciated by residents and leadership within the company. The Argentum Hero Award, for example, was given to Lisa Thomas for her work during Hurricane Harvey. Thomas is a life enrichment coordinator at Sabine Place, an Enlivant community in Orange, Texas. When the storm forced an evacuation of her community and several relocations as a result, Thomas made the most of the situation and left a lasting legacy at many of Enlivant’s sister communities during temporary stays. Residents: Create personal support networks The American Red Cross recommends that seniors create a personal support network. This network consists of multiple people who will check...

During the recent Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference in San Diego, sociobiologist  Rebecca Costa shared scientific breakthroughs that are prolonging the lives—and quality of life– for seniors. Preventing Falls In seniors, falls are directly linked to shorter lifespans. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that the death rate from falls among adults ages 65 and over has increased 31 percent from 2007 to 2016. The rate is growing the fastest among seniors aged 85 or more years. Understanding the cause of falls has helped researchers develop tools to prevent them. An article in the National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health reveals that changes in gait are the predecessors to falls. Gait disorders are often indicative of lesions in the nervous system, adverse side effects from medications, the onset of dementia, or misalignments within the spine, hips, or knees. With advanced technology called predictive analytics, caregivers can now foretell when a person is going to trip within three weeks with 86 percent accuracy. Sensors attached to the senior or the senior’s support mechanism (such as a can or walker) can detect a 3-5 centimeter per second change in gait, walk or stride. This information is then sent to caregivers in the form of a digital alert. The information sent by the sensors can help caregivers determine the best method of treatment for the senior. Treatment could include physical therapy, alterations to a sedative prescription, or tests for brain and nervous system health. By preventing falls through Predictive Analytics and accessories, seniors can avoid assisted living for up to four years. Nanobots Promote Health from the Inside, Out A post released by the World Economic Forum explores how nanobots are being used to fight cancer. Nanomachines, or nanobots, are robots made of organic,...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Yardi Senior Living Forum kicked off two days of classes and networking with an insightful presentation from Argentum President and CEO James Balda, who revealed two of the most pressing challenges facing the senior living industry. Argentum, the leading trade organization for senior living, was formerly called the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA). The organization recently changed its name to reflect the evolving nature of the industry, Balda shared. Senior living communities now encompass multiple lifestyles and care standards, which require a broader definition than simply “assisted living.” Argentum, which means silver in Latin, is intended to reflect the clientele the industry serves as well as the organization’s intent to set leading standards for senior living communities across the nation. With the “silver tsunami” of aging Baby Boomers set to have a major impact over the next decade, there will be an increased focus on senior housing and care. But right now, the industry faces two major challenges, Balda revealed: labor shortfalls and declining occupancy. “We are struggling everywhere, in all markets around the country, to find talent,” he said. The industry currently employs around 1 million people, but in the next 7 years will need to hire 1.2 million more. Around 900,000 of those will be replacements for existing staff due to the industry’s high turnover rate in a tight labor market. The additional 300,000 will be new hires to meet the needs of aging Baby Boomers. “Senior living isn’t really seen as a career path. Nobody is waking up in the morning as a kid and saying ‘I want to go into senior living for my career,’” Balda said. But the good news is that senior living does have a compelling mission as an industry and...