Category: Seniors Housing

Total solar eclipses are rare events. The last one we saw in the U.S. was in 2017. This year’s total solar eclipse on April 8 will last longer and will be visible in more states than the last event.

If you’re looking for the best views, you’ll have to watch from Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine. In Arkansas, that means over a million people will be visiting from across the country for the state’s largest tourism event ever. The entire state is gearing up, including state troopers, hotel clerks and restaurant owners.

Parkway Village, a senior living community in Little Rock, Arkansas, is getting ready, too. “There is definitely an air of anticipation as April 8 gets closer!” said Alyssa Majeske, the community’s wellness and activities coordinator.

With its home state a prime viewing position for this rare event, Parkway Village is going all out in throwing a solar eclipse viewing party. “We have quite the event planned — it will be such a fun time for our residents,” said Alyssa. “We are planning to have yard games to play, music, ‘safe sparklers,’ and, of course, we are providing solar eclipse glasses.”

Best of all will be the food. “We are planning a fun menu of snacks and desserts that are in line with the theme of the event — foods like Milky Ways, moon pies and specially shaped cheese and crackers,” Alyssa said.

“We are starting the viewing party right before the partial eclipse begins (projected to be 12:33 p.m.), so our folks can have the full experience of the eclipse,” she continued. “We will have LED Tiki torches to light the path, as well. There will be music with a mic system, so we can make announcements — for example, to let our residents know that they need to wear the eclipse glasses whenever any part of the sun’s disk is visible. We want this to be a fun, memorable experience for our residents here at Parkway Village.”

Parkway Village is anticipating attendance of 100 to 200 residents, or more. “Our residents are very excited,” said Alyssa. “Just this week, I’ve received multiple phone calls making sure we are still hosting a viewing party.”

The eclipse has also attracted prospects to Parkway Village. There are several tours booked for the week of the solar eclipse, and they are all people from out of town who are here to view the celestial phenomenon. Most of the community’s guest rooms are booked, too.

An opportunity like this only comes around once in a great while, but the total solar eclipse does provide inspiration for planning other events. From Super Bowl parties in February to tax prep workshops in April, tying your community’s event to something that’s happening in the greater community can create excitement and draw in potential residents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, we celebrated our 200th Varsity Sales & Marketing Roundtable. Over 50 attendees tuned in to hear special guest John Spooner, co-chief executive officer of Greystone Communities, share his presentation, “Understanding the New Consumer Mindset.” Here are some highlights of John’s fascinating discussion.

More Than a Retirement Counselor

You may be called a retirement counselor or marketing assistant, but you have to think of yourself as the chief revenue officer. The organization won’t thrive unless you have success bringing new residents into the community.

The Three Buckets of Prospects

How many clients do you have that are sold on your community, but still won’t move forward? We put prospects into three buckets:

• Planners: They know what they want and they move through the process relatively fast.
• Procrastinators: A giant bloat in your database: They’re sold but they’re just not moving forward.
• Crashers: They wait too late, and come in after they’ve had a health scare. Now they need AL, but they really want IL.

‘I Understand and Want the Benefits of Your Community, BUT …’

The procrastinators say things like, “I couldn’t leave my home.” “Let’s talk next year.” “I’m not ready.” “I need to think about this.”

We call those F.U.D. (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Those are people that we have trouble moving through the process. Their objections are not unique. Sometimes it’s an emotional objection, sometimes it’s a financial objection. They toggle back and forth and switch to another one after you’ve got them covered. So the question is, at what point do we lose them? When the reality sets in that they have to make a decision.

Selling Senior Living Is Hard, Buying Is Harder

Selling is a difficult job. But buying is harder because prospects are coming into it without a lot of knowledge, trying to make a decision that most of them don’t want to make. That’s why you have so many people in your bloated database.

Prospects Have Created a Living Terrarium — and They Want to Stay There

We’re genetically engineered to conserve energy by minimizing energy expenditure. It’s easy to say, “I can’t move because I can’t change my doctor, my plumber, my friends.” Prospects have created this living terrarium that they are living in — they are not going to expose themselves to self-imposed chaos. They say, “I’m going to hit the easy button and live in my ecosystem.” Ecosystem equals status quo.

Battling ‘Status Quo’ Bias

Everything that prospects think or say is about seeking information that confirms their decision to do nothing and maintain the status quo. They are so fearful of making a mistake for an uncertain outcome that they can’t move forward. Simply put, their fear of messing up is more than their fear of missing out. Our job is to break the gravitational pull of that senior status quo. When you can move their status quo so that it becomes less than the community, everyone wins.

Your competition isn’t another community across town. Your competition isn’t “staying in their own home.” The REAL competition is NO DECISION. Some seniors are playing the same “no-decision” game with every community in town. They live in a constant state of indecision. You need to know how to recognize it and overcome it. They are thinking, “What if your community isn’t what I want?” Your job is to give them confidence that they’re going to go in there and be OK.

Prospects do not want to talk about you or your community. They want to talk to you about them. When you go to the doctor, you don’t want to watch a video of their latest operation, you want them to talk to you about your problem. The same goes for senior living. Don’t give a long description of the community … the choice of three entrees … the meal points program … the beautiful apartments — prospects want to talk to you about them.

Going Beyond Discovery 101 to ‘Radical Candor’

There are standard discovery questions that we all use. But it really needs to be about breaking the status quo. It’s about the art of personal engagement and addressing uncomfortable topics to give prospects personal insight. You have to learn to attack their outcome uncertainty and reframe questions to get them to understand why they have to break the status quo.

That requires radical candor. You have to challenge them by asking uncomfortable questions, like:

• Does the next five years of your life look like the last five years?
• That house isn’t working for you anymore, is it?

It might be unpleasant and it might be scary for you to be this forward, but it’s OK. The first two to three questions are difficult, but you will be surprised at the great outcomes. Don’t talk to prospects about all the contract options — talk to them about how they can break out of their little terrarium. Radical candor is about caring personally and challenging directly.

Your job is to ask and then to reframe the probing question into a statement that assures them they have the confidence to make this decision. Challenge their positions and biases, and then stand up and make a recommendation to them. You are the subject matter expert. You are the one they have turned to to help them spend the last years of their life. From your discovery, you know what is important to prospects. You can start with “This plan is a popular option” or “I personally prefer this option.” It shows that you have diagnosed their needs and have a personal recommendation. 

Indecision Junkie Recovery Program

To sum up, here are six steps to indecision junkie recovery.  

1. Own the flow of information.
2.   Employ “radical candor.”
3.   Anticipate objections and indecision.
4.   Use your discovery knowledge.
5.   Community  > Risk > Status Quo
6.   Make a personal recommendation.

What Your Community Can Offer Prospects

Security. Predictability. Safety. Dependability. Reliability. Permanence. These qualities represent what your community can offer prospects — the stuff deep down in their emotions that they’re looking for. You just need to wash away the fear by leading them through the mire and muck of “status quo bias” — giving them confidence to make a decision.

 

 

 

With “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones” coming out recently on Netflix, there is a renewed interest in the research and concept of Blue Zones^®, areas around the world where people live much longer than average, with the highest rates of living centenarians.

In 2004, author Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people live measurably longer and better lives, and to see what commonalities there might be in their behaviors, practices and lifestyles that might result in this longer lifespan. They discovered five locations where people reach age 100 at a rate 10 times greater than the average in the United States: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California. When pinpointing these locations on a world map, Dan circled them in blue, and therefore called them Blue Zones^®.

Researchers found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones’ residents shared nine commonalities, which they called the Blue Zones Power 9^®: Lifestyle Habits of the World’s Healthiest, Longest-Lived People. These behaviors are grouped into categories: Move Naturally, Right Outlook, Eat Wisely and Connect.

Those of us in the senior living space would love for our residents to live longer, healthier, happier lives, so the question is, “Can we replicate this philosophy and these practices in our communities?” We already offer healthy meal options, fitness and exercise opportunities, and a sense of belonging, but how do we get residents to buy into it?

Some Varsity clients have modeled their wellness programs after the Blue Zones practices. We’ve hosted marketing events to educate people on the Blue Zones philosophy and its importance related to longevity, and then four smaller events dedicated to Moving Naturally (yoga, stretching), Right Outlook (meditation, mindfulness), Eating Wisely (Chef cooking demonstration with Mediterranean diet with wine pairing) and Connection (practicing good communication skills and technology). Some communities even code the events on their activities calendars with icons representing the Blue Zones practices.

While both residents and prospects enjoy the events and agree with the concepts in theory, it’s a pretty heavy lift to get people to adhere to a lifestyle that may be foreign to them. It’s a huge culture shift that may be difficult for some to achieve. Case in point, I recall one resident that I joined for breakfast who told me that her doctor recommended she eat more fruits and vegetables, so she ordered a cherry Danish instead of her usual cheese Danish. True story.

While we would like our residents to “live better, longer,” all we can do is offer the options to do so. The choice is obviously theirs to make, and perhaps having that autonomy is more important.

 

 

Kendrick Brinson is addicted to photographing Sun City, Arizona, where the average age is 73. An acclaimed  documentary, commercial and editorial photographer whose clients include The New York Times, National Geographic and Smithsonian Magazine, Kendrick first visited Sun City more than a decade ago. This census-designated, self-governed community is home to 40,000 people on 40 acres. Over several years, Kendrick has photographed nearly all of it. Here is her perspective on life in this unique place.

Q. Why did you first come to Sun City?
A. I used to work at a newspaper and when I left to do full-time freelance photography, I was looking for something happy and fun to work on. I saw a movie about Sun City, then learned that 49 years earlier, Time Magazine had done a story on Sun City and its founder Del Webb. Sun City was the first place of its kind — and it’s still one of the largest —where people can decide what their retirement will be like. For Sun City’s 50th anniversary, I said, “I have to go there.” Then I returned and I returned and I returned.

Q. What’s unique about Sun City?
A. Sun City reimagined the idea of what retirement could look like. It’s a place of exploring, play, learning and community. And the landscape is so different from where I’m from in South Carolina — cactus-lined streets … golf carts on the streets … 1960s homes … giant palm trees. The light is even different here. People own their homes and they pay a very affordable yearly fee to be in the 100+ active clubs and use any of the seven pools, 11 golf courses, seven recreation centers, three country clubs and two libraries — all owned by the Recreation Centers of Sun City.

Q. What are some of your favorite subjects to photograph there?
A. I like the colorful, quirky, fun shots, like a costumed dog parade or a Halloween party. I love anytime I can capture people not taking themselves too seriously. One resident’s wife told him he needed to get off the couch and stop watching TV. He made this little golf cart out of a couch and a TV and drives it around.

My favorites are the cheerleaders: The Sun City Poms. One of the members just turned 90 — they have beautiful uniforms. It’s like a sisterhood. At first glance, when you see the cheerleaders perform, you think, “I wouldn’t be surprised if this person was 17 or 18” — but it’s actually a 78-year old throwing pom poms. These are people our grandmothers’ ages, and this is not what we expect, and this is what they’re doing.

Q. What’s it like connecting with residents?
A. People are always trying to connect me with other people to photograph — I feel very welcome there. I’ve played pickleball there, and when I go to the dances people coerce me to do the foxtrot. I get a little taste of retirement.

Q. What have you learned from visiting Sun City?
A. When we’re young, we go in the direction of what we love. Along the way we pick up messages like “you’re a terrible painter,” and we might stop doing it. But at Sun City, you don’t have to be the best cheerleader or the best at pickleball — you’re doing it because your friends are doing it and because it feels good to do.

People are having fun and they’re staying young and they’re staying healthy. I love this idea that we can get back to the things we really loved as a kid. It’s kind of like eternal summer camp.

Sun City has helped me look at aging in a way that’s appealing and exciting, contrary to our culture that worships youth. I’ve come to view getting older as a thing to look forward to — and a gift every day.

See more of Kendrick Brinson’s photos on her website.

Guest post by Natalie Clark, Community Manager; and Kaitlyn Mulligan, Social Media Strategist; Pavone Group

Hardly a day goes by without hearing buzz about “AI.” Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence technology that can produce content, such as text, images and other media, in response to prompts. And this year, we’ve seen a huge wave of AI tools entering into the social media space. 

Snapchat was the first on the scene to add AI features. Since Snapchat is well known for its focus on privacy, people were a bit nervous when it introduced its AI bot. Essentially, the AI added commentary about things people were “snapping” and messaging about. Thankfully, Snapchat listened to its community and “My AI” is now solely for those who have a paid Snapchat membership. 

As for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, it is being a bit more cautious about developing AI tools. Currently, Meta is developing an AI tool that would enable you to ask questions of an AI system within any direct message. This is something that may be more useful for senior living brands in responding to clients or prospects, helping you to write better answers. 

TikTok is also looking to latch onto the AI hype with an AI chatbot, which it’s calling Tako. Different from what Snapchat and Instagram are doing, Tako can be used to find relevant TikTok content that matches your preferences or to track down videos you’ve seen before. Generally, it makes users’ lives easier. Speaking of which, AI-generated content on TikTok must now be disclosed with either a sticker or a disclaimer indicating the content has been created by AI, similar to an “ad” hashtag you’d see on Instagram.

In general, as AI starts to help users search for social content, keywords are becoming even more important for social posts. For your brand, make sure to use keywords in captions and copy, so that those using AI tools will be directed to your profile with their queries. 

While senior living prospects may be slower to adopt social media, we should always keep in mind that we also want to reach their adult children, and even the younger generation, for hiring talent. So we need to stay on top of these AI trends to connect with all these audiences.

Guest post by Dr. Tamir Aldad, CEO of Mindful Care

I’m an addiction psychiatrist by training. In my work, I found that access to care was a major issue for seniors experiencing mental illness. In fact, my grandmother was dealing with really bad depression and we had nowhere to take her. That is part of why, in 2018, I founded Mindful Care, the first-ever chain of psychiatric urgent care clinics. We provide care to seniors in independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing communities.

One Definition of Mental Illness

Let’s start our discussion about older adults by talking about mental illness in general. Mental illness is a huge category ranging from depression to bipolar disorder to eating disorders and more. The common denominator is the fluctuation that affects people’s daily living. If someone has changes in their thinking and cognition, their ability to relate to others, and their functioning each day, those all are high criteria for mental illness.

Mental Illness in Older Adults: Underappreciated and Underrecognized

Older adults are more likely than any other age group to have mental illness, due to risk factors such as changes in their physical health; losses of their support system, spouse and friends; lack of a sense of purpose; substance disorders; and decline in functioning ability. Seeing as older adults are a very vulnerable population, but with fewer resources than others, and less likely to seek help, they need lots of attention. Unfortunately, healthcare providers and older adults often mistake depression, in particular, for a natural response to aging. This can lead to providers not screening for or treating it.

The Four Ds of Mental Illness in Older Adults

Here are the “four Ds” we should keep in mind when it comes to recognizing and treating mental illness in older adults:

Dementia: Life-altering loss of cognitive functioning
Dementia affects approximately 10% of people 65+ in the United States, according to a 2022 Columbia University study.

Delirium: An acute, fluctuating syndrome of altered attention, cognition and awareness
Delirium affects an estimated 14% to 56% of all hospitalized elderly patients, 20% of which experience complications while hospitalized directly because of delirium.

Depression: The persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest that may include changes in sleep, appetite, energy level, concentration, daily behavior or self-esteem, and thoughts of suicide
Depression is increasing in the 65-plus population with suicide rates being a very serious problem, and it needs more awareness and attention.

Demoralization: A psychiatric experience of existential despair, hopelessness, helplessness, and loss of meaning and purpose 
Demoralization requires a certain level of empathy because it stems from despair and hopelessness at not being able to function at the same level anymore.

Many people don’t realize how widespread these symptoms of mental illness are. The two conditions that get neglected the most in the senior population are depression and demoralization. 

Causes and Risk Factors for Senior Mental Illness

Physical disability and changes in physical and cognitive health are a big risk factor for mental illness, as is a change in environment, like a sudden hospitalization or a move to assisted living. Grief is also a very common risk factor.

Other risk factors to watch for are long-term illness, substance abuse, medication interactions, the illness or loss of a loved one, and poor diet or malnutrition.

10 Symptoms of Mental Illness to Watch for in Your Residents

1. Sad or depressed mood lasting longer than two weeks
2. Social withdrawal, loss of interest in things that used to be very enjoyable
3. Unexplained fatigue, energy loss or sleep changes
4. Confusion, disorientation, problems with concentration or decision-making
5. Increase or decrease in appetite; changes in weight
6. Memory loss, especially recent or short-term memory problems
7. Feelings of worthlessness, inappropriate guilt, helplessness, thoughts of suicide
8. Physical symptoms that can’t otherwise be explained: aches, constipation, etc.
9. Changes in appearance or dress, or problems maintaining the home or yard
10. Trouble handling finances or working with numbers

Helpful Mental Health Goals and Interventions

Here are some goals and interventions that can help older adults experiencing mental illness:

 Validate the individual’s feelings

• Nurture a healthy adjustment to their stage of life
• Help promote acceptance of loss — letting go
• Explore and treat “survivor guilt,” which is often present when an elderly person has survived one of their children
• Explore for and treat a deep sense of guilt for wishing a loved one would die
• Foster involvement in life activities as fully as possible — especially exercise, which is not only healthy for the body, but for emotional well-being
• Use reminiscence therapy — discussion of past activities and experiences with another person or group
• Practice an integrated care model, where one person acts in the role of case manager, and the entire team shares information about the older person’s health

Overcoming Obstacles to Care and Stigma

One major obstacle to care is that people think symptoms of mental illness are a normal part of aging. Our culture teaches us to think these feelings are normal, when they’re not. What I’ve found effective with older adults is to not use formal terms like “‘mental illness” or “depression,” as they are loaded words and can have inherent bias. My approach is to treat feelings and validate them. It’s helpful to meet people where they’re at and recognize that these feelings can be embarrassing and hard to talk about. Encourage your team to do so as well.

If you’ve gotten to know a resident and they’re not acting like themselves, alert your team. Most importantly, create an environment where people are welcome however they are and however they feel.

If you have any other questions about mental health in seniors or want to learn more about Mindful Care, please feel free to engage with me at .

 

 

Guest post by Mary Muñoz, Senior Managing Director, Ziegler

This is certainly an interesting time for senior living — we’re moving away from COVID-19, although we’re not quite past it yet. The pandemic has taught us a lot about where we’re headed in the future, but there are also a lot of industry trends that have remained constant through it all. Let’s take a look at what’s trending in senior living right now.

Industrywide Growth and Consolidation

What hasn’t changed with COVID-19 is the population wave we have coming, with a surge in the 75- to 85-plus cohort. And with that, we still have many drivers that make our business an attractive one. For starters, there are those still living at home who don’t have anybody there to take care of them during the day. We have the dangers of social isolation among older adults. And there are those who can’t afford caregiving.

In addition, we’re seeing a consolidation trend across the industry. Why is this happening? Almost every transaction we’ve seen has involved a CEO retirement. We’re facing a labor shortage in care and dining, along with a shortage on the C-suite side, as fewer people are coming into the senior living business, although larger organizations have some advantages in recruitment and career path offerings.

Ongoing Labor Market Challenges

Speaking of which, let’s talk about the labor market a bit. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting almost 1.2 million annual job openings in senior living. Worldwide, we’ve already crossed the line in the past couple of years that there are fewer people under 5 than there are those 65 and older.* That means we literally won’t have the bodies to do things the way we’ve done in the past. So, we have to find ways to reinvent how work is getting done in our communities.

The pressures are coming from many different directions. We’ve got financial struggles, and the changing demographics of who’s coming into the workforce. Government reimbursement is under pressure, which in turn affects health care worker wages. The pandemic caused clients to lose employees because they refused to be vaccinated or simply burned out. Immigration was disrupted and a lot of the caregivers we get from across the border were affected. And then we have the lasting issue that senior services isn’t exactly a sexy line of work.

Stressors in Skilled Nursing

For post-acute care, I want to highlight the compounding challenges in the skilled nursing environment. COVID-19 definitely exhausted and burned out employees. There’s also the need for private rooms, which many communities did not offer pre-COVID. And a lot of the nursing communities are old, with declining occupancy, in part because we didn’t have assisted living and memory care until recent years. So, there were some people who didn’t need to be there and could be taken care of in a less acute setting.

All of these factors are leading to a downsizing of skilled nursing, and in some cases the transition of skilled nursing rooms to high-acuity assisted living. In fact, we’ve counted 35 Life Plan Communities around the country that have eliminated skilled nursing from their continuums in favor of high-acuity assisted living.** And there are many new communities being built right now that have no skilled nursing.

Technology as a Partner for Smarter Aging

There are many developing technologies that serve seniors in various ways. We’ve certainly had a dramatic rise in telehealth during the pandemic. Beyond that and electronic medical records — which most already have in place — there are resident engagement technologies, including dining reservations, menus and activities. There’s also been a focus on predictive technology, not only tracking footsteps but also predicting falls by tracking gait. That’s in addition to cognitive brain solutions, smart home technology and even robots. While robots probably won’t cure the labor shortage, we have seen communities using robots to deliver plated meals and bus plates in dining venues, for example.

These four takeaways are just the beginning of what’s trending as we emerge from the pandemic. For more information, feel free to subscribe to the Ziegler e-newsletter, refer to our white paper about health care technology or message me at .

*Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Percentage of World Population Under Age 5 and Aged 65 and Over: 1950-2050

**Source: Ziegler Investment Banking

Solo agers. Kinless seniors. Elder orphans. These buzzwords have entered the common vernacular, but they’re also describing a very real shift in demographics. The current generation of seniors contains more solo agers than ever before.

“Solo agers” are defined as those over age 50 who live alone, are not married or partnered in a long-term relationship, and have no living children. They make up 12% of the ages 50+ population in the United States, and this trend is increasing, as more baby boomers get divorced and fewer have children, and people live longer overall.

According to a recent report by Forbes, among adults 75 years and older (not boomers), 10.9% reported being childless; among those ages 65–74 (early boomers), 15.9% reported being childless; and among those ages 55–64 (late boomers), 19.6% reported being childless.

Right now, there are close to a million solo agers in the U.S., and as Generation X and Millennials head to retirement, that number could grow even larger. These generations are getting married even less frequently than boomers.

What does the trend toward more seniors without family ties mean for retirement communities? We hear a lot about “demanding boomers” and the high-end amenities they expect — but another audience to consider is diverse populations like these.

According to an article in InsideHook, kinless seniors often live alone and rely on appointments with doctors or encounters with cashiers to interact with other people.

What’s more, a Canadian study reported in the New York Times that those without partners or children had lower levels of self-reported mental and physical health, and higher levels of loneliness, which in itself has been linked to many health conditions. Even more worrisome, a decade after respondents’ initial interviews, more than 80% of seniors with partners and children had survived, compared with only about 60% of those without either.

In contrast, studies have shown that residents of Life Plan Communities tend to live longer than other people. So what better environment for solo agers than senior communities, where they can form meaningful friendships and live happier, healthier, longer lives?

Here are a few suggestions on ways to connect with kinless seniors — and to help them get the most out of your community once they join it.

1. The sales process

Typically, the salesperson must consider the influence of adult children on the sales process. But there are a growing number of prospects who will be trying to make these decisions on their own, and who will be looking for input and advice.

2. Online resources

Why not show that you understand this growing audience and their concerns by including solo ager-focused blogs and resources on your website?

3. Prospect events

Events can address issues that solo agers are coming to terms with, such as decision-making on one’s own, medical power of attorney, financial planning and loneliness.

4. Marketing materials

While married couples will always be depicted in brochures and ads, it’s also important to think about the diverse populations we’re serving and make sure they’re represented in marketing pieces.

5. Campus events

Since connecting with others is so important for kinless seniors, inclusive activities, events and clubs can help them feel a part of campus life. Shared meals with “friendship tables” open to all are also a great way to make solo agers feel welcome.

6. Celebrations

Holidays like Mother’s Day, when the mailroom is filled to bursting with bouquets and cards from children around the country, can be a time to also acknowledge those who don’t have children.

7. Support groups

Campus support groups that address the needs of solo agers can help them find a niche in your community.

Senior communities have always had a focus on supporting solo residents, but with the trend toward more divorces and lower marriage rates, combined with longer lifespans, this group will only continue to grow. In a society that doesn’t provide well for those without family ties, communities can be a powerful solution to help them thrive during their later years.

Google Analytics GA4 will be the only way to track website activity after July 1.

Don’t worry, we have the details you need and options to make your old data useable.

By now you’ve probably seen this banner or heard that if you use Google Analytics you need to migrate to GA4. If you haven’t, get in touch with your agency of record to make the move to GA4 today!

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About GA4

Q. Who is affected?
A. Any property (website, software, app) using Google Analytics’ Universal Analytics (UA).

Q. Why do I need to be concerned?
A. GA3, more commonly known as Universal Analytics, is going away. Three things will occur when that happens:

1. UA data will stop collecting on July 1, 2023.
2. You will lose UA data. (No specific date has been given, other than October 14, 2023.)
3. If you haven’t already set up GA4, you will need to do so in order to continue to track and measure website activity

Q. Why is Google doing this?
A. Google is moving toward Google Analytics 4 (GA4), the next-generation measurement solution, because it takes a privacy-first approach to follow people the way they use technology today.

Privacy was just a glimmer in the eyes of web visitors when UA was released over a decade ago. Now more protections are expected and included. For example, GA4 tracks first-party cookies — meaning cookies placed by a website’s owner, not someone other than that site’s owner — thereby protecting visitors from invasive third-party cookies, which pose a security risk.

When Universal Analytics was created, we primarily explored sites using just one device (usually a desktop or laptop). Consumers are now more likely to start a website journey on their smartphone while watching TV, then move to a bed cuddled up with their tablet, and conclude their journey the next day on their laptop. GA4 is built to capture this entire cross-device consumer journey, giving marketers a complete and insightful picture of their online habits.

Q. What happens to my old UA data?
A. Google will only store your UA data for a period of time (not yet disclosed by Google at the time this article was published) and then poof, it is gone. To retain historical data, Google recommends that you export it. Can you imagine looking through spreadsheets to glean insights? Even in a pivot table would be a fast “no” from many people.

Many people started to record GA4 data by July 1, 2022, to have access to year-over-year data on the GA4 dashboard. However, if you didn’t — or if you want data that precedes GA4 (before October 14, 2020) — we have a solution for you.

Data expert/dashboard options

Before you start worrying about your data going to the spirit in the sky, relax — we have you covered. Varsity has partnered with our sister company, WildFig, which offers three GA4 solutions to fit your marketing needs and budget. Our plans capture data from the beginning of your Google Analytics history until the current day of export. Two options include an easy-to-use dashboard that displays standard metrics.

Standard metrics included (old GA terminology)

• Users
• New users
• Sessions
• New sessions %
• Average session duration
• Pageviews
• Pageviews per session
• Bounce rate
• Goal completions (if applicable)

Additional metrics may be added to the dashboard for a one-time fee.

Filtering options

• Date range
• Data will be aggregated to a monthly granularity
• Medium (Organic, PPC, Direct, etc.

Data export/dashboard cost

$500         Straight export of historical UA data

$2,920     Export and historical UA data dashboard + $50/month for dashboard storage/server costs

$8,750     Export and historical UA and live GA4 data in one dashboard + $50/month for dashboard storage/server costs

If you would like to see a demo or learn more, contact .

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I’m Stuart Jackson. executive vice president at Greystone. We are a development and operations consultant in all areas of senior living. We work with Life Plan Communities in over 40 states, and have consulted with well over 500 providers in our corporate history. We are often asked to come in and bring strategic thinking to help organizations grow, adapt and change.

Recently, Brad Straub, executive vice president at Greystone, and I presented “A Bird’s Eye View in Growth and Redevelopment” at the Greystone Sales Adventure event in Dallas. In this post, I’ll touch on some of the highlights, including trends within the space and how your peers are adapting their businesses to them.

An Overview of Our Current Environment

Our current environment has a lot of pressures and uncertainties. Inflation has had its impact. Labor has been difficult to come by. Interest rates are rising. Hopefully, we’re past COVID-19 to a degree, but that’s been painful and tough. Yet there are positive indicators, too, like demographic growth, economic improvement and a healthy real estate market  (depending on where you are). Cost of capital has historically been a positive indicator. Rates are rising, but availability is still relatively strong.

Demographics Remain Strong

I want to emphasize the positive indicators that make us excited for the future of senior living. There will be continued, sustained growth of the senior population over the next 20 years. The roughly 25 million 75+ year-olds in the U.S. will grow to roughly 45 million, remaining strong. By the mid-2020s, twice as many people will celebrate their 65th birthday than in the 1980s and ‘90s.

Households Age 75+ by Income

All of that is great, but you might ask, “Will this generation have the economic means to move into a retirement community in the future?” We looked at projections from 2016 as to how many households would meet income thresholds in 2021. When we compared them to the actual 2021 data, the number of seniors meeting those thresholds were actually 30% to 40% greater than projected. That tells us that when looking to the future, seniors will have more income and assets than they had before.

US Home Values Up 110% Since 2002

In some locations we’ve seen a decline in home prices. But we have to take a broader view. Seniors who have owned their homes for a long time have experienced significant run-ups in price. The value of homes post-COVID-19 has skyrocketed. That’s a positive indicator for entrance-fee-based communities, as seniors will have even more assets than anticipated.

Favorable Mortgage Rates

The bond market expects mortgage rates will average 5.6% in 2023. If you look at rates, they’ve risen sharply over the last nine months, but they are still at all-time lows. They’re projected to normalize in the 5% range. That’s great for a buyer looking to buy a senior’s home when they sell it.

Current Market Conditions

Sales and pricing conditions are slow or very slow in 64% of markets, down from 81% last month. 36% of markets are normal, which reflects 2–3-month sales per community with rising net prices. Homes are selling in around 60 days, which is pretty normal for this last decade.

What’s on Providers’ Minds Today?

Let’s shift to the current landscape and touch on the mindset of the customer. Even if people have a high-value home, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re confident in selling their house and moving into senior living. They may be hearing about the economy and putting a pause on the decision-making process. So how do communities address planning for the future?

We’re seeing a range of methods to position communities for the future, including expansions of current campuses, new locations, satellite locations, acquisitions and affiliations. Let’s focus on a few.

Expansions

Expansions are a great way to incrementally innovate your campus, to better position yourself with current residents, and better serve future Boomer residents who may look to your community for aging well. We believe you should create projects in small phases that are both market- and financially supportable, in order for expansions to support themselves and generate benefits for your organization.

Independent living is the main focus. Creating larger accommodations has absolutely been a trend, because Boomers have more resources and are willing to pay for, or wait for, bigger accommodations. If you have one-bedrooms or studios, you may find those challenging to fill. If you have assisted living and/or memory care on campus, our view is to right-size those types of residences to benefit mostly your internal population, and have them fill those levels of living. Choice for the consumer is key. There is lots of focus on dining and amenity spaces, and how existing spaces can benefit new prospects. We’ve talked about pickleball more in the last six months than I think we ever have! That’s what we’re seeing a lot of, combined with great social spaces.

Canterbury Court is an example of a recent Greystone expansion. This Buckhead Atlanta community has a replacement healthcare building going in next to their existing towers. We’ve been helping them adjust by reducing their healthcare and adding more independent living.

Satellite Campuses

Another trend we’re seeing is the satellite campus. If you’re landlocked and have a difficult time adding more land to your campus, but you need more independent living to improve your offerings, the way to do so is with a satellite location. At Friendsview in Portland, we created an expansion of an existing satellite cottage community, about one-and-a-half miles from the main campus. This satellite community is also adjacent to the nearby college campus for lifelong learning opportunities. It’s already sold out and filled up.

Strategic Pricing

Another area we spend a lot of time digging into is strategic pricing analysis to really evaluate your market.

Nationally, the number of age-and-income-qualified seniors in the market has jumped 20% in the last two years. Your market can afford more. There is value in adjusting your entrance fees and monthly fees, and you can analyze your current pricing and compare it to the pricing of your competitors. Once you have that knowledge of your market, you can determine how to change your pricing and contract structures, and look at your healthcare benefit and refund options. This analysis can help your businesses with inflation and rising costs that are putting pressure on your operating margin.

One thing to do in any pricing analysis is prepare a penetration analysis. We actually test every unit, style and price point across monthly and entrance fees, to understand the market’s ability to afford those specific price points within your mix of units. That penetration rate shows either risk or opportunity in your marketplace.

I hope this analysis of the latest trends in senior living has been helpful to you. Today’s landscape has challenges, but there are many positive indicators that can help your community move forward to a successful future.