With more senior living options than ever, competition is fierce for would-be residents. Communities must set themselves apart to attract customers – and the most effective way to do that is through online marketing. It might come as a surprise, but Baby Boomers spend more time on the internet than Millennials, with 31% reporting they use their laptop, tablet or phone more than 15 hours per week. So how do senior living operators get the biggest bang for their buck? The answer is simple: CRM. What is CRM, exactly, and how does it help cut through a crowded marketplace to grow occupancy? First, a definition: CRM stands for customer relationship management. It is technology used to oversee interactions with potential clients with the goal of improving relationships through use of data. CRM software captures both qualitative and quantitative data across various channels and stores it in one centralized location to paint a holistic view of prospects, surfacing insights to make strategic decisions and optimize your marketing. This increased visibility boosts the effectiveness of your outreach. And because CRM allows you to track and analyze the performance of various online marketing vehicles to see where your dollars are working hardest. you can decide which campaign types are most meaningful for your business. Here are just a few of the ways CRM helps optimize marketing spend to maximize ROI. Tailor Messaging The first step of developing an effective marketing effort is identifying your audience and what types of marketing content they respond to. CRM systems like Yardi Senior CRM allow you see prospects’ interactions and identify which channels and messages are most compelling. If consumers are ignoring display ads but opening your emails, you can dial down advertising spend and invest more resources in refining your...
Nevada HAND
Readiness. Excellence. Growth.
Robert Colbert, VP of Assisted Living with Nevada HAND, has seen his fair share of clinical software. About 14 years ago, he started by making rounds as a registered nurse. Today, he is an executive of Nevada’s largest affordable housing provider. He has experienced software as a daily user in the field as well as a leader with his eye on the bottom line. Colbert trusts Yardi to support the next chapter of growth for Nevada HAND. “Everything from operations to marketing to nursing, I believe that we have almost every one of your products,” he said. Achieving Excellence As Nevada’s largest nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to the development, construction, management and preservation of affordable housing, Nevada HAND has assisted many thousands of Southern Nevada residents to have a place to call home. Currently, Nevada HAND provides affordable apartment homes to over 7,200 adults, children, and seniors. Nevada HAND owns and/or manages 34 properties with over 4,200 apartment homes. Nevada HAND also has the only two affordable assisted living communities in the State of Nevada. The leadership for the assisted living division has strong relationships with The Board of Examiners for Long Term Care Administrators and provides their communities as a precepting site for future licensed administrators and also sit on the Assisted Living Advisory Council to provide a voice for changing the senior living industry through policy and regulations. Nevada HAND works with fellow industry leaders to develop best practices for senior care facilities throughout the State of Nevada. In the field, their Westcliff Pines property received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Award, the highest recognition level for environmental design and construction. The organization also received a US Green Building Council “Excellence in Operation” award. Nevada HAND’s two assisted living...
Meet Breck Austin
Tech Questions Answered
When you think about your senior residents and their families, do you think of words like “tech savvy,” and “forward thinking?” You should. Breck Austin, VP of operational services with Clearwater Living of Newport Beach, understands the importance of exceeding clients’ growing tech expectations. His organization has identified software that allows the company to advance with the times. We sat down with Austin to learn how the organization uses RENTCafé and Senior CRM to make life easier for residents and staff. Q: What are one or two business objectives you’ve been addressing over the last year? A: At Clearwater Living, our objective is to enhance residents’ experience in the senior platform. So one of the things we look at is technology. We look at how do we make ourselves more relevant? How do we make the residents’ experience relevant? We use a variety of things that we are addressing, from technology down to our philosophy of care. Q: How did Yardi technology help you accomplish this? A: Yardi technology was the best thing that ever happened to us in a growing state. It provided one single integrated platform that allowed us to address the growing need of the family’s involvement and their need to know what’s going on, transparency, to our consumers. So, it’s no longer just a resident living in our community. We’re addressing the family members or those that are responsible for members of our communities. The ability to communicate with them through technology, Yardi provided that outlet for us. And it’s integrated so that it addresses all areas of our touch points and building on the connections with our residents. Q: What Yardi products have been most transformative for you and why? A: Two products that have been transformative to the...
LeadingAge Texas
Senior Living Conference
What if there was a conference that offered answers to some of your most pressing property management problems? What if you could connect with other industry members and brainstorm solutions to emerging issues? You can do both at LeadingAge Texas in Austin, set for May 19-22. LeadingAge Texas annual conference guides not-for-profit members in their efforts to better serve seniors through advocacy, networking, services and education. This year promises to be better than ever! LeadingAge celebrates its 60th anniversary with a four-day conference packed with more than 45 sessions. Join 400 aging services professionals as you acquire the latest best practices and get real solutions to challenges that you face. Learn from your peers as well as session leaders. The agenda offers a variety of insightful courses and activities. Session topics include clinical excellence, operational success, policy, regulations and finance, ethics and leadership. You will also discover a myriad of ways to create thriving communities and strong workforces. This year’s theme is “What If.” It will be explored through conference sessions as well as an awards ceremony, fundraiser and an attendant-driven community service project. There will be an opportunity for you to get involved! Details will be revealed at the conference. Keep the learning going in the fun atmosphere of the Expo. Enjoy food, music, drinks and entertainment while you tour the booths. There will be nearly 100 exhibitors showcasing the latest in services, products, and technology. Be sure to visit Yardi at the Expo! Stop by booth #79 to learn how software and services can improve your bottom line and quality of service. Be sure to let us know you’d like to meet...
Argentum 2019
Connect. Discover. Advance.
There are several worthy conferences vying for the attendance of senior living professionals this year. One should definitely make the cut: Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference & Expo. This unparalleled experience equips you with the resources needed to take your organization to the next level of quality care and success. Argentum 2019 Argentum welcomes you to join more than 2,500 executives from over 750 companies representing about 6,800 communities. Participation continues to grow as attendees pursue excellence in senior living through interactive education, genuine networking, and problem solving. You are invited to explore innovative ideas and strategies presented by Mainstage speakers and session leaders. Find tried-and-true solutions with peers in engaging Hive discussions. Between and after sessions, leverage the expertise of industry vendors at the Expo. Learn about the Yardi Senior Living suite of integrated solutions at expo booth 517! Deep Dive: Women in Leadership This year, Argentum launches Deep Dive: Women in Leadership series. This new initiative celebrates women’s multitudinous contributions to the industry. Three speakers lead the exclusive sessions, offered on Monday, April 15. Shamim Wu, COO, Eclipse Senior Living facilitates “Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Success Stories from the Top.” In this Deep Dive, a panel of women leaders share their path to advancement through difficult times. Gain strength from stories of perseverance, resilience, and determination. Sarah Thomas knows a thing or two about navigating a male-dominated environment. As the NFL’s first female referee, she has broken barriers and forged a trail for other women in unconventional workplaces. In “The Only Woman on the Field: A Fireside Chat with Sarah Thomas, the NFL’s First Female Referee” Thomas empowers you to test barriers, hone inner drive, and never underestimate your personal power. “Lessons from Other Industries on Being an Employer of Choice for Women” explores ways that leading female executives attract, mentor, and retain female talent. This Deep Dive presents opportunities for the senior living industry to enhance the power of its existing workforce and engage new star talent. Discover San Antonio Historic San Antonio serves as the backdrop to this year’s Argentum conference. Enjoy the distinct Spanish architecture, serene parks and festive plazas. You won’t want to miss the city’s exciting foodie culture and fine shopping venues. San Antonio offers an ideal blend of modern amenities and timeless beauty. Register now for the 2019 Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference & Expo April 15-17, 2019 in downtown San Antonio at The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, Texas,...
Senior Finances
Argentum 2019 Forecast Report
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...
Senior Living Utilities...
Forecasts + Trends
Keeping up with utilities and energy costs is a hurdle for most senior living communities. Argentum senior living association recently reported on industry forecasts and trends: about 49 percent of decision makers said energy and utility costs are a moderate challenge for their business. About 5 percent of their peers reported energy and utility costs as a significant challenge. Electricity on the Rise The challenge arises from an increase in energy and utility costs. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that commercial electricity prices increased 3 percent from 2016 to 2017. From 2017 to 2018, businesses witnessed an additional 1 percent increase. In 2019, EIA projects prices to increase an additional .6 percent to 10.86 cents per kilowatt hour. Not all regions are affected equally. The Pacific region may experience a 3.5 percent increase above the national average in 2019. On the lower end of the spectrum, the South Atlantic may experience an increase of only 1.5 percent. Some regions will enjoy a decline in costs. The West South Central may be relieved with a drop of -3.4 percent and New England with a drop of -2.4 percent. Natural Gas Projections The national average for gas prices is expected to average $8.02 per thousand cubic feet in 2019, up 1.5 percent from 2018. Regional variations above the national average include West North Central at 6.4 percent, East North Central at 5.9 percent, and Mountain at 4.2 percent. New England may receive an average price drop of -5.5 percent as well as the Middle Atlantic at -2.7 percent. “The declines won’t be enough to offset the sharp increases registered in 2018,” warned the report. Making Changes Overall, utility costs by square foot varied drastically. Some senior living communities reported costs as low as 69 center...
Medication Management...
The evolution of oversight
Every day, millions of Americans start their morning the same way: with a handful of prescription pills. In fact, nearly a third of all adults take five or more medications regularly. In senior living communities, the number is even higher with the average resident consuming a staggering 12-14 medications per day, thanks, in part, to a concept known as the prescribing cascade. This begins when a drug is prescribed, an adverse drug event (ADE) occurs, and the symptoms are misinterpreted as an entirely new medical condition, for which an additional medication is prescribed. With advancements in science and technology, doctors and their patients now have thousands of different drugs to choose from. The influx of medications available on the market has caused prescription drug use to explode, growing 85% over the last two decades. This trend is exacerbated by a massive number of aging baby boomers, many of whom will soon require care. How can caregivers in the senior living industry manage medications and mitigate risk in an increasingly drug-dependent world? One of the simplest strategies to implement is called the five rights: The Right Drug Prescription medications often have names that are easily mixed up. To minimize confusion between those that look or sound alike, the FDA reviews about 300 drug names a year before they hit the market—and about one-third of the names drug companies propose are rejected. For this reason, it’s critical to double or triple check the order with the label on the prescription packaging. The Right Route There are more than fifteen ways to administer medication, so never make assumptions. A pill, for instance, can be swallowed, crushed or held inside the cheek. Check that the medication can be given as ordered. If it’s an injection, check to see if it should be administered intravenously or intramuscularly. And if the medication lacks specific instructions, ask. The Right Dose Improper dosing is the number one contributing factor to fatal drug errors. When people...
Smarter Senior Living...
5 Benefits of Mobile Charting
It’s never too late to make a resolution for the New Year, especially if it improves efficiencies at your senior housing properties. Resolve to go mobile! When you make the transition to mobile charting, you pave the way to success. What is Mobile Charting? Mobile charting is simply the act of entering resident information on the go. Care staff enters resident data into Yardi Senior Living Suite using a mobile device. Resident data can then be conveniently and securely stored in cloud. Why makes the transition from paper to mobile charting? We’re glad that you asked. Here are five benefits to making the switch. 5 Benefits of Mobile Charting Mobile charting increases care staff time with residents. When staff can’t access a mobile device to enter resident data, they must interrupt their rounds to do so. That means less time engaging with residents and more time tethered to a desk. With mobile charting, care staff naturally integrate data entry into their resident visits. Mobile charting improves accuracy and consistency of resident data. Remember how staff scurries between residents’ rooms and office computers to enter data? In the shuffle, they struggle to remember details from one visit to the next. This may result in inaccuracies and missing data. With mobile charting, there is no lag time between receiving and entering data. Immediate record keeping results in greater accuracy and better care for residents. Mobile charting enhances accountability amongst care staff. With paper charting, it isn’t always easy to tell who altered a file or when. When a staff member logs into Yardi EHR on a mobile device, their contributions to resident files are marked with a date and electronic signature. The automatic features enhance accountability and record keeping. Mobile charting protects resident data. Sheets of...
Together We Care
ORCA Set for Toronto
The Ontario Retirement Communities Association and the Ontario Long Term Care Association have teamed up to bring senior care professionals the learning event of the year. The annual Together We Care conference is just around the corner—and you won’t want to miss it! Together We Care is the largest senior living event in Canada. The conference inspires and connects more than 1,200 senior care professionals. Informative + Engaging Sessions The conference will cover the latest industry updates, best operational practices, trends, innovative programs and housing models for senior services. Gain inspiration and insight from renowned keynote speakers Discover interesting ways how data analytics can support decision making Understand the nuances of consent and advanced care planning (ACP) Learn how to update your legal forms and policies to avoid risk Dive into hot topics like medical and recreational cannabis use Discover solutions for advancing leadership and workforce capacity Learn how you can evolve your operations to prepare for the care of tomorrow’s seniors Explore prevalent and emerging quality of care and quality of life issues Improve client care and satisfaction with a multidisciplinary approach to nutrition and dining And much more! Keynote Speakers Three terrific keynote speakers are scheduled to motivate and encourage attendees. Business powerhouse Arlene Dickinson will share her insights on success: where it came from, what shaped it, and what trials were involved. Get tips for overcoming self-doubt to maximize success. Canadian broadcasting personality Michael Landsberg will spark conversations on mental health in the workplace and beyond. He explains how to beat the stigma around mental illness and save lives in the process. Stand-up comedian Jody Urquhart uses humor to address the stresses of the senior care industry. She will leave the audience inspired to navigate challenges with humor, grace, and a...
Attracting + Retaining Talent
Senior Living
Talent scouting and retention are a hot topic in the senior living industry. Organizations struggle to attract, identify, and retain talent. Without a solution, the industry is poorly equipped to provide quality care. Existing employees are overworked, and residents may wait underserved. The results can be fatal: a European study of 260,000 nurses reveals that increasing a nurse’s workload by one case could increase mortality risk by 7 percent within 30 days of admission. Tactics to improve recruitment and retention are crucial. A Growing Problem According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 53 percent of senior care providers say that “insufficient numbers of quality applicants” is their primary problem. Once talent comes onboard, retention becomes a hurdle. The industry is challenged by a 50 percent turnover rate among direct-care staff. Without drastic changes, the industry will not be able to keep up with growth forecasts. Improved healthcare and living conditions has extended lifespans. There are more Americans living over the age of 65 now than at any other point in history. By 2030, the senior population will increase by 75 percent. The workforce needs to at least double to meet growing demand. Questions to Identify Practical Solutions Reexamining your current protocols for attracting and retaining talent may help you identify problems. The questions below can help you get started: What does your online reputation tell prospects about you? Pretend to be a prospect. Search for your organization online. Consider housing reviews, employer reviews, and social media commentary. What impression do you receive? About 84 percent of organizations use social media to recruit new hires. Are you among them? You may need to revamp your online presence. Begin by addressing the most pressing concerns to arise in the past 30 days. Then work to maintain your online reputation as new content arises. Can qualified talent quickly find your job posting and easily apply? Hone recruitment by focusing on healthcare job listing sites. This approach narrows the pool more quickly than a general online job board. Also consider a referral incentive for current employees. Nurses, for example, have completed specialized training. They may know other qualified graduates in search of work. Do you offer an appealing employee experience? The employee experience is what occurs when employees walk through the door of your community How employees feel about their workplace and management are major factors for retention. Consider: Are employees given clear guidelines for their mission? Do they have a clear career trajectory? Can they easily access a formal and efficient way to voice their concerns and suggestions? Do employees receive tools to help them manage stress, such as free wellness programs and classes? Does the current staff lounge encourage teammates to rest and recharge for the next segment of their shift? Teammates that are balanced, motivated, and supported can provide the best care—and build a respected brand. Does your retention plan realistically address the needs of employees? If you don’t know, ask. You may be surprised by what you find. For example, you may think a hip staff lounge would entice and retain young talent. What you may find is that “56 percent of Millennials said they would take a pay cut to work somewhere that is positively changing the world.” Learn what staff wants before overhauling your retention strategy. Do current teammates feel appreciated? When teammates feel undervalued, they’re likely to take their talents elsewhere. Defeat turnover by creating an employee recognition program. Monthly kudos, annual awards and perks show talent that you appreciate their efforts and value their loyalty. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that healthcare is one of the largest and fastest growing fields in the nation. The numbers are encouraging. As organizations refine their plans to attract, identify, and retain talent, we can turn the tide on the senior care...
The Excel Exodus
New wave of tracking tools
When it comes to Excel, there are two kinds of users: those who love it, and those who love to hate it. Regardless of which camp you’re in, there’s no denying the ubiquitous tracking tool has earned its role as a mainstay in offices in every industry across he world. But as the complexities of business have grown, so has the need for flexible tracking tools—a fact that’s increasingly obvious in senior living. With many different levels of care, various floor plans, myriad amenities and portfolios of communities, new time-saving tools can have a huge impact. In this post, we’ll examine common budgeting and tracking challenges faced by senior living operators and a solution that makes all the difference. The challenges: Antiquated systems are inefficient Since most companies purchase office software packages, it seems most cost efficient to use the spreadsheet that’s included to record and analyze the organization’s budgets. And while that strategy is an effective way to save money on paper, creating a scalable document to track all business operations from a blank tab in Excel is incredibly painstaking and time consuming—and once it’s been created, maintaining the document is no easy feat. If you recall the concept of opportunity costs from freshman economics, you’ll begin to understand that there is no efficiency in sapping countless man hours to make a tool not created for your business actually work for your business. Versions get outdated quickly—and aren’t easily shared Have you ever wasted time updating a spreadsheet only to find that you weren’t looking at the latest version? One of the most common frustrations with using static spreadsheets, rather than live solutions which are updated in real time, is the data becomes stale quickly, especially when multiple teams are making edits. On...
Shifting Perspective
CALA Conference Motivates Leaders
The California Assisted Living Association (CALA) 2018 Fall Conference and Trade show is set for November 5-7 at the Renaissance Palm Springs & Palm Springs Convention Center. The event theme is “Elevate,” inspired by senior living professionals continually seeking to improve clinical care while enhancing residents’ quality of life. The three-day conference focuses on several important issues facing the senior living industry, including: dementia care best practices, legal and regulatory awareness, sales and marketing strategies and leadership and staff culture. Yardi will sponsor the conference luncheon featuring Jennifer Powers, coach, mentor, trainer and author of best-selling book “Oh, Shift!,” which illustrates how making small changes can be life changing. Powers is a leading expert in helping professionals improve their confidence and competence, so they can live and work at their full potential. “What I have found is executives and leaders are the most siloed. They’re the people that have the fewest outlets for sharing their fears, their concerns, their limiting beliefs. They have to put on the face that people need to see in a leader. And what happens is that it perpetuates a low level of confidence, more fear, and something called impostor’s syndrome. It’s the condition that a person finds him or herself in where they don’t believe they’ve really earned the position they have. They feel like they’re a farce that’s soon going to be found out. That any day now, they’re going to be discovered as incompetent. And they just don’t feel like they deserve to be where they are. It’s truly an epidemic,” Powers explains. The coaching she offers provides concrete tools to make positive changes that improve effectiveness in the workplace. “What I do in the world of self-development is really have a strategic conversation built around inquiry. It helps...
Admissions Automation
Ditch paperwork, improve sales
With senior housing occupancy at its lowest level since 2010, attracting new residents to your community can be challenging. Staff must work harder than ever to get prospects into the pipeline—but getting seniors in the door is just the first step for your sales team. They call it the sales process for good reason. Moving senior living prospects through the funnel and closing the deal requires, on average, 25 contacts—calls, emails, appointments, tours—over the course of two years. Conversion is a marathon, not a sprint. And as many salespeople will tell you: a lot can happen during those weeks and months leading up to a signed lease. Prospects can change their minds, become frustrated or disinterested, or find another community or course of care, among other things. How can sales teams mitigate prospect fallout and increase conversion? Shorten and simplify the sales cycle. One way to do that is using automation to reduce paperwork and streamline the closing process. Because when so much effort goes into the pipeline, dealing with fall through in the final stages is not only heartbreaking, but also costly to the business. That’s why 68% of best-in-class sales teams have made the switch to electronic signatures to improve the customer experience and close deals faster. In fact, companies who use automation tools like e-signatures during the admissions process are 18% more likely to shorten their sales cycles. According to an IDC white paper on bridging the document disconnect in sales, there are plenty of opportunities for companies to impact their sales process by going paperless. Here are a few ways automation in the sales process can benefit your business: Increase staff efficiency Salespeople spend more than 36% of their time on administrative tasks—and less than two thirds of their time on their core job function: completing the sale. If that’s not concerning enough, consider that 43% of office staff say they need to use several disconnected systems and often have to copy and paste or rekey information, an error-prone and time-consuming process. Employing automation, like templatized electronic leases and e-signatures, during the sales cycle not only takes the guesswork out of document generation, it eliminates the frustrating use of disparate systems that draws out the closing process. Build prospect rapport The typical senior living community receives 31 new inquiries per month. That’s a lot of prospects to keep track of week-over-week, all year long. Fostering a positive relationship with a would-be resident is critical to winning their business. Automating the capture of information as a step in the sales cycle not only ensures that personal details are collected, it guarantees they’re retained and visible to the entire sales team. Reduce errors We love office supplies as much as the next person, but those little “sign here” sticky arrows aren’t doing your community any favors. Consider that 36% of sales leaders say agreements are missing signatures or dates—or have been signed by the wrong person altogether—and another 51% say that documents are often misfiled or lost. Systematized residency agreements and e-signatures, like those found in Yardi Senior CRM, eliminate paperwork and reduce the disorganization and disarray that come along with paper records, curtailing costly mistakes and missed opportunities. Optimize customer experience 40% of front office staff say the documents they send to prospects don’t always display or print correctly, and 38% say recipients sometimes can’t even open them. Imagine a lengthy sales process involving emails and call follow-up, meetings and tours, family visits and stacks of paperwork—and all that’s left between you and closing the deal is a required signature on the lease. You’ve completed the document, crossed all the t’s and dotted the i’s, and sent it to the prospect to print and sign, only to find out that the images won’t render, and the lease cannot be inked. A deal that was all but done is now in limbo, and you’ve left your prospective resident with...
Empowering Nurses
SRI Uses Yardi EHR + eMAR
Dennis McCarthy, chief information officer at Florida’s SRI Management, knows that nurses are critical to providing quality care for residents. Keeping clinical staff happy means making sure they’ve got the tools they need to do their jobs as easily and efficiently as possible. That starts with ensuring they have access to the most accurate, up-to-date patient health records. “Satisfying nurses is the number one thing. You don’t want them on a separate system; once you have people on two systems you have all sorts of issues—nurses are trying to figure out which record is current and things like that. Integration to the core software is critical,” McCarthy explained. That’s why SRI, already successfully using several modules in the Yardi Senior Living Suite, adopted Yardi EHR and eMAR last July. “We just had nurses watch it in action,” said McCarthy. Once the staff got their first look, they were hooked. The team began using EHR right away to record resident incidents. Documentation was simple and everything that was logged was immediately appended to residents’ files in the database and kept as part of their permanent record. But the best part was that all the information was readily available after the fact, said Casey Polk, chief nurse and director of resident services. She finds that feature indispensable. “At my fingertips in the Yardi platform, I have easy access to what nurses wrote and charted about each incident and how it was handled. I can quickly pull up the chart and read the notes and have all the information on hand. And I love that the software also has reports on resident activity, new orders and missed medications. It allows me to follow up with my staff based on what has or hasn’t been charted that week,”...
AHCA/NCAL Convention
Senior Living Heads to SoCal
For senior living providers, it’s time to break out the flip flops. This fall, October 7-10, thousands of leading long term and post-acute care professionals will travel to southern California to attend the annual AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo at the San Diego Convention Center. The conference, celebrating its sixty-ninth year, is designed to address current operating and care challenges, also hosts the largest trade show in the industry. So what can attendees expect from this three-day event? Beyond the traditional convention sessions—seventy in all with topics ranging from making data-driven decisions to the forthcoming PDPM implementation—there are many unique events offered. Attendees can partake in a San Diego Harbor Cruise, visit the USS Midway Museum aboard one of America’s longest-serving aircraft carriers, attend AHCA’s annual PAC concert and enjoy a gala dinner with entertainment by Grammy award-winning artist Kenny Loggins. NCAL will also host the 12th Annual NCAL Day dedicated to thought-provoking education specifically tailored to the assisted living sector of long-term care. Keynote speakers include retired astronaut and Navy Captain Scott Kelly, who challenges audiences to dream big, test the status quo and “choose to do the hard things,” along with award-winning motivator Dan Thurmon and mindset expert Steve Taubman. The goal of every convention session is that attendees will take home one to three immediately implementable strategies to improve their business. With actionable insights, networking opportunities, and exceptional events on the schedule, this year’s AHCA/NCAL conference and expo is sure to be a memorable...
SMASH in Chicago
Yardi sponsors 5th Summit
Yardi is headed to the Windy City, along with throngs of senior living providers, to attend 5th annual SMASH summit taking place October 1-3 at the Loews Hotel O’Hare in Chicago. The conference is geared toward sales and marketing professionals intent on learning new strategies to make their communities stand out. Attendees will choose from workshops focused on content marketing, digital marketing, leadership and innovation, sales management, small teams marketing and technology to discover actionable takeaways. The conference also features many insightful speakers, including Yardi’s own Richard Nix, senior director of senior living, who will share insights about using customer relationship management (CRM) in senior living to supercharge marketing efforts, strengthen client relationships and ultimately drive occupancy. Nix says: “I’m honored to be speaking at SMASH this year. This conference is all about sharing with and learning from peers in the industry, so I’m excited to offer some strategies for senior living providers to increase their efficiency and grow their communities.” Other presenters include keynote speakers Kate O’Neil, tech humanist and author, and Chuck Harry, National Investment Center (NIC) chief of research and...
Food for Thought
Yardi Boise Gives Back
Yardi’s corporate culture includes a focus on community service. In the Yardi Boise office, a team of employees focused professionally on the senior living product suite decided to bring that value to life by participating in two local efforts aimed at combating hunger. First, staff partnered with Metro Meals on Wheels to serve 80 seniors in the community. Since many of the elders that benefit from Meals on Wheels are homebound and unable to prepare their own food, they rely on meal delivery as their primary source of nutrition. The Boise office team was happy to help with distributing food, cleaning, and socializing with seniors. Metro Meals on Wheels serves meals to nearly 1,000 Boise senior citizens each weekday and over 700 each weekend. Inspired by their work with Meals on Wheels, the team sought a new philanthropic challenge, this time joining with the Idaho Foodbank. The independent non-profit organization is entirely donor supported and is the largest food bank and distributor of free food assistance in Idaho. One in seven Idahoans are in need, and the food bank is making strides to not only provide meals but to promote healthy, locally-sourced foods. In fact, three quarters of the food distributed by the Idaho Foodbank is fresh or fresh frozen versus shelf stable, up from just fifty percent six years ago. So when the organization was hosting a food drive, the Yardi staff was excited to participate. This time, they volunteered to put together meals for the federally sponsored Seniors’ program and gathered donations of juice, cereal, milk and eggs into individual meal boxes. In all, the 60 employees assembled 15 palettes of meals, estimated to contain an amazing 14,000 pounds of food, to be distributed to local seniors. That’s more than enough to...
Senior Living
Improving Employee Retention
The senior living industry employs close to a million people, and the sector is expected to add nearly 300,000 jobs by 2026. With employee turnover already a worrisome—and costly—issue, companies need to arm themselves to keep up with demand. That means thinking not just about hiring, but also retaining key staff. What does it take to temper employee turnover? It’s not just about more money. If you want to keep employees in this competitive landscape, it’s about engaging staff by creating a truly employee-centric culture. Here’s how: Build an environment of recognition In order to realize the significance of their roles, staff need to feel appreciated by management, their peers and by residents. Sadly, only 21 percent of employees think they’re truly valued in the workplace. The good news? 44 percent say they’d regularly give peer-to-peer recognition if it were easy to do. Develop simple, quick ways to deliver acknowledgement, and make sure that it’s visible across the organization. You might be surprised how much feeling appreciated boosts morale. Promote balance with flexible scheduling Practicing work-life balance in the long-term care industry, where many residents require round-the-clock care, can prove to be more challenging than in other industries. But giving employees some flexibility is possible. Start by setting a quota on number of weekends and holidays worked, then allow staff to set schedules autonomously by working with colleagues to optimize their hours. Talk to standout staff Reach out to the best of the best on your team and ask important questions: What motivates them? Why do they stay? What could you be doing better? Find out what makes them tick, then apply these learnings to the greater organization. There’s no input more valuable than from top performers who are satisfied and come to work...
Streamlined Success
Electronic Invoicing for Senior Living
With seventeen communities—and more on the way—each submitting 100-200 invoices a month, Linda Adams was shuffling a lot of paper. As the Accounting Manager for Northbridge Companies, a New England-based senior living provider, much of her time used to be spent digging up receipts or tracking down paper records across various decentralized offices. “When I had questions, I had to call another office and ask them. They’d have to find the invoice, scan it, send it to me for review. It was very time consuming on both ends.” But now, solving a discrepancy is “easy, easy, easy,” thanks to Yardi PAYscan. In 2011, Northbridge adopted Yardi’s Procure to Pay vendor management and electronic invoicing platform to streamline invoicing across all properties. The new system allowed the accounting department to access invoices and check whether payments had cleared without having to pick up the phone to call another office. In other words, team members could self-serve, reducing internal dependencies and churn. But time savings wasn’t the only benefit of a new system. PAYscan eliminates copying, mailing, and storing paper—and minimizes touch points that can lead to lost invoices and data entry errors. “There’s no need for us to use up valuable office space with paper invoices anymore when it’s all right there electronically. Once the tax returns are done, we can throw the documents out,” Linda says. “I can go back and look at invoices from 2012, and it’s right there. Plus, I work from home a few days a week, and it really cuts down on all that lugging paper back and forth.” The Northbridge team appreciates PAYscan’s versatility, too. “You can make the approval process as intricate or as easy as you want, which I love,” said Linda. Customizable workflows, flexible payment options...
Luxury Senior Living
Client visit to Clearwater at Riverpark in Oxnard
Any preconceived notions of what a senior living community might look like went out the window when we walked into Clearwater at Riverpark last month for a client site visit. The state-of-the-art independent living community, completed in April 2018, markets a fine living experience for independent seniors, but after our tour, we would argue that’s an understatement. Upon entering the lobby, reminiscent of a high-end hotel with a glittering chandelier and living wall, Clearwater staff members greeted the Yardi Senior Living team. The crew of account reps, engineers and marketers who support Yardi’s Senior Living Suite and the clients who use it came prepared for a tour—and a glimpse of what life is like inside a resort-like adult community. Senior living has evolved, offering unique and varied options to a new generation of seniors. Clearwater at Riverpark represents a turning point, led by a contingent of baby boomers that refuses to resign themselves to assumptions of what life looks like post retirement. This upscale set demands not only the best care as they age, but top-shelf lifestyle amenities as well. “We call it a cruise ship on land, ” said Breck Austin, vice president of support services of Clearwater Senior Living, as he kicked off the tour poolside. “You should see this place on the weekends.” Every Saturday and Sunday, residents’ families, grandchildren in tow, pack the patio, splashing in the water and playing bocce ball. The next stop was the movie theater, with rows of leather recliners, blackout windows, and a snack bar. Each Friday, this is where residents gather for dinner and a movie night. Residents vote on what film will play every week and enjoy the show as staff take entree orders. From there, the Yardi team got to observe a morning cooking class. Residents revved up high-powered blenders for smoothies and took turns making new breakfast treats like overnight oats and chia seed pudding. The tour continued: art studio on the right, by the salon, gym to the left, next to the yoga room. We stopped by the library, the game room, and the media area, where TED Talks play on a large flat screen and residents learn new languages or play gin rummy, before heading back downstairs for lunch. Small cards, detailing a three-course seasonal menu, sat atop crisp white napkins in the dining room. “That long table over there, that’s our chef’s table,” Breck pointed. “Residents can set up a dinner with their friends and invite guests, and the chef will come out and walk them through each dish. It’s really fun.” With bellies full, the Yardi team sat and listened as staff shared about the happiness of the residents. It’s not just about lavish comforts and daily activities, but the sense of vitality and community those things foster here. If not for residents roaming the grounds, Clearwater at Riverpark could easily be mistaken for an all-inclusive resort, not a senior living community. But then again, isn’t that the...
Hurricane Readiness
Senior Living Resources
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...
RentCafe Reach
Now for Senior Living
We’re excited to announce that the advanced marketing services of RentCafe Reach are now available to our senior living clients. What is RENTCafé Reach? RENTCafé Reach is a set of advanced marketing services designed to help you attract more prospects to your communities. Our team of property marketing experts is available to help you with search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC) and enhanced online listings. As a certified Google Partner, we’re ready to optimize your search and lead generation efforts. Because RentCafe Reach integrates with RentCafe and Yardi Voyager, you get accurate reporting and complete transparency into your data. SEO & PPC Services for the Real Estate Industry The RENTCafé Reach digital marketing team is comprised of Google certified experts in both Google AdWords for paid traffic and Google Analytics for organic traffic. This allows us to use Google as resource to answer questions and identify future opportunities. Our SEO services include: Optimized on-page content, page titles and meta descriptions Off-page optimization, including business citation and brand management Location data management through our partnership with Yext Regular website health audits and maintenance Monthly reporting, service calls and a dedicated account manager Comprehensive reporting to track results Our PPC services include: Strategic PPC advertising tailored to your goals Campaign management by Google AdWords Certified Specialists Ad targeting based on demographics, location, timing and mobility Ad extensions and landing pages to increase conversions Retargeting campaigns that follow engaged prospects We use white hat strategies, helping our clients improve website performance while actively protecting them against black hat techniques that get flagged by search engines. Stay Ahead of the Competition We understand how daunting it is to launch or manage a digital marketing program. And the challenges of working alone without experienced guidance. What is a...
Starting Out Smart
In the senior living space
Clearwater Living is new to the senior living real estate market, but the Southern California-based developer and owner/operator of new senior communities aims to set standards for high quality resident and employee experiences in every market it enters. As they opened their first three communities, and prepare to manage more independent senior communities Clearwater Living wanted to start off with a strong technology platform. After analyzing the options in the marketplace, the Yardi Senior Living Suite was the right choice. Breck Austin, VP Support Services for Clearwater Living, knew of Yardi’s strong reputation in the real estate technology space from his work at prior employers. Though Austin had never been a Yardi user before, he knew that the reputation of the company’s platforms was tremendous for meeting a myriad of business needs, from resident services to the back office. “As we grow our company and the systems we use, one of the questions we faced was how to best support the next generation of senior living residents coming into our communities with robust technology and systems,” Austin said. “We wanted to be able to easily communicate to residents about our lifestyle programs and engage them into enjoying our restaurant venues. We wanted them to see their statements and pay bills, and provide their families access to those resources. We knew that what would provide the highest resident and associate satisfaction was a fully integrated system, so Yardi was our answer.” The RentCafe Senior Living resident portal for family and resident provides access to records, statements and care details which was one of the main factors that led Clearwater Living to pick Yardi as its software provider. “To have your medical records, your electronic health care records, all housed in one place with your accounting...