The Bright Brief

Headlines

The Senate hearing on assisted living facilities took place on January 25.

Senators Robert Casey and Mike Braun scheduled the hearing after sending letters to multiple organizations asking them to address recent reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times scrutinizing safety, staffing, and pricing structures at senior living facilities. Many organizations in the industry have made statements pointing out the complexity of the situation and have criticized the problematic nature of simple mandates to address the root issues. You can watch the replay of the hearing here. ?LINK

Counterpoints

”As chairman, I have an interest in ensuring that older adults and people with disabilities are receiving high-quality care, have access to proper housing and receive good value for their hard-earned dollars.” - Senator Casey ?LINK (pdf)

“When LeadingAge PA and our members spoke with Senator Casey and Fetterman’s offices in recent weeks, we implored them to recognize the problematic nature of this mandate, including its failure to appropriately incorporate LPNs toward nurse staffing minimums, realistically address the workforce crisis, or provide commensurate funding to help providers comply with the proposed requirements.” - LeadingAge PA statement ?LINK

Katie’s Take

We need to work together to solve this national problem that will only get bigger, and in fact, many state and national associations are taking this seriously and working to build thoughtful solutions. For example, see LeadingAge PA’s 2024 policy agenda (pdf), which you can support with a donation. Full disclosure, I am on the board of LeadingAge PA.

Retirement Unlimited Inc. (RUI) acquires Brandywine Living

RUI has continued its efforts to strategically scale with the acquisition of Brandywine Living, which brings 59 communities under their combined management. The statement mentioned that this merger will build on the momentum of RUI’s partnership will Welltower announced in Feb 2023. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ?LINK

Katie’s Take

This acquisition is a significant development in the senior living industry. This strategic move will not only deepen RUI's regional presence but also ensure the continuity of Brandywine's exceptional services. The combined expertise of these two industry leaders is set to redefine the standards of senior care.

Cypress Living lays out 12 responsible AI principles for consideration

The release of Responsible Use of AI for Aging Services gives a solid primer on AI and 12 recommended principles including maintaining a human-centered approach, the necessity for human accountability, transparency of its use, ethical concerns and risks, and the potential for disruption and change to careers in the industry.

They also issued a general invitation to engage in ongoing thoughtful consideration of using AI saying, “AI should empower us to become better providers of aging services, professionals, and organizations. However, this transformation will not happen without a continuous focus on the responsible application of AI across all aspects of the aging services industry.” ?LINK

Katie’s Take

While the long-term effects of AI on our industry are not fully known it will undoubtedly introduce big challenges and opportunities for senior living communities and companies serving them. The best thing to do is stay informed and engage with conversations like the one Cypress Living is initiating.

If you’re drowning in the sea of AI buzzwords keep an eye out for Bright Solutions’ upcoming webinar ‘AI Overload’ as we demystify the AI craze, highlight what’s genuinely transformative, and reveal how to smartly navigate the AI maze.

Financial strain for elder care looms large says report by KFF and NYT

A research project by KFF says that the financial strain on families for elder care is getting heavier, with many facing potential financial ruin due to the increased prevalence of long-term care conditions like dementia and high costs of in-home care, assisted living communities, and skilled nursing. The research states that millions of older Americans and their relatives are at risk of depleting their wealth and are increasingly anxious, especially as the baby boomer generation ages. ?LINK

Long COVID becoming commonplace in U.S. nursing homes

Research from the University of Michigan shows that repeated COVID-19 outbreaks in resident communities are increasing the prevalence of long-term COVID, resulting in residents needing more help with basic tasks with continuing effects lasting nine months, on average. Brain function decline was also noted amongst those affected, although residents with dementia did eventually regain some skills. ?LINK

Let’s brainstorm together.

Tap into our knowledge and experience to spark innovation for your senior living community or tech solution.

FOR PROVIDERS

FOR TECH VENDORS

Quick Links

Dan Hermann, CEO of Ziegler, summarizes predictions for 2024. ?LINK

Argentum, the senior living community trade association, has released its 2024 Forecast report. $0 for members, $295 for everyone else. LINK

The second Senior Living Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Survey results have been released. LINK

About

What matters in the senior living industry? What’s going on, what might it mean, and what will happen next? We’ve got you covered.

The Bright Solutions team has spent decades in the Senior Living industry and we’ve developed a keen sense of the important trends and developments. We apply these same insights in our work with senior living providers to make smart investments by aligning technology with their values-aligned strategic vision.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

Brain Candy

Older generations are holding down the email fort. Apparently, there’s a generational gap in primary work tools. The survey found that for those 30 and above, email was among the top tools they used for collaboration. Not so for younger generations. What’s your primary mode of communication with your residents? ?LINK