As the senior living industry continues searching for solutions to ongoing workforce shortages and rampant burnout, software solutions like Yardi Voyager can simplify tasks and increase employee satisfaction. Finding and keeping the right employees remains an ongoing challenge for senior living providers. In fact, according to research firm Holleran, after a fairly short “honeymoon period” of one year, worker engagement begins to decline, leading employees to seek out new opportunities and resulting in a 42% average turnover rate for life plan communities. These losses translate into real money: The average cost of turnover per employee can be up to 50% of that employee’s salary, with true turnover costs for registered nursing hovering above $65,000 per employee. “Turnover in our industry’s been pretty high,” admits Angela Kennedy, Senior Accountant for Commonwealth Assisted Living. “Just being able to recruit and retain top talent is challenging.” “Our People Set Us Apart” With a set of core values focused on helping seniors “age with dignity,” Commonwealth Assisted Living operates 23 communities throughout Virginia. Founded in 2002 by Richard J. Brewer, the company values leadership from within and strives to create an atmosphere of teamwork and transparency. As one of the largest providers of independent living, assisted living and memory care in the state, Commonwealth cares for over 1,500 residents. “Our people set us apart from other providers,” says Brewer, “We work hard, and are not afraid to do things differently.” The centralized recordkeeping, customized menus and easy to relevant records available through Yardi Voyager® Senior Housing allows Commonwealth staffers to do their jobs much for effectively, but that’s not the only benefit. According to Angela, the simplified data entry system and streamlined record keeping also help employees feel more engaged by freeing them from mundane, repetitive tasks so they...

Whether you are a director, care provider or sales and marketing professional, you won’t want to miss the Yardi Senior Living Forum. With an eye towards expanding training and networking opportunities for Yardi clients, Yardi launched the Yardi Senior Living Forum in 2016. After the resounding success of the inaugural event, a second Yardi Senior Living Forum has been scheduled March 29-30 in Santa Barbara, Ca. The smaller event offers a more focused presentation of Yardi products designed to meet the specialized needs of clients working in the senior living industry. Participants will get the opportunity to gain deeper insight into the Yardi Senior Living Suite, including Voyager Senior Housing, Yardi EHR, Senior CRM and RentCafe Senior Living. “Support is a focus for us,” Ray Elliott, Vice President of Senior Living, explained when the 2016 Senior Living Forum debuted. “That includes how we help the client to implement the product, and ongoing support afterward “We recognize that the senior living industry has unique training staffing needs.” A YASC Alternative Set against the backdrop of sunny Santa Barbara, the “American Riviera,” the primary goal of the Yardi Senior Living Forum is to create a one-of-kind educational and networking experience. While YASC will continue to be a valuable resource for Senior Living clients to attend classes on general functionality and ancillary modules, the conference now includes only a limited amount of Senior Living specific content. For expanded, detailed coverage of the products in the Senior Living Suite, the Forum is the best option. The forum will provide in-depth instruction by Yardi Senior Living technical staff, along with product roundtables and product roadmap sessions. The Forum will benefit operational staff, including executive directors and administrators, clinical directors and healthcare professionals, sales and marketing staff, and business managers. A full conference registration includes...

With its mild weather and low-cost housing, Florida has held the crown for top retirement destination for decades. However, what once intrigued and lured senior citizens to Gulf Coast condominiums and South Beach high rises no longer carries sway. A new era of retirees are changing the notion of “ideal retirement location.” The king has been deposed, and though Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach still maintains some allure, the top spots now include more than a few unlikely candidates. A Different Kind of Retiree SmartAsset recently set out to discover what U.S. cities were best for active retirement. What they found was a shift away from quiet, sedentary twilight years. Instead, today’s seniors want stronger community connections, friendly tax policies, and all the amenities associated with an active lifestyle. With boomers poised to dominate all facets of senior living over the next several decades, the cliché of aimless retirees splitting time between golf and bingo has changed. As a reflection of this shift, SmartAsset chose to study the nation’s top cities based on this new set of metrics. What they found upends some of the most basic assumptions about what makes a perfect golden years retreat. The Active Lifestyle SmartAsset considered four metrics for their study: average effective tax rate, the number of doctors per 1000 residents, the number of retirement centers per 1000 inhabitants, and percentage of population made up by senior citizens. When assessing a city’s active lifestyle compatibility, SmartAsset determined the area’s Walk Score, which measures pedestrian navigability, safety and convenience. They also took into account the number of golf courses per 100,000 residents (some standards still apply!). Another key data point measured the number of other fitness-related businesses, like gyms, recreations centers and sporting goods stores, in the area. Once...