Senior Housing and 50+ News

The cure for sameness

Latitude Margaritaville will be a 55-plus community in Daytona Beach. Formed by a partnership between Minto Group and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Minto is “working with their designers and architects to put a Margaritaville spin on it, based on fun, music, food, and activities that active adults typically associate with that lifestyle.” The fusion of entertainment hospitality and senior living is becoming a reality. Senior Housing News.

Demographic destiny doesn’t translate to profitability

The demographic mega trend of retiring baby boomers living longer lives has not translated into booming profitability for assisted living, skilled nursing or memory care.

In their first report of 2017, SeniorCare Investor’s headline read, “Despite Market Rally, Performance Was Almost as Bad as 2015.” The stock market punished senior housing and care operators during 2016. The best performing stock in the sector was +2%.

Government funding and limitations on competition should make senior care operators very attractive investments. However, the elephant in the room is that the “Silver Tsunami” will not be met with ever-higher expenditures on senior healthcare and living. On the contrary, governments are pushing costs back to the end consumer and healthcare operators.

Some speculate that senior care companies took their companies public a few years ago, knowing full well what lay ahead (but perhaps not indulging their fears in public, or with investors). Read: Aged Care Operators – A Contrarian View

Dreariness continues in skilled nursing stocks

Genesis is the largest skilled nursing provider in the United States. Vacancies are up to 14.9% of units. Every day, for every patient, revenue is down $2. Strong headwinds are on the horizon: a changing payor system, higher labor costs, and aging real estate. Levin Associates’ Senior Care Investor.

Caregiving

In recruitment, the gloves come off

“Are you fed up travelling between 15 minute, 30 minute, 45 minute calls and being paid a low pro-rata hourly rate?
“Would you like to be paid a HIGH hourly rate, for shifts from start to finish, with NO travelling in between?

HamiltonCross Healthcare Professionals would like to poach your caregiver: SocialCareCo.Uk/Jobs

New York State to Address Caregiver Shortage

New York will have having public hearings about the caregiver shortage. The questions include, how to improve improve training, wages, benefits and geographic coverage while maintaining access. Associated Press.

In-Home Care Adds Driving

Comfort Keepers offer seniors Lyft rides. Now, the in-home care provider can offer excursions to the grocery store, medical appointments and family visits. Press release.

Communication With Humans

How to speak with family caregivers, what to say, not say

Want to get better at communicating with family caregivers? Even if you’re a caregiver yourself, sometimes our words are not well chosen. Here’s some good advice, straight from caregivers, on what to say and not say. Speaking to Family Caregivers, Generations Now.

Tips from a grief expert

You can’t know what someone else is feeling. But don’t create distance by saying “you can’t imagine how they feel.” Encourage people to talk. Here is tactful and graceful advice: Do You Really Understand What Your Client Is Going Through? Think Again., Iris.xyz

Healthcare

Back to less secure times

Obamacare was a game changer for community health clinics. They are reimbursed for more of their care. Revenue has gone up, and many used federal grants to expand facilities and add services. With repeal of Obamacare looming, people may lose insurance. This means they can’t pay the community clinics. NPR interviewed people at 4 clinics to discuss the uncertainties (Saban Community Clinic, Los Angeles; Jordan Health, Rochester; Adelante Healthcare, Phoenix; Denver Health, Denver.) Threat of Obamacare Repeal Leaves Community Health Centers in Limbo, NPR.

Lighten up the hospital environment

Hospitals work hard to reduce stress for children’s. Why not let older adults have the same benefits? Removing bright lights, loud noises, sleep deprivation and frequent blood draws reduce stressors and reduce readmissions. We do not support infantalizing elders. But we love this headline: Why Hospitals Should Treat Adults Like Children, WSJ.com.

Retirement

Attitudinal research

Attitudes about working and finance are different based on whether one has already retired, or is about to retired. In English-speaking countries — US, Canada, UK and Australia — people are generally confident about their financial decisions for retirement. And, they also believe there is a national retirement crisis. Read: Retirement Transitions in Four Countries, Vanguard.

Interesting

It’s better to burn out, than to fade away

Over-protectiveness with children and adults is limiting. People want to live, not merely exist. Beautifully written by Carol Bradley Bursack, Respecting elders’ dignity may require accepting risk.

Longevity has ruined old age

So believes Fran Stubbs, who still holds a job in her 70s, researching living arrangements for the elderly. Fran is the protagonist in the 26th, new book by 76 years mature Margaret Drabble, “The Dark Flood Rises.” The book is a snapshot of the routines of aging. Reviewed in The Wall Street Journal.