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Lifespace Welcomes Two New Leaders to Chicagoland Communities 

Des Moines, Iowa-based Lifespace Communities has named Bridgette Walshe as the new executive director of its independent living community, Beacon Hill, in Lombard, Illinois.

In her new post, Walshe is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the entire senior living community, which features 360 maintenance-free residential living apartment homes, and a variety of services and amenities for its more than 500 residents. As a life care community, Beacon Hill also offers on-site health services, memory support and skilled nursing suites.

Walshe joins Beacon Hill with more than 15 years of leadership experience in senior living and health care. Most recently, she served as executive director at a Dallas-based senior living community, where she oversaw operations and marketing. Additionally, she held director and administrative roles at several other retirement communities throughout Texas.

Lifespace has also named Blaire Goldstein as the new executive director at Oak Trace, a sister community located in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Goldstein will manage the current $150 million redevelopment and expansion of the community, which currently features 247 residential living apartment homes and a variety of services and amenities.

Majid Steps Up to Executive Director Role for Integrace Institute

The Integrace Institute at Copper Ridge, has promoted Tabassum Majid, PhD, to the role of executive director.

The Sykesville, Maryland-based non-profit organization educates and creates evidence-based care practices for families and professionals supporting individuals living with neurocognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Majid joined the Integrace Institute in August 2016 as director of research. During her tenure, she has led and expanded Integrace’s research and educational initiatives in various areas of care practices, technologies, and treatment.

Majid is a member of the Maryland Governor’s Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and contributes to the development and implementation of the Maryland State Plan.

Majid received her bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County concentrating in an interdisciplinary approach to Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Aged.

She then gained expertise in the pathology, imaging, and biology of dementia from both pre-clinical and clinical perspectives in Houston, Texas, where she earned her PhD from Baylor College of Medicine. She returned to Maryland to complete a fellowship at the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy researching care management decisions with caregivers and individuals with dementia.

Friedman Steps Down as CEO of Gurwin Jewish, Almer Named Successor

Herbert H. Friedman, founder of Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, is resigning from his post as CEO, Newsday reports. The Commack, N.Y.-based community is a non-profit provider of skilled nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living services.

Stuart B. Almer, administrator and chief operating officer, will succeed Friedman, taking on the role of president and CEO on January 1, 2018.

As part of the transition, Friedman will become president and CEO of a newly created parent entity, Gurwin Healthcare System, and of Fountaingate Gardens, Gurwin’s proposed 176-unit independent housing community in Commack. In this post, Friedman will oversee non-operational elements of Gurwin, while Almer runs operations and reports to the board of directors.

The proposed Fountaingate unit is designed as a component of a health-care community that allows residents to move to other areas of the 67-acre Gurwin Jewish campus as their care needs change.

Almer, who joined Gurwin in 2015 from Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in Queens, has been running operations at Gurwin’s 460-bed nursing and rehabilitation center, and also led the creation of a 60-bed memory-care unit.

Center for Excellence in Assisted Living Announces 2018 Board Officers

The Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL) recently confirmed its 2018-2019 board officers.

Based in Washington, D.C., CEAL is a consortium of 11 organizations who work to promote excellence in assisted living through practice, public policy, technical expertise and research. Board officers serve a two-year term.

The 2018 Board Officers include:
• Chair: Lindsay Schwartz, NCAL
• Vice Chair: Doug Pace, Alzheimer’s Association
• Treasurer: Steve Maag, LeadingAge
• Secretary: Cathy Lieblich, Pioneer Network
• Immediate Past Chair: Robert Jenkens, NCB

The board officers are tasked with managing CEAL and its initiatives.

Stiner Assumes Director Role for Erickson Living Community

Erickson Living has appointed Pamela Stiner the director of finance for its Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville, Maryland.

In her new role, she will manage the financial needs of Charlestown, including overseeing all fiscal operations, managing the revenue and receivable processes and ensuring the long-term financial stability of the organization.

Stiner is adept with sales, operations and finance, having served previously as assistant director of finance for Ann’s Choice, an Erickson Living community in Warminster, Pennsylvania. She also served as district financial operations director/controller for mailing solutions provider Neopost USA in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and as regional finance director for food services company Aramark in Philadelphia.

Stiner holds a B.S. degree in business administration from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.

Plummer, San Marco Join Senior Leadership Roster at The Preserve at Clearwater

The Preserve at Clearwater, an assisted living and memory care community located in Clearwater, Florida, has welcomed Niki Plummer and Amanda San Marco to the senior leadership team.

The Preserve at Clearwater is managed by a joint venture between Solera Senior Living, LLC and Elkco Properties, Inc. Solera and Elkco acquired The Preserve on June 30, 2017.

Plummer brings approximately 25 years of experience with operational roles within the senior living industry to her new post as executive director. In her new role, she will oversee the community operations. Prior to joining The Preserve, Plummer served as an executive director at a senior living community located in Pinellas Park, Florida.

San Marco joins The Preserve at Clearwater as director of sales and marketing. In this role, she will be tasked with educating prospective residents, family members and referral partners on the benefits of living at The Preserve at Clearwater.

Mabe Steps Up to Executive Role at Waltonwood Cary Parkway

Waltonwood Cary Parkway, a family-owned senior living community based in Cary, North Carolina, has welcomed Richard Mabe as its new executive director.

He brings more than 10 years of experience in senior living to his role. A licensed nurse, Mabe perviously worked in the emergency department for several years prior to starting a career in the senior living industry.

Within senior living, Mabe held multiple positions, including resident care director and executive director of an assisted living and memory care community.

As executive director at Waltonwood Cary Parkway, he manages the daily operations and future direction of the community.

Mabe has served on the advisory board of directors for the local senior center in Brunswick County, and he has organized several fundraisers for the North Carolina Alzheimer’s Association.

Vellante Appointed Executive Director of Bridges by EPOCH at Andover

EPOCH Senior Living has appointed Beth Vellante executive director of Bridges by EPOCH at Andover, a memory care assisted living community slated to open summer 2018 in Andover, Massachusetts.

As executive director, Vellante will direct operations of the community and lead staff in the daily care of residents living with memory impairment.

Vellante comes to EPOCH with more than 37 years of experience in the senior living industry, and 31 years of experience as an executive director. She most recently served as regional director of operations for a northeast-based senior living group.

The Park Senior Living Communities Welcomes New Dining Services Director 

WoodBine Senior Living, LLC has announced that Chef Brandon Lemieux will be joining the company as senior dining service director,  effective January 4, 2018.

While he will be based at Spring Park in Traveler’s Rest, South Carolina, Lemieux will further develop the culinary experience at all three currently open Greenville area Park Communities as well as a fourth Park Community in the early stages of development.

Prior to joining the Parks, Lemieux led the dining service start-up of Waterstone on Augusta, a 114-unit senior living community located in Greenville, South Carolina.

He began his culinary career at the age of 17 in a small restaurant. He grew in his culinary career at the The Cliffs at Glassy where he was classically trained under the executive chef. He also has experience working at the Hyatt Regency Greenville’s culinary program.

Among his other accolades are Hyatt Hotels Manager of the Year, JHM Hotels Culinarian of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year, varied appearances in media and television culinary programs, and numerous top place finishes in culinary festivals and cooking competitions.

Werner Named Campus Director of Dining Services at Benchmark Community

Benchmark Senior Living has appointed hospitality veteran Uwe Werner as campus director of dining services at its New Pond Village community in Walpole, Massachusetts. He has been with Benchmark for more than 10 years in a number of culinary roles.

Werner is a classically trained European chef who began his culinary career more than 20 years ago in his home country of Germany. At New Pond Village, he leads the 45-person culinary team, serving daily meals to more than 200 residents and guests. He also creates and prepares menus for a variety of social events hosted regularly at this senior living community.

Prior to joining New Pond Village, Werner served as senior dining services director at a sister Benchmark community, The Falls at Cordingly Dam in Newton, Massachusetts, where he developed culinary programs based on the National Wellness Institute’s Six Dimensions of Wellness.

Before Benchmark, Werner worked with Hilton International at restaurants in Berlin, Munich, Brussels and London.

Werner has a bachelor’s degree in international hotel and restaurant management from the Hotel Management School in Heidelberg, Germany. He received his certification in baking and pastry from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and was recognized as a certified chef by Berlin’s Hotel Catering School.

He is active within the industry, holding memberships in Wine Club, Ale & Lager Society and Bakers Club.

Written by Carlo Calma

The post Movers & Shakers: Lifespace Communities, Integrace Institute appeared first on Senior Housing News.

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Construction: Planned

Life Care Services to Renovate Six Newly Acquired Communities in Dallas

Life Care Services, an LCS company, has announced it will break ground this year on a multimillion-dollar renovation and beautification plan for six newly purchased properties in Dallas.

Planned improvements include work on common areas, dining venues, residential apartments and exterior entrances and grounds, according to a press release. The renovation plan is expected to wrap up later this year, and will be led by LCS development.

Since 2014, the six communities – Autumn Leaves on White Rock Lake, Monticello West, Parkwood Retirement Community, Parkwood Healthcare Community, Signature Pointe on the Lake, and Walnut Place – were managed by Life Care Services under different ownership. Now that it owns the communities, Life Care Services will continue to manage the communities’ day-to-day operations.

Senior Housing Cooperative Planned in Colorado

A new senior housing co-op is in the works for Loveland, Colorado.

Real Estate Equities Development announced plans for its new Village Cooperative community, which will be the first owner-occupied senior housing cooperative in the city of Loveland, according to a press release.

The multi-story development will have amenities such as a community room with kitchen, guest suite for friends and families, club room, reading areas, raised outdoor gardening beds, workshop, fitness center, internal storage area and underground heated parking with a car wash bay.

More details for the project will be unveiled at upcoming public seminars beginning Jan. 24.

Watercrest and Waypoint Team Up for Georgia Property

Watercrest Senior Living Group and Waypoint Residential have announced the closing of a joint venture to develop the Watercrest Newnan Assisted Living and Memory Care Community, a 107-unit community on nine acres in Newnan, Georgia.

The resort-style community is slated to break ground next month, with an expected opening date of late spring, 2019, according to a press release.

Residents who live in the 92,000 square foot property will have access to amenities such as a pool, fireplace, signature water wall, multiple dining venues, children’s play space, and a faux-outdoor streetscape for memory care residents with a salon and spa, bakery and post office.

D2 Architecture designed the community.

Caddis to Develop Second Heartis Community in Wisconsin

Caddis has announced the development of a second Heartis senior living community in Wisconsin.

The national healthcare firm is planning to build Heartis Village Brookfield, a community near Milwaukee with 104 assisted living and memory care apartments and a wide variety of amenities, according to a press release.

Amenities will include secured courtyards, landscaped grounds and gardens with walking paths, common areas, activity rooms, a bar area, libraries, a media room, a fitness center, salon, dining rooms, and regularly scheduled social and recreational activities.

The new community will be managed by Pathway to Living. The architect for the project is Katus, and the general contractor is Stevens Construction Corp.

Construction for the community is expected to finish in July, 2019.

Construction: In progress

Work Underway for Benchmark Community in New York

A new Benchmark Senior Living  senior living community is set to open on Long Island, New York, later this year.

The community, Whisper Woods at Smithtown, is a 101-unit assisted living and memory care community currently under construction and scheduled to open spring 2018 on Long Island, N.Y. The project is estimated to cost about $25 million, a representative told Senior Housing News.

MorningStar, Confluent Break Ground on New Mexico Development

Co-developers MorningStar Senior Living and Confluent Senior Living have broken ground on a new senior living community in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

The 70,863-square-foot development, located in a northern suburb of Albuquerque, will have 77 units for assisted living and memory care residents, according to a press release. Amenities include a 24-hour bistro, a full bar, a workshop and art studio, community spaces with a demonstration kitchen, a spa and massage therapy room, fitness center, theatre, chapel, library and salon.

Confluent is the project owner and MorningStar will serve as the community’s operator. Rosemann & Associates is serving as the architect for the new development, while Bradbury Stamm Construction is the general contractor and Thoma-Holec Design is the project’s interior designer.

Construction: Complete

Solvere to Open $59.1 Million Community in New Jersey

Solvere Senior living is scheduled on Feb. 8 to open its $59.1 million Homestead at Hamilton senior living community in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, according to a press release.

The 195-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community has multiple casual and fine dining venues, two art studios, a performing arts center, a theater, libraries, a fitness gym and studio, salon, concierge, transportation and a sundry shop.

Pike Construction Co. built the community, and J. Randolph Parry Architects PC designed it.

Other noteworthy projects:

Planned

— A historic Masonic temple in Hudson Falls, New York, could become a senior living community with 22 apartments.

— Senior Lifestyle’s plan to build a $79 million community with 200 apartments in Oak Brook, Illinois, was shut down by local officials.

— A 66-unit independent living community could soon come together in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

— Developers are planning to convert an old hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee, into a luxury senior living community with 85 independent living apartments.

— The developers behind a planned 125-unit assisted living community near Fort Wayne, Indiana, have scaled the project back on neighbors’ objections.

— The Good Samaritan Society has plans to expand its Water Valley Senior Living Resort community in Windsor, Colorado, by adding a two-story building with 40 assisted living beds and a one-story building with 16 memory care beds.

— Local officials in Caribou, Maine, have approved the sale of a former school to a developer who plans to turn the property into senior housing.

— A shuttered tower in Atlanta could give way to a $2 million senior housing project.

— Officials in Nebraska City, Nebraska, have given the go-ahead to an affordable senior housing project.

— A senior living community in Mequon, Wisconsin, is expanding by building 60 new independent living apartments

In progress

— Work is steadily progressing for a new 71-unit Legacy Senior Living community in Cleveland.

Complete

— The California Armenian Home in Fresno, California, has unveiled a new $42 million expansion called The Vineyards.

— Leisure Living Management has put the finishing touches on a $9 million assisted living and memory care community with 44 units in Grandville, Michigan.

— Danbury Senior Living’s newest community in Brunswick, Ohio, is now open for business.

— Artis Senior Living is scheduled on Jan. 21 to celebrate the grand opening of its new 64-suite memory care community in New Jersey.

— A 55-unit senior housing complex in Simi Valley, California, has opened its doors to renters ages 55 and older.

Written by Tim Regan

The post In the Pipeline: Senior Housing Construction Projects (1/18/18) appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Wingate Healthcare Recruits New COO

Wingate Healthcare, a provider of senior living and health care services in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, has named Jill Bosa as its new COO, according to a press release.

Prior to joining Wingate, Bosa served as COO for Kindred Healthcare’s nursing center division, where she provided operational oversight for more than 100 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living communities and sub-acute care centers in 20 states. Bosa has also held executive leadership positions with Signature Healthcare and Extendicare Health Services.

Additionally, the American Health Care Association in 2008 named Bosa as a “future leader of America in long-term care.”

Granite Investment Group Hires New President

Investment management firm Granite Investment Group has hired Ken Hocker as its new president.

Hocker is now responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and the development and implementation of the company’s strategic plan, according to a press release. Prior to joining Granite, Hocker spent seven years as executive vice president at Vintage Real Estate, a national real estate investment firm.

Hocker has been responsible for more than $1.8 billion in commercial and multifamily acquisitions, development projects and repositioning efforts throughout his more than 30-year career.

Holiday Retirement Adds Director of Resident Experience

Dr. Sara Kyle has joined Holiday Retirement as director of resident experience, the company announced.

In her new role, Kyle will work with Bill Thomas, Holiday’s chief wellness officer, to develop resident programs rooted in the Eden Alternative. She will also play a key role in educating Holiday’s associates on how to help residents find strength, purpose and belonging.

Kyle has more than 10 years of experience creating wellness programs and initiatives. Before joining Holiday, she worked for Senior Care Centers in Dallas, where she oversaw resident wellness activities and developed programs.

Lancaster Pollard Names Regional Investment Banking Leader

Lancaster Pollard has announced that Kevin Oakley will head up investment banking efforts for the firm’s clients in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Oakley joined Lancaster Pollard as an associate in 2014 and has been a vice president with the firm since 2017. In his new role, he will be based in the firm’s Atlanta office.

Lancaster Pollard is a subsidiary of ORIX USA Corporation that offers investment banking, mortgage banking, private equity, balance sheet financing and M&A advisory services for senior living and health care providers.

PointClickCare Hires Executive Vice President and General Manager for Home Care Division

PointClickCare has named Mark Tomzak as the executive vice president and general manager of its home care division, according to a press release.

Tomzak, who brings more than 30 years of healthcare technology experience, will direct the company’s home care business group. Prior to joining PointClickCare, Tomzak served as CEO of Smartlinx and CareWorx, leading both companies through periods of rapid growth for 11 years.

He has also served as vice president of sales, marketing and implementation at Achieve Healthcare Technologies, and as chief operating officer at The EnVision Group and Medical Learning.

Peers Mourn Death of Former Benchmark Senior Vice President

A senior vice president of development at Benchmark Senior Living has passed away.

John Dragat was mourned by his loved ones and colleagues after he died on Dec. 20. Dragat, who was 58, led the development of dozens of projects, including more than 10 Benchmark communities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and New York.

In addition to his long career with Benchmark, Dragat was also a devoted husband and father and an avid sailor, according to his obituary.

Cadence Hires Executive Director for Arizona Community

Cadence Senior Living appointed Reneé Mayo to serve as executive director of its planned Inspira Arrowhead in Glendale, Arizona, according to a press release.

Prior to joining Cadence, Reneé worked at Beztak Properties. Inspira Arrowhead is currently scheduled to open in January 2019.

Laramar Group Appoints Senior Vice President of Operations

The Laramar Group, a national real estate investment and property management company that deals with senior living, announced today that Jeanne Schwab will assume the role of senior vice president of operations.

In the new position, Schwab will help oversee the firm’s national urban marketing platform efforts. Schwab previously helped lead the growth and development of Laramar as a vice president of operations.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Wingate Healthcare’s New COO appeared first on Senior Housing News.

What do Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) and senior housing providers like Benchmark Senior Living have in common?

They’re all using predictive analytics to meet their respective goals. In the case of Netflix, the goal is to correctly guess consumers’ viewing preferences. For Amazon, it’s to drive sales by suggesting appealing products for specific people to purchase.

At Benchmark Senior Living, the goal is to increase staff retention, and consequently reduce turnover.

Benchmark on Wednesday announced it is joining other senior living providers in partnering with Baltimore-based Arena, a firm that specializes in using data analytics to help health care organizations hire employees who will stick around for the long-term. Coincidentally, Arena uses some of the same technology as Netflix and Amazon to accomplish this, Arena founder and CEO Mike Rosenbaum told Senior Housing News.

Lowering turnover is a major goal of many senior housing organizations, especially given that the national assisted living turnover rate stands at 31%, according to the most recent Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report from the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service.

But the task is made more complicated by the fact that roughly 65% of caregivers are “always looking for a better job,” according to recent research.

Arena has managed to reduce turnover by a median of 38% across all of its health care clients, and at senior living providers, “the numbers tend to be higher than that,” Rosenbaum said.

In fact, Arena essentially promises that it can reduce senior living organizations’ turnover by at least 10%.

“If we don’t reduce turnover over 10%, we refund all of their money,” Rosenbaum said. “But it’s an easy guarantee for us to give.”

Confidence in the system

Arena signed its agreement to partner with Massachusetts-based Benchmark at the end of December 2017, according to Rosenbaum. Implementation began this January, and Arena plans to “go live” with Benchmark in April, according to Veronica Barber, Benchmark’s senior vice president of human capital.

Benchmark was inspired to reach out to Arena when it learned about the results Sunrise Senior Living had seen using Arena’s predictive analytics platform. Specifically, at the Virginia-based senior living provider, hires who go through Arena’s system are turning over at rates much lower than new employees who did not go through Arena’s system, or who were hired despite the fact that the analytics did not label them a good fit.

“We felt so comfortable, given the Sunrise pilot and the outcomes that they saw, that we decided not even to take a pilot approach,” Barber told SHN.

Essentially, Arena collects data from three different buckets. First, there’s third-party data, which refers to “all of the data out there in the world on somebody,” according to Rosenbaum. Then there’s application data, or what employers would find on an applicant’s resume or cover letter. Lastly, there’s data collected when an applicant takes a survey of sorts.

“We’ll ask some questions that are designed to look a particular way that’s not familiar to a job applicant,” Rosenbaum explained. “We’re collecting their keystrokes, what order they do something in, how long they hover over particular questions.”

The technology Arena utilizes is the same as the technology Amazon uses to predict exactly what visitors to its website would like to buy, and the technology that Netflix uses to predict what its users would want to watch next, according to Rosenbaum.

Instead of predicting customers’ shopping or viewing preferences, though, Arena uses this technology to determine what type of worker a job applicant will be in a senior living setting.

“We’re generating predictions of the likelihood of particular things happening for particular job applicants,” Rosenbaum said.

Benchmark’s hope is that the Arena system will help the provider hire and retain employees who are a good fit culturally and skill-wise. Still, the Arena system isn’t bound to be 100% foolproof, Barber implied.

“I think the barriers for this type of technology are more around accessibility,” she explained, noting that people who speak English as their second language, or who aren’t fluent English readers or writers, may have some difficulty using the system.

At the same time, Benchmark is supplying its communities with tablets so that individuals who walk into a community to apply for a job can use the Arena system, she said.

Greater industry exposure

Arena currently has a fairly small client base in the senior care industry—but according to Rosenbaum, that’s likely to change soon.

“Our total number of [senior living, long-term care, rehab and hospice] clients is fewer than 10, but all of our clients are large,” Rosenbaum explained. Additionally, Arena currently has “a bunch” of senior living partnerships in the works.

“I would guess in the next 30 to 60 days there will be a handful of other clients that will go public,” Rosenbaum said.

Written by Mary Kate Nelson

The post Providers Using Same Tech as Amazon, Netflix to Lower Staff Turnover appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Wearable technology, voice-activated assistants and “smart” devices are on the verge of dominating the senior living landscape, and providers must be prepared to navigate the risks and opportunities that lie therein.

These cutting-edge technologies are promising, but providers are still determining how to implement them most effectively, according to executives with some of the largest providers in the nation, who spoke during a March 14 webinar hosted by CDW Healthcare and Senior Housing News.

At the same time, new technologies bring with them risks that can put senior living companies in jeopardy of data breaches.

Wearables, smart tech on the cusp

From the Apple Watch to the Fitbit, wearable technology, or “wearables,” are becoming more and more commonplace in American society. The number of wearable devices is expected to jump to roughly 504 million in 2021, up from 260 million in 2016, according to research and advisory company Gartner.

Waltham, Massachusetts-based Benchmark Senior Living first examined the viability of wearables about two years ago, according to Moulay Elalamy, vice president of information technology for the provider, which operates 57 communities in seven states.

In the end, Benchmark saw wearables as a “building block more than a destination,” he said. But, it’s a question of when, not if, wearables see widespread adoption among seniors.

Marc Gaber, Vice President and CIO of Des Moines, Iowa-based LCS, agreed with that assessment. LCS has 133 managed communities in 32 states.

“When I look at wearables, I think it’s still in the discovery phase,” Gaber said. “The question is, what problem are we trying to solve? It continues to evolve. How does it play into the larger puzzle?”

Smart devices and voice-activated assistants such as Alexa, Siri and Google Home are also increasingly cropping up in senior living communities. As with wearables, it seems certain the technology will one day play a transformative role in the industry—that day just hasn’t yet arrived.

“They are definitely ready for primetime,” said Greg Swope, CIO and Chief Information Security Officer with Newton, Massachusetts-based Five Star Senior Living (Nasdaq: FVE). “The question is how it will fit into senior living.”

Five Star has 280 communities in 28 states, and also offers a range of ancillary services.

Though most smart devices—lights, locks, televisions, tablets and phones—currently exist to enhance residents’ quality of life, they could play a role in clinical data collection, too. For example, smart toilets might soon track how many times a resident gets up to use the bathroom at night.

“The challenge that the market has today is that it’s very data-collection driven,” Swope said. “The question is, what will our staff do with that data? The reality is, we don’t have the wherewithal to tackle that kind of function.”

Artificial intelligence could help fill that gap—and even help a provider avoid the labor crunch by filling roles traditionally filled by humans.

Still, there are some hurdles to widespread adoption, such as the availability of campus-wide Wi-Fi and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules. And any future tech solution must be seamlessly embedded into a resident’s day-to-day experience.

“It has to be part of the daily activities,” Elalamy said. “It also has to be transparent and not necessarily something where they have to realize they’re using it.”

Phishing at the forefront

Senior living providers routinely store and process sensitive medical and payment information, making them prime targets for hackers and other data thieves. One of the most common weak points in many senior living providers lies not in the firewall or email filters, but rather, in the employees’ and residents’ personal habits.

Phishing emails—fake messages meant to fool someone into giving up passwords or other bits of personal information—remain one of the largest threats to the industry, Swope explained.

“The biggest threat to an organization these days is not somebody breaking in through your firewall, but someboduy getting credentials through tricking end users,” he said.

As with any company, senior living providers should educate and test their employees on identifying phishing emails. Some security tools can even send faux-phishing messages meant to determine which employees are at greatest risk of a data breach, Swope noted.

Residents, too, can benefit from some extra computer security training. In particular, senior living providers could educate older adults on some best practices, such as when to give out your credit card information or input your password while buying something online.

“There’s definitely a good opportunity to better educate our residents on IT security in the future,” Swope said.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Wearables, Voice Assistants Nearly Ready for Primetime in Senior Living appeared first on Senior Housing News.

LaSalle Group Names New VP of Health and Wellness

The LaSalle Group has promoted Schekesia Meadough to vice president of health and wellness.

In her new role, Meadough will continue to expand clinical education and quality initiatives at LaSalle’s Autumn Leaves communities, while also overseeing regulatory compliance in the nine states where the company operates.

Those initiatives include implementing a wellness program using risk-management tools, establishing advanced nursing protocols, advocating for innovation in programming and assessing supplier relationships. Meadough also developed formal nurse leadership training for all team members, with the goal of raising performance standards at every Autumn Leaves community.

Prior to joining LaSalle in 2015 as a regional director of healthcare,Meadough served as a nurse surveyor for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Service (DADS).

Hegarty to Step Down as Senior Housing Properties Trust President, COO

David Hegarty, the president and COO of Senior Housing Properties Trust (Nasdaq: SNH), is stepping down from the Newton, Massachusetts-based real estate investment trust (REIT) on April 30, according to a Monday press release.

Senior Housing Properties Trust is managed by the operating subsidiary of The RMR Group Inc. (Nasdaq: RMR), an alternative asset management company that is also based in Newton, Massachusetts. As of February, SNH owned 305 senior living communities nationwide.

Read the rest of the story on Senior Housing News.

Dial Retirement Community in Colorado Gets New Executive Director

Dial Retirement Communities has named Christine Morrissey as executive director of Flatirons Terrace, a 54-apartment independent living community in Boulder, Colorado.

In her new role, Morrissey will oversee the community’s operations.  An alumni of the LeadingAge Larry Minnix Leadership Academy, Morrissey previously served as the associate director of Golden West Senior Living, where she managed 300 senior living apartments.

Flatirons Terrace is one 17 communities managed by Dial Retirement Communities, which assumed ownership and management of the community earlier this month.

Charter Senior Living Names Executive Director of Kentucky Community

Charter Senior Living has named Jim Britt as executive director of Charter Senior Living of Bowling Green, a 129-unit independent and assisted living community in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Jim Britt comes to Charter Senior Living from LifeCenters Communities, where he served as senior vice president of operations. There, he worked with Charter Senior Living identifying potential growth opportunities in the Southeast U.S.

Britt, a U.S. Navy veteran, also served as executive director of Azalea Trace Assisted Living, director with Atria Senior Living and director of operations for a vacation resort in Belize.

Executive Director Hired for Forthcoming Northbridge Community in Massachusetts

Northbridge Companies has appointed Maureen Gardner to the position of executive director at Laurentide at Mashpee Commons, an independent living, assisted living and memory care community slated to open in Mashpee, Massachusetts, this summer.

Gardner, who has 25 years of experience in the senior living industry, joins Northbridge Companies from Wingate Residences at Brewster Place, where she served as an executive director since 1997. She also is a certified dementia practitioner, and holds an advanced level administrators’ certificate from Argentum.

Watercrest Community in Florida Welcomes Community Relations Director

Watercrest Senior Living has hired Jennifer Lopez as community relations director of its Sage Park Assisted Living and Memory Care community in Kissimmee, Florida. The 128-unit property is now accepting reservations to welcome residents this fall.

In her new role, Lopez will help residents transition to their new home. She brings to her new job 10 years of experience in health care, from labor and delivery to hospice care.

Sales Director Comes Aboard at Benchmark Community in Massachusetts

Benchmark Senior Living has appointed Patrick McShane as director of sales at its New Pond Village community in Walpole, Massachusetts.

McShane, who brings more than 20 years of experience to the community, previously served as the vice president at Creating Results in Virginia. He joins New Pond Village as it undergoes an $8 million renovation.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: LaSalle Group Names VP of Health and Wellness appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Movers & Shakers is brought to you by the Senior Housing News Job Board. Browse and apply to management and executive senior living jobs and positions from leading professional firms serving the industry. Employers can post single jobs, purchase job packages or our premium subscription that includes unlimited job posts and editorial coverage for one year. Visit SHN Jobs today.

HCP Names Brian Cartwright Chairman, Appoints Two to Board of Directors

Real estate investment trust (REIT) HCP, Inc. (NYSE: HCP) has announced it appointed Brian Cartwright as chairman of the board. Mike McKee, former executive board chairman and former interim CEO of HCP, announced his retirement earlier this year.

Most recently, Cartwright served on the public company board of Investment Technology Group, an independent broker and financial technology provider. He also served as general counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2006 to 2009.

The REIT also added Lydia Kennard and Kent Griffin to its board of directors, effective immediately.

Kennard will serve as a member of the board’s audit committee and its compensation and human capital committee. Griffin will also serve as a member of the audit committee, as well as the investment and finance committee.

Kennard served as President and CEO of KDG Development Construction Consulting since 2011, and a principal of Airport Property Ventures, LLC, since 2007.

Griffin, meanwhile, has served as managing director of PHICAS Investors since 2016. He also previously served in the roles of president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of BioMed Realty Trust, Inc.

Additionally, HCP’s board adopted a mandatory retirement age of 75 for directors, with “certain exceptions necessary to ensure an orderly transition of new board members,” the company noted.

Benchmark Senior Living Appoints New CFO

Benchmark Senior Living recently announced that Jerry Kemper has joined the company as senior vice president and CFO.

In his new role, Kemper oversees all financial aspects of the company, including financial planning and analysis, accounting and financial reporting, and managing tax, internal audit, treasury and investor relations functions.

Kemper joins Benchmark from Kindred Healthcare, where he was senior vice president and CFO for that firm’s nursing center division. Prior to joining Kindred, Kemper was an officer for ADDIT and for 11 years served as vice president of finance for Genesis Healthcare.

Overall, he brings to Benchmark more than two decades of operational and strategic financial management experience in the health care and long-term care industries.

Ryan Companies CEO to Step Aside, Assume Chairman Role

Senior living, health care and real estate development firm Ryan Companies US announced that its president and CEO, Pat Ryan, will step aside from his current duties on June 1 to become chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Brian Murray will assume the CEO position in Ryan’s place. Along with owners Jeff Smith and Mike McElroy, Murray has helped lead the company’s day-to-day operations for the last five years. As part of the transition, Smith will take on the role of president, while McElroy will be the company’s CIO. Tim Gray, who currently chairs the company’s board of directors, will assume the title of chairman emeritus.

The transition, which was part of a succession plan developed over several years, marks the first time in Ryan Companies’ 80-year history that non-family members will lead the company.

Morning Pointe Senior Living Announces New Executive Vice President

Morning Pointe Senior Living has appointed Aaron Webb as its new executive vice president. The company is the developer, owner and manager of 30 communities in five states in the Southeast.

Webb now oversees the company’s developmental strategies and lead in the daily management of Morning Pointe’s operations.

He comes to Morning Pointe from Life Care Centers of America, where he provided business counsel as the executive vice president. In total, he has more than 20 years of strategic business, financial and legal experience.

Atria Promotes Employee to Lead North Jersey Region

Atria Senior Living has promoted one of its executive directors, Karol Gorniak, to the role of regional vice president. The move is part of Atria’s strategy to enhance its presence and increase its business support in the North New Jersey markets where it does business, the company said.

Atria’s newly formed “North Jersey” region in New Jersey now includes the Atria Cranford in Cranford; Atria Roseland in Roseland; Atria Norwood in Norwood; and Atria Waldwick in Waldwick, which is scheduled to open early 2019.

In his new role, Gorniak will oversee operations, service and care delivery for the region. Gorniak previously served as executive director for Atria Roseland and has 25 years of experience in leadership, customer service and operations management.

Isakson Living Hires Vice President of Operations

Isakson living has named Donna Moore to the role of vice president of operations.

In her new role, Moore will oversee operations and work closely with the executive director and associate executive director in charge of health services at the company’s Park Springs and Peachtree Hills Place communities.

Prior to joining Isakson Living, Moore served as the registrar and director of Georgia’s Office of Vital Records. She also ran her own consulting business for 14 years. In total, Moore has 30 years of management and leadership experience.

Ziegler Adds Senior Vice President to Senior Living Investment Banking Team

investment bank and full-service brokerage firm Ziegler recently announced the addition of Aaron Schroeder as senior vice president to its investment banking team in senior living finance.

Schroeder, who is based in Ziegler’s Milwaukee office, is now responsible for providing investment banking services to not-for-profit senior living providers in the Midwest, as well as credit, covenant and deal structuring oversight for the firm’s national senior living practice.

Schroeder previously worked at Ziegler from 2003 to 2014. During that time, he provided technical and documentation support for more than 50 bond underwriting and bank placement transactions.  Prior to rejoining Ziegler, Schroeder was assistant director of corporate strategy at Northwestern Mutual.

KeyBanc Names Managing Director for Municipal Underwriting Team

KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. has appointed Matthew O’Grady as a managing director with its municipal underwriting team.

O’Grady, who will be on Key’s trading desk in New York City, is a 20-year industry veteran who will be involved with high-yield trading and underwriting for senior living and health care markets. He will also serve as the primary contact for Key’s public finance bankers in the health care space.

Most recently, he was a managing director at Piper Jaffray. Previously, he was responsible for the creation and sale of bonds for senior living and healthcare entities at Red Capital and H. J. Sims & Co.

HDC MidAtlantic Appoints New President and CEO

Affordable housing nonprofit HDC MidAtlantic has appointed Dana Hanchin as the organization’s new president and CEO. HDC MidAtlantic owns, develops and manages more than 3,700 affordable apartments for seniors, people living with disabilities and families in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

Hanchin comes to the nonprofit from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) of Philadelphia, where she served as deputy director for five years and oversaw strategic priorities, business development and community development lending.

Integral Community in Houston Names Executive Director, Marketing Director

The Shores at Clear Lake Senior Living, a Houston senior living community set to open this summer, has named LaTanya Jules as its new senior executive director and Vera Steinmetz as director of sales and marketing.

Jules is a 16-year veteran of the the senior living and care industry, and has been with The Shores at Clealake’s management company, Integral Senior Living, since 2006. Prior to joining Integral, she managed the business operations for a produce company and was an administrator for an adult dementia program.

Steinmetz has 15 years of experience in the senior living industry and has held positions such as business office manager, marketing mentor, and regional sales and marketing manager.

Dallas CCRC Gets New Executive Director

Presbyterian Village North, a faith-based continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Houston, has named Bryan Cooper to the role of executive director.

Cooper, who brings to the CCRC more than 10 years of experience in the senior living industry, is now responsible for overseeing the community’s daily operations, managing marketing, community outreach, financial operations, programming and strategic planning.

Previously, he served as the executive director of The Forum at Park Lane for a period of about four years.

California CCRC’s Health Center Hires Administrator

OakView Health Center, which provides skilled nursing, assisted living and memory care services to the University Village Thousand Oaks CCRC in Thousand Oaks, California, has appointed Jeannette Ruggiero as its new administrator.

As administrator, Ruggiero will manage day-to-day operations, including resident satisfaction, regulatory compliance, financial management and employee engagement. Prior to joining OakView in 2010, Ruggiero worked in a human resources capacity at United Imaging in Woodland Hills, California, and at Amgen in Thousand Oaks.

EPOCH Community Hires Food Service Director

Waterstone at Wellesley, an independent and assisted living community managed by EPOCH Senior Living in Wellesley, Massachusetts, has named Kevin Shimer as its food service director.

In his new role, Shimer will oversee all dining room operations, create daily menus for residents, manage food ordering and assist the dining team with cooking and plating.

Shimer, who has more than 40 years of culinary experience, previously served as executive chef for the Massachusetts State House as well as for several gubernatorial campaigns. He also spent seven years as chef manager for Wellesley College’s Stone Davis Dining Hall.

National Lutheran Communities & Services Names Sales Director

National Lutheran Communities & Services (NLCS) recently announced it named Allison Combs as its sales director. This is a newly created position that will help the provider oversee sales efforts and initiatives throughout its family of brands.

Combs brings over 20 years of sales experience to the role, including seven with the National Lutheran family. Previously, she held the role of sales counselor at The Village at Orchard Ridge in Winchester, Virginia, before taking a corporate marketing specialist position at NLCS. She then returned to Orchard Ridge in 2013 as director of sales and marketing, where she led the sales and marketing efforts for the community’s second expansion phase.

Frampton Construction Adds Preconstruction Manager, Administrative Assistant

Frampton Construction, a regional construction firm with senior living clients throughout North and South Carolina, has added Brandon Denney as assistant preconstruction manager and Hailey S. Gilbert as administrative assistant.

Denney previously worked with Balfour Beatty Construction is a graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University. Gilbert is a recent graduate of Coastal Carolina University.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: HCP Board Chair, Benchmark CFO, Ryan Cos. CEO appeared first on Senior Housing News.

As senior living providers look for new ways to gain a technological advantage over their competitors, they would do well to examine their processes down to the details—including whether they use Amazon or Google devices, and how much financial leeway they allot for technology infrastructure development.

Those were among the top takeaways shared by experts with three well-known senior living providers during a panel at the Senior Housing News 2018 Summit in Chicago last week.

Amazon vs. Google

Voice-activated assistants and devices, like Amazon Echo’s Alexa and Google Home, are among the biggest upcoming technology trends in senior living. Already, some sizable senior living organizations—like Glendale, California-based senior housing provider Front Porch—are investing time and energy into the budding trend.

“Voice-activated devices have a tremendously huge potential within senior living care,” said Kory Nadeau, security officer and head of IT infrastructure at Roseville, Minnesota-based Presbyterian Homes & Services. “Independent living seniors are bringing them into their homes, and they’re using them to ask questions.”

Much of the voice-activated tech on the market today isn’t HIPAA-compliant, or therefore compatible in higher-acuity senior living settings. To help overcome this roadblock, Presbyterian Homes & Services has sought help from Amazon Web Services in getting its Alexa devices to work better in the senior living environment.

But as they seek out assistance, providers should also be slightly wary of some tech manufacturers’ ulterior motives, said Moulay Elalamy, vice president of information technology at Waltham, Massachusetts-based Benchmark Senior Living.

“Amazon is a commercial platform. They want to sell you things,” Elalamy said. “The very essence of Amazon is not making seniors’ lives better or taking care of them, it’s just selling them things. It’s a fundamental issue that I have with them versus Google.”

While Google isn’t perfect, it’s also not an online marketplace, making it more suitable for senior living providers, at least in Elalamy’s eyes.

“It’s more geared toward services than trying to commercialize everything you do all of the time,” he said.

In the future, residents might bring their own voice assistants from home, and the senior living community would simply network with them. On the management and operations side, there might come a day when voice technology—paired with artificial intelligence—plays a crucial role.

“It would be amazing for us if we had things like an AI that knows what a problem is, finds out a device is faulty, [and] orders it from Amazon,” Elalamy explained. “We’re trying to move away from paper right now, but I’d like to try to move away from devices altogether and just talk to the computer.”

Consider a technology development fund

As senior living developers plot new communities, some are taking extra care to ensure there’s room in the construction plans—and the budget—for new technology.

Presbyterian Homes & Services, for example, now thinks about technological infrastructure every time it sets out to rehab one of its communities. LCS does something similar.

“You need to at least have an active discussion around what your infrastructure at these communities is going to be to support these technologies. It should be an annual investment,” explained Marc Gaber, vice president and chief information officer at Des Moines, Iowa-based Life Care Services. “We’ve seen so many cases where communities don’t invest in that… and now they’re playing catch-up.”

Benchmark, meanwhile, thinks about what technology it wants to implement today, as well as what it might use two or three years down the road. To achieve their goals from a budgeting standpoint, Elalamy recommended setting aside a kind of rainy day fund that could be used on new technology as needed.

“I don’t know exactly what TV model we’re going to buy in three years… and I don’t know exactly how much it’s going to cost,” Elalamy said. “So you need to have some kind of leeway.”

Big data collection ‘not there yet’

It’s long been a pipe dream in the senior living industry to track a resident’s every action, from how many steps they take in a day to how much sleep they’re getting at night. By collecting a wide range of data, providers can use it to predict larger trends, like when a resident is at risk of falling or going to the hospital.

The way in which data is collected has a long way to come, too. Though wearable devices like Fitbit and Apple Watch are gaining prominence with some large senior living providers, those devices come with their own challenges.

“[Seniors] want things that don’t stand out and say, I’m wearing a wearable for a medical reason,” Nadeau said. “Once we can get that, and we can start capturing this data… then it’s going to become useful. But right now, it’s just trial and error.”

Similarly, tech companies and senior living providers still need to tackle some big-picture concepts, like how data is collected, which health markers are most relevant, and where that information is stored.

“We absolutely are not there yet, obviously, because we’re still trying to get the hardware to work,” Elalamy explained. “It’s really combining this with the EMRs and EHRs to make sure the data is relevant and flows through there.”

Then there’s the question of security. A senior living provider needs to cover all of its bases, including training its associates to safely handle sensitive resident information. And people tend to be the weakest link in the security chain, so to speak.

“How do you manage that and make sure they understand that everything they do potentially impacts everything else? That’s a step I worry about,” Gaber said. “I can educate you as much as I possibly can, and there still might be an issue.”

For example, when families place cameras in residents’ rooms, it could open up a proverbial can of worms for a senior living provider, Elalamy said.

“Who’s responsible for the privacy—is it us, is it you? If the data is going over our network, is it our responsibility to make sure it’s secure? What if there’s a hack?” he asked. “We’re trying to figure out exactly where the accountability lies.”

Written by Tim Regan

The post Brand Names and Better Budgets: Preparing for Senior Living Tech Implementation appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Movers & Shakers is brought to you by the Senior Housing News Job Board. Browse and apply to management and executive senior living jobs and positions from leading professional firms serving the industry. Employers can post single jobs, purchase job packages or our premium subscription that includes unlimited job posts and editorial coverage for one year. Visit SHN Jobs today.

Erickson Living Community Hires Director of Finance

Cedar Crest, an Erickson Living community in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, has appointed Joseph Pisano as the community’s director of finance.

Pisano has more than 20 years of experience in finance and healthcare, including acute and long-term care, assisted living and continuing care. He spent the past 11 years in healthcare quality improvement, working on initiatives for The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Cedar Crest is one of 19 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) managed by Erickson Living.

Benchmark Promotes Three at Massachusetts Community

Benchmark Senior Living has promoted three executives at its The Commons CCRC in Lincoln Massachusetts.

The operator promoted Chris Golen from the role of campus executive director to his new title of regional director of operations. In that position, he will oversee operators for all of the provider’s CCRCs. Golen first joined Benchmark more than 12 years ago.

Additionally, Benchmark promoted Reynaldo Leblanc to the title of campus executive director, and moved Holly Dineen to associate campus executive director. Leblanc held many positions at The Commons over the last five years, and Dineen started her senior living career with Benchmark more than 12 years ago.

Juniper Hires Executive Director for Colorado Community

Juniper Communities recently named Eric Adolph as the new executive director of Lakewood Reserve, a community in Lakewood, Colorado, that the senior living provider began managing earlier this year.

In his new role, one of Adolph’s goals will be to enhance the quality of life of the community’s residents, their loved ones and associates using Juniper’s signature programs.

Adolph comes to his new job with more than 10 years of leadership experience in senior living in small assisted living and large CCRC communities.

Integral Names New Directors for Two California Communities

Integral Senior Living has announced new leadership appointments for two communities in California.

The senior living provider named Tim Batton as executive director and Renee Lukenbill as director of sales and marketing for Loma Clara, a senior living community set to open in Morgan Hill, California, in early 2019.

Batton has more than a decade of experience in senior community leadership, and most recently led Integral Senior Living communities in San Diego and Angels Camp, California. Lukenbill, meanwhile, spent the last four and a half years as director of sales and marketing for Merrill Gardens in Gilroy, California.

Integral also recently named Allison Rodman as the new director of sales and marketing for its The Point at Rockridge community in Oakland, California.

In her new role, Rodman will develop relationships among residents, community members and businesses and organizations located near the community. She will also help residents and their loved ones with the move-in process, develop marketing strategies and organize visits.

Rodman previously served as community living specialist and outreach consultant for Alameda Elder Communities.

North Carolina Community Names Management Team Ahead of Opening

Waltonwood Lake Boone, a forthcoming senior living community in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently announced the hiring of seven new members of its management team.

The community hired Richard Hiatt to the role of marketing manager; Gail Honeycutt as marketing manager; Lauren Higdon as independent living manager; Katie MacGilvray as business officer manager; Shelly Levin as life enrichment manager; Bryan Minton as culinary services manager; and John Carr as environmental services manager.

When it opens later this year, Waltonwood Lake Boone will have 183 independent living, assisted living and memory care apartments. The community will also have amenities ranging from fitness equipment designed for seniors to massage therapy, outdoor courtyards with gazebos and multiple dining areas.

Masonic Villages to Welcome CFO in June

Masonic Villages, a nonprofit senior living provider based in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, has a new CFO.

Pamela Formica is set to replace outgoing CFO William Prazenica on June 1, according to the Central Penn Business Journal. Prazenica is retiring after 39 years with the company.

As CFO, Formica will oversee financial, technical and administrative duties for Masonic Villages.

RE Tech Advisors Hires Former Brookdale Leader

RE Tech Advisors has hired Marla Thalheimer, formerly director of sustainability for Brookdale Senior Living, in a move to expand its senior living consulting services.

The firm’s newly expanded consulting services are framed around facility assessments and benchmarking, strategy development and the implementation of utility management initiatives.

Bluespire Names New Senior Living Copywriters

Bluespire Senior Marketing has expanded its copywriting team with the addition of Laurie Salzberg and Ann Marie C. Raymond.

Salzberg’s brings to the firm years of ad agency and senior marketing experience, including tenure as a senior copywriter with Martino & Binzer, the agency from which Bluespire Senior Marketing emerged.

Marie has a varied communications background, with previous experience in topics ranging from aerospace and health care to politics and finance.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Erickson Living, Benchmark Senior Living appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Movers & Shakers is brought to you by the Senior Housing News Job Board. Browse and apply to management and executive senior living jobs and positions from leading professional firms serving the industry. Employers can post single jobs, purchase job packages or our premium subscription that includes unlimited job posts and editorial coverage for one year. Visit SHN Jobs today.

Brookdale’s Baier Joins NIC, Nashville Healthcare Council Boards

Brookdale President and CEO Cindy Baier has joined the board of directors of two organizations that aid the senior living and health care industries.

Baier was recently appointed to the board of directors for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) and the Nashville Healthcare Council, Brookdale announced.

As a member of NIC’s board, Baier will help further the organization’s mission “through data, analytics and connections,” according to the announcement. Her term with NIC continues through the end of 2020.

With the Nashville Healthcare Council, Baier will aid that organization as it aims to drive collaboration among health care industry leaders. Her board appointment starts July 1 and runs through June 30, 2019.

Lifespace Communities Welcomes Senior VP of People and Administration

Lifespace Communities recently hired Terese Juntz as senior vice president of people and administration. Juntz is due to join the company’s West Des Moines offices on June 25.

Juntz possesses more than 20 years of executive human resources leadership, and most recently served in the role of chief culture and administration officer of HumanGood.

Lifespace Communities owns and operates 12 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) located in seven states.

Sodexo Seniors Gets New Communications Director

Global services company Sodexo has hired Allison Lane as communications director for Sodexo Seniors, the quality of life services provider’s senior living arm.

Lane is now responsible for managing and implementing internal and external communications. She is also tasked with establishing and achieving annual success and growth objectives.

Lane comes to Sodexo from her consultancy, Tree Swing Communications, where she helped clients with integrated marketing, reputation management and public relations.

Legacy Senior Living Welcomes New Director of Asset Management

Legacy Senior Living, a management company of assisted living and memory care facilities, has promoted Blake Ray to the role of director of asset management.

In the expanded role, Ray will assist new developments, construction and renovation efforts, help coordinate financing, and support the company with real estate and operational analysis.

Ray first began his career with Legacy Senior Living as a special projects coordinator, and later became executive director of Renaissance Marquis, an assisted living and memory care community in Rome, Georgia.

Health Dimensions Group Appoints New CEO

Health Dimensions Group has named Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey as its new CEO.

She takes the reins from Sergei Shvetzoff, who served in that role since 2015. Shvetzoff will continue with Health Dimensions Group as chairman of its board of directors. Prior to her new role as CEO, Shvetzoff Hennessey served as executive vice president of the company’s consulting practice.

Health Dimensions Group is a consulting and management firm that works with post-acute, long-term care and senior living providers, and hospitals and health systems.

Kansas Community Names Executive Director

Leawood Gardens Senior Living, an assisted living and memory care community in Leawood, Kansas, has named Jerry Lindenbaum as its new executive director.

Lindenbaum has worked in CCRCs for more than 30 years, with time spent as administrator, in-house consultant and executive director at multiple properties.

Before joining Leawood, Lindenbaum held an administrator role with Indian Creek Health Care Center, and was the executive director for Riverside Rehab and Nursing.

Benchmark Memory Care Community Hires New Executive Director

Benchmark Senior Living has named Trish Keaney as executive director for The Atrium at Rocky Hill, a memory care community in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.

Keaney joins Benchmark from Artis Senior Living, where she also served as an executive director.

Watercrest Adds Community Relations Director for Florida Community

Watercrest Senior Living Group has hired Vanessa McCall as the community relations director of its Market Street Memory Care Residence in Tampa, Florida.

McCall brings to the organization 12 years of senior living sales and marketing experience. In her new role, she will help families members and their loved ones as they transition to a memory care setting, among other duties.

Wingate Community in Rhode Island Welcomes Resident Physician

Wingate Residences on Blackstone Boulevard, an assisted living community in Providence, Rhode Island, has appointed Dr. Julio Defillo-Draib as its newest resident physician.

Defillo-Draiby is a lead geriatrician for the Total Joint Center’s co-management program at Miriam Hospital, and also an assistant professor of medicine at Brown University’s medical school.

EPOCH Names Director of Community Relations for Forthcoming Massachusetts Location

EPOCH Senior Living has named Kim O’Connell as the director of community relations at Bridges by EPOCH at Andover, a memory care assisted living community scheduled to open later this summer in Andover, Massachusetts.

O’Connell has spent more than 20 years in the health care industry, most recently as director of the memory care unit at another assisted living community in Massachusetts.

Wingate Property in Massachusetts to Welcome Director of Marketing

Wingate Healthcare named Diane Robinson to the role of director of marketing at Wingate Residences at Haverhill, an assisted living and memory care assisted living community slated to open in Haverhill, Massachusetts, later this year in the fall.

As marketing director, Robinson will work to establish relationships with local medical and health care professionals.

Prior to joining Wingate, Robinson helped open and support operations at six Northbridge Companies senior living communities elsewhere in the state of Massachusetts.

LCB Names Sales and Marketing Director for Massachusetts Community

LCB Senior Living recently appointed Jocelyn Fitzgibbons as sales and marketing director for the Residence at Melrose Station, a community it owns and operates in Melrose, Massachusetts.

Fitzgibbons, who most recently worked as a community sales director for Brightview Senior Living, brings over six years of sales experience to her new role.

Three Pillars Names New Staffers for Three Roles

Three Pillars Senior Living Communities has named two new managers and a new chief officer.

The organization appointed Josh Van Den Berg to lead its strategic marketing and communications as the chief marketing and communications officer; named Kim Roeseler as its new recruitment and retention manager; and promoted Kelsey Pangborn to the role of customer experience manager.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Brookdale Senior Living, Lifespace Communities, Sodexo appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Kendal COO to Retire After 17 Years as Organization Leader

Kendal Corporation COO Judy Braun is set to retire on July 6 after 17 years as a top executive with the company.

Since joining the senior living nonprofit’s executive leadership team in 2001, Braun has helped improve performance at Kendal’s senior living communities, programs and services in eight states.

During Braun’s tenure, Kendal added eight new affiliates in seven states. She also managed the provider’s transition to electronic medical records, and helped develop KendalNet, Kendal’s intranet service.

Most recently, Braun helped oversee plans for Enso Village, a Kendal community in northern California developed in partnership with the San Francisco Zen Center. As planned, that community will have hundreds of senior housing units and a meditation hall staffed by senior zen practitioners, among other perks for residents.

Ventas CEO Elected Real Estate Roundtable Chair

Deb Cafaro, the chairman and CEO of Ventas, Inc. (NYSE: VTR), was recently elected chair of the Real Estate Roundtable, a public policy organization organization that englists real estate owners, developers, lenders and managers in tackling national issues related to real estate and the economy.

In the position, Cafaro will work to advance policies that create sustainable economic growth for the overall real estate industry and for the U.S. economy. She is the Real Estate Roundtable’s eighth chair, and the first woman to serve in that role.

Cafaro’s term as chair of the Real Estate Roundtable officially began July 1.

Benchmark Senior Living Names Regional Director of Operations

Benchmark Senior Living has appointed Bobbi Miller to the role of regional director of operations.

Miller is now responsible for overseeing the operations of seven Benchmark communities in Massachusetts.

She joins Benchmark from Brookdale Senior Living, where she served as executive director training specialist, regional director of operations and senior executive director.

Community in Kansas Names Resident Care Director

Travanse Living at Olathe, an Integral Senior Living (ISL) assisted living and memory care community in Olathe, Kansas, has named Kristy Brown its new resident care director.

In her new role, Brown will oversee hiring, supervising, training and managing the performance of the community’s nursing staff. She also will conduct and oversee resident assessments, medication administration and documentation.

Previously, Brown served as a regional resident care director for six other ISL communities. She was also a nurse and wound care specialist for Carmel Mountain Rehabilitation and Healthcare.

Wingate Appoints Executive Director in Massachusetts

Wingate Healthcare has named Julie Decoteau as executive director of Wingate Residences at Brewster Place, an assisted living community in Brewster, Massachusetts.

Decoteau has 13 years of health care experience, and previously served as executive director and resident care director for an assisted living community in nearby Harwich, Massachusetts.

Decoteau is a board member for the Harwich Chamber of Commerce and Cape Cod Regional Technical School. She also serves as education co-chair for the Massachusetts Assisted Living Association.

Former Executive Director Returns to Benchmark Community in Massachusetts

Benchmark Senior Living recently appointed Jennifer LaCroix to the position of executive director for Tatnuck Park at Worcester, an assisted living and memory care community located in Worcester, Massachusetts. LaCroix previously served in the role from 2011 to 2013.

As executive director, LaCroix is tasked with overseeing the community’s day-to-day operations. She has more than 20 years of experience in assisted living, memory care and hospitality, including more than 13 years with Benchmark.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Kendal COO Retiring, Ventas CEO Elected Industry Group Chair appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Movers & Shakers is brought to you by the Senior Housing News Job Board. Browse and apply to management and executive senior living jobs and positions from leading professional firms serving the industry. Employers can post single jobs, purchase job packages or our premium subscription that includes unlimited job posts and editorial coverage for one year. Visit SHN Jobs today.

Seasons Management Names New COO, Principal

Seasons Management has hired Dan Williams to serve as the company’s new COO and principal. In his new role, Williams will help the company fulfill its long-term growth plans.

Before joining Seasons, Williams was COO at Koelsch Communities, where he provided strategic planning as the company grew from less than 20 to more than 30 communities.

Seasons Management was founded in 1998 and has had a hand in the finance development, construction and operation of more than 250 senior housing properties.

Maplewood Senior Living Appoints Vice President of Nursing

Maplewood Senior Living recently named Stella Akopyants as its new vice president of nursing.

In her new role, Akopyants  will oversee resident care and clinical services for Maplewood’s 15 communities. She’s also tasked with assessing resident, family, and staff needs, and developing operational plans for the delivery of the senior living provider’s clinical services and programs. She also will audit communities to ensure they’re meeting company, state and regulatory standards.

Akopyants brings to the role nearly 20 years of experience. She assumes the job immediately.

Kendal Chooses Replacement for Outgoing Leader at New York CCRC

James Antonucci Jr. was recently chosen serve as the next CEO and executive director of Kendal on Hudson, a life plan community affiliated with Kendal Corporation in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Antonucci is set to on Sept. 1 succeed Patricia Doyle, who is retiring after working as the community’s CEO since it opened in 2005.

Previously, Antonucci served as executive director of Heron’s Key, an Emerald Communities Life Plan Community in Gig Harbor, Washington. He also was executive director of The Village, a Santa Fe Senior Living rental community in Gainesville, Florida.

Benchmark Community in Massachusetts Welcomes New Executive Director

Benchmark Senior Living on Clapboardtree, an assisted living and memory care community in Norwood, Massachusetts, has a new executive director.

Patrick Hardy is now responsible for overseeing the community’s operations and assisting prospective residents. Before joining Benchmark, Hardy oversaw Brookdale Senior Living properties in Dedham and Auburn, Massachusetts.

Hardy also was a portfolio administrator for State Street, a financial services firm in Boston. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

HRA Community Appoints Director of Hospitality

Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) has named Ke’o Velasquez as director of hospitality for HarborChase of the Park Cities, a newly opened senior living community in Dallas.

Velasquez is trained in the culinary arts, having most recently worked as an executive sous chef at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. In his new role, he will prepare dishes for residents that include chicken breasts, pork chops, jeweled wild rice and apple ginger compote. He will also incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into each meal, along with herbs grown at the community.

HarborChase of the Park Cities has formal, private and casual dining settings. The community also has food theme nights, where residents can eat sushi, tacos or pasta.

HarborChase of the Park Cities is owned by Silverstone Healthcare Company, and operated by HRA.

Milwaukee CCRC Hires New Director of Hospitality

Carlos Matos is the new director of hospitality at Eastcastle Place, a life plan community managed by Life Care Services in Milwaukee.

As the director of hospitality, Matos is tasked with looking after the community’s dining services, which includes crafting menus and. He will also help achieve cleanliness and sanitation standards along with hiring and training people for the department.

Leo A Daly Promotes Rodebaugh to Lead Senior Living Division

Planning, architecture, engineering and interiors firm Leo A Daly recently promoted Michael Rodebaugh to lead its senior living design practice in the Southeast U.S.

In his new role, Rodebaugh will oversee design and business development for the firm’s senior living design practice throughout the region. He will lead a design team out of Leo A Daly’s West Palm Beach, Florida, office. Rodebaugh has 17 years of experience, and joined Leo A Daly in 2002. Before that, he focused on theatrical design at Zeidler Partnership.

Rodebaugh is currently the designer and project manager for the 215-unit Alton CCRC in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, as well the second phase of Sinai Residences community in Boca Raton, Florida.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Seasons Management Names New COO, Principal appeared first on Senior Housing News.

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Construction: Planned

Omega Buys Land for Georgia Community

Omega Communities recently acquired 10 acres of land on the campus of Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia, to develop a 200-bed independent living, assisted living and memory care community.

Construction drawings for the new community, Lake Vista at Eagle’s Landing, are about halfway done, and Omega hopes to break ground toward the end of this year. When complete, Lake Vista will be Omega’s sixth community, with four operating in Florida and Alabama and a fifth under development in Lady Lake, Florida.

Construction: In progress

Solvere to Manage Community Under Construction in Virginia

Solvere Senior Living will manage Aspire at Carriage Hill, a $31.6 million independent living community under construction in Henrico, Virginia.

The 148 one- and two-bedroom rental community will have amenities such as an indoor pool, salon and spa, fitness center, patio, gazebo, outdoor dining area with a fire pit, business center and Wi-Fi lounge, bistro, a full service bar and a dining room.

Bonaventure Realty Group is the community’s developer and owner, and J. Price Architecture is designing it.  If all goes accoridng to plan, Aspire at Carriage Hill will open in May, 2019.

Discovery Breaks Ground on Florida Project

Discovery Senior Living held a groundbreaking ceremony for its newest independent living community, Discovery Village At Naples Independent Living in Naples, Florida.

As planned, the community will have one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes with access to a fitness center, clubhouse, club and bar, bistro and ice cream parlor, media center with cognitive brain fitness programs, a movie theater, heated pool and spa, and a beauty salon and barber shop.

Discovery Village At Naples Independent Living is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020.

Belmont Village Tops Out in Chicago

Belmont Village Senior Living recently topped out its seven-story senior living community under construction in in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Contractor W.E. O’Neil completed the concrete structure with the final roof placement. Belmont’s plans call for a 120,500-square-foot property with 149 assisted living and memory care units.

The community is currently scheduled to open in the summer of 2019.

Riverwoods Starts Work for New Hampshire CCRC

The RiverWoods Group recently broke ground for RiverWoods Durham, a new continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Durham, New Hampshire.

As planned, RiverWoods Durham is a non-profit CCRC with 150 independent apartments and a 72-bed health center on an 11-acre campus.

LeCesse Construction of New York is managing the project, with the community scheduled to open in 2019.

South Carolina Community to Expand

Rolling Green Village, a roughly 500-resident senior living community in Greenville, South Carolina, is celebrating its 33-year anniversary by breaking ground on a new expansion project on Aug. 25.

The redevelopment and expansion will include 60 new independent living apartments and 23 single homes and duplexes. The project also will include new dining venues and other multipurpose spaces.

Construction: Complete

Leisure Care Community Opens Near Denver

Leisure Care is managing a newly opened senior living community near Denver.

The six-floor community, Carillon at Belleview Station, has 163 independent living and assisted living apartments as well as 24 memory care suites.

Amenities include a wellness center with a salon and spa, fitness center and a 1,500 square-foot sky lounge with a bar and an outdoor terrace on the community’s top floor.

Residents of the new community will also get an Amazon Echo Dot, which allows them to listen to their schedules, menus, service plans and appointments.

Capitol Seniors Housing Opens New Jersey Location

Capitol Seniors Housing has opened a new assisted living and memory care community in Mountainside, New Jersey.

The $25 million community, Arbor Terrace Mountainside, has 79 residential suites and amenities for residents such as dining rooms, a library, a movie theater, an activity room, cafe, tavern, salon, spa and a wellness and fitness room.

The community was designed by Meyer Senior Living Studio.

Five Star Opening Four New Ageility Clinics in Washington

Five Star Senior Living (Nasdaq: FVE) is opening four of new Ageility Physical Therapy Solutions clinics throughout the state of Washington in August.

The clinics will be located in Shelton, Bremerton, Burlington and Mount Vernon, marking Ageility’s first operations in the Pacific Northwest. Ageility is Five Star’s rehab and wellness brand, and is centered on physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Five Star will continue to grow its Ageility Physical Therapy Solutions offerings throughout 2018.

LCS Community Now Open Near Chicago

The Carrington at Lincolnwood, a new independent living, assisted living and memory care operated by Life Care Services (LCS), has opened its doors in Lincolnwood, Illinois.

Amenities on the community’s 13-acre campus include an indoor aquatic and fitness center, multiple libraries, a hair salon and spa, gardens, dog-friendly areas and walking paths.

The first residents began moving into the community in April. Carrington at Lincolnwood’s monthly rates start at $2,800.

Other noteworthy projects:

Planned

— A senior living community in Ames, Iowa, has plans to nearly triple the size of its campus by adding 231 new units.

— Sunrise Senior Living has plans for an 80-unit senior living community in Vienna, Virginia.

— A new assisted living and memory care community could be in the cards for Mundelein, Illinois.

— Local officials in Roswell, Georgia, have given the go-ahead to plans for a 120-unit assisted living community.

— A senior living community in Xenia, Ohio, plans to expand by adding a new 51-unit apartment building.

— LCB Senior Living is seeking to open a 110-unit senior living community in South Lexington, Massachusetts .

— Plans for a 281-unit Clarendale community are moving ahead in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton.

— A planned 130-unit senior living project in Franklin, Tennessee, could move forward if local officials give their blessing to the project.

— Developer Senior Lifestyle is seeking to build a 125-unit assisted living and memory care community in River Forest, Illinois.

— A planning commission in Elk Grove, California, have given their blessing to plans for a new 151-unit senior living community.

In progress

— Construction has started for a new 98-unit independent and assisted living community in Roanoke, Virginia.

— Workers have broken ground on a 118-unit assisted living community in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Complete

— Benchmark Senior Living is managing a newly opened, 101-unit senior living community in Smithtown, New York.

— A collaboration between the two non-profit organizations has resulted in a new senior living community in Chardon, Ohio.

— A senior living community has wrapped up work on a new 40,000-square-foot wellness and community center in Ashland, Ohio.

— A senior living community with 79 units has arrived in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Written by Tim Regan

The post In the Pipeline: Capitol Seniors Housing’s New Community; Discovery Breaks Ground appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Benchmark Names Executive Director for Massachusetts Community

Benchmark Senior Living recently appointed Adam Manchester as the campus executive director of New Pond Village, a senior living community in Walpole, Massachusetts.

In his new role, Manchester will the community’s oversee day-to-day operations. Manchester has many years of experience in the senior living industry, and earned a Certified Director of Assisted Living (CDAL) credential from the Senior Living Certification Commission in 2017.

New Pond Village recently opened a new memory care expansion as part of of Benchmark’s $8 million investment in the community. The renovations also included an expansion of its independent and assisted living offerings.

Primrose Hires New Memory Care Coordinator

Primrose Retirement Communities has hired Sarah Viola as its new memory care coordinator.

Viola is now tasked with training staff how to provide care for people affected by dementia and Alzheimer’s, and oversee how Primrose memory care communities are applying a person-centered. As part of her new job, she will visit Primrose’s 35 communities across the U.S.

Viola, who earned a master’s degree in occupational therapy, previously worked in home health, long-term care, rehabilitation, acute care, and geriatric psychiatric settings.

Non-profit Colorado Community Adds Member to Board of Directors

Robert Atchley has joined the board of directors at Golden West, a non-profit independent and assisted senior living community in Boulder, Colorado.

Currently, Atchley is professor emeritus of gerontology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he directed the Scripps Gerontology Center for 24 years.

Spring Arbor Parent Company HHHunt Welcomes New CFO

HHHunt, the residential real estate company behind the Spring Arbor Senior Living brand, has a new face in the C-suite. Todd Kobayashi joined the company Thursday as the company’s new CFO.

Kobayashi—who has more than a decade of experience financing and developing multifamily, senior housing and student housing properties—will succeed current HHHunt CFO James Crowder once he retires on Dec. 31, the company announced. Kobayashi will work alongside Crowder for the rest of this year to ensure a smooth transition.

In his new role, Kobayashi will look after financing for all HHHunt communities, and will work with all of the company’s divisions to ensure debt and equity are available for new investments. Previously, Kobayashi worked as the CFO of Kansas City-based Foutch Architecture & Development.

Read more about Spring Arbor’s new CFO on Senior Housing News.

Larry Cohen to Retire as Capital Senior Living CEO, Stay On As Consultant

Capital Senior Living (NYSE: CSU) CEO Larry Cohen is retiring at the beginning of next year, the company announced Wednesday morning.

Cohen first joined the Dallas-based senior living operator 21 years ago, and served as CEO for 19 of those years. His retirement takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

Read more about Cohen’s next steps on Senior Housing News.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Benchmark Senior Living, Primrose Retirement Communities appeared first on Senior Housing News.

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Construction: In progress

Wolff Breaks Ground on Two Revel Communities in Oregon, Washington

Private equity firm and senior living developer The Wolff Company has broken ground on two new senior living communities in the Pacific Northwest.

Wolff announced it had started work Revel Amberglen, a planned independent living project within a mixed-use master-planned community in Hillsboro, Oregon.

When it opens, the five-story property will have 143 studio, one-, and two-bedroom independent living residences, with access to amenities such as a salon and spa, indoor saltwater pool, a fitness studio and multiple restaurants with seasonal menus from Chef Beau MacMillan. Revel Amberglen is expected to open in 2020.

Wolff also broke ground on Revel Kirkland (pictured above), a new independent living apartment community in the Totem Lake neighborhood of Kirkland, Washington. The five-story property will have 151 studio, one-, and two-bedroom independent living residences and amenities such as walking trails, a salon and spa, indoor saltwater swimming pool, a fitness studio and restaurants with seasonal menus from MacMillan. Revel Kirkland is expected to open in 2019.

The two communities are part of Wolff’s 20 senior living projects currently open or under construction.

Koelsch On Track for Spring Opening in Arizona

Koelsch Communities is hard at work building the Park at Copper Creek, a 135-apartment independent living community in Chandler, Arizona.

The roughly $40 million community will have studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom floor plans. If all goes according to plan, construction will wrap up in the spring of 2019.

PNC Bank provided financing for construction and development of the community, with the remainder coming from private investors. Koelsch Communities will manage the project, which is being developed by Koelsch in partnership with RJ Development. Koelsch Construction is also acting as general contractor. Additionally, the community’s interior design will come from Judy Koelsch and David Goularte of JSK Design.

Clearwater Living Breaks Ground in California

Clearwater Living recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its planned Clearwater at North Tustin senior living community in North Tustin, California.

The project includes 100 assisted living and memory care residences in one- and two-bedroom styles and such amenities as a lounge and pub, an exhibition kitchen, a chapel, multiple dining options and wellness center and spa.

If all goes according to plan, Clearwater at North Tustin would open in the summer of 2020.

Idaho Community Starts Work on Expansion

The Renaissance at Coeur D’Alene, a Radiant Senior Living community in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, is making room for more residents.

The community recently broke ground on a new building that will increase its capacity from 64 to 80 units. If all goes according to plan, the new building, Chateau Rochelle, will open in January.

Glauser Construction is the builder on the project.

Construction: Complete

Benchmark Holds Grand Opening for First New York Community

Benchmark Senior Living recently held a celebration to mark the grand opening of Whisper Woods of Smithtown, an assisted living and memory care community in Smithtown, New York.

The three-story community has 101 assisted living and memory care apartments with amenities such as a balcony, a wellness center with fitness and physical therapy and a private family room with a full kitchen and dining area.

Integral Community in Houston Now Open

The Shores at Clear Lake, an Integral Senior Living community in Houston, is now open for residents to begin moving in.

The community is slated to hold a ribbon-cutting and grand opening event on Nov. 15. The Shores at Clear Lake welcomed first began welcoming residents earlier this year in mid-September.

Trilogy Opens New Community in Kentucky

Trilogy Health Services has opened its sixth senior living community in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Springs at Stony Brook offers a mix of care, from independent living and assisted living to memory care and skilled nursing. Amenities include public and private dining rooms and a gated courtyard for memory care residents and an independent living area with a bistro, fitness center, movie theater and a community kitchen.

The community is built on Trilogy’s two-story “village center” prototype.

Five Star Renovates Tennessee Property

Five Star Senior Living (Nasdaq: FVE) has completed a $4.5 million renovation project at Fieldstone Place, a 102-unit independent and assisted living community in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The project included a new theater with surround sound and a 90-inch screen, two dining rooms and a new private dining room, a miniature putting green, a new community library and a beauty parlor.

Five Star’s Ageility Physical Therapy services are also now available at the community’s new gym.

LCB to Hold Grand Opening for Connecticut Community

LCB Senior Living is set to hold a grand opening celebration on Nov. 7 for its new independent living, assisted living and memory care community in Stamford, Connecticut.

The Residence at Summer Street has 104 apartments, and is expected to employ around 70 full and part-time workers.

Other noteworthy projects:

Planned

— Aegis Living of Greenwood has won local approval for its plans to open a new 96-unit assisted living community in Seattle.

— A 190-unit active adult project is coming together in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

— A developer has purchased land in Greenville, South Carolina, with plans to build a senior living community there.

— Columbia Pacific Advisors seeks to bring a 115-unit assisted living and memory care community to Brookfield, Connecticut.

— A new four-story continuing care retirement community (CCRC) is slated for development in Sharpsburg, Georgia.

— A $52.5 million construction loan will help develop a 244-unit senior living community in Port Jefferson Station, New York.

— A religious organization in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, has for $12 million purchased a 38-acre property on which it plans to develop a senior living community with 120 apartments.

— RiverSpring Health has won approval to move forward with plans for New York City’s first CCRC.

— Senior housing might be coming to a 6.5-acre plot of land in Hamburg Township, Michigan.

— A 201-unit senior living community and a grocery store could soon arrive as part of a planned project in Oak Park, Illinois.

In progress

— Work is slated to begin soon for a new senior living community with 234 units in Cibolo, Texas.

— Construction has begun for a 161-unit senior housing community in Germantown, Tennessee.

Complete

— A new memory care and assisted living community has opened in Warrensburg, Missouri.

— A senior living community with 143 units has opened in Joplin, Missouri.

— A 189-unit senior living community is now welcoming residents in Carmel, Indiana.

— There’s a new senior living community in Mound, Minnesota.

Written by Tim Regan

The post In the Pipeline: Wolff Grows Revel Brand; Benchmark’s First New York Community appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Movers & Shakers is brought to you by the Senior Housing News Job Board. Browse and apply to management and executive senior living jobs and positions from leading professional firms serving the industry. Employers can post single jobs, purchase job packages or our premium subscription that includes unlimited job posts and editorial coverage for one year. Visit SHN Jobs today.

Charter Senior Living Names Jayne Sallerson COO

Charter Senior Living has appointed industry veteran Jayne Sallerson to the role of COO. Sallerson first joined the company as investor, partner and chief sales and strategy officer in 2017.

Sallerson has worked in senior management roles for many senior care companies over the past two decades. Prior to coming aboard with Charter, she was an executive vice president of sales for Benchmark Senior Living. Additionally, she worked for seven years as the executive vice president of sales and marketing for Emeritus Senior Living, before the provider merged with Brookdale in 2014.

She also has served on roundtables with industry association Argentum, and presented in the past at national senior living conferences.

Charter also announced it named Carol Simbeya as corporate director of sales. In her new role, Simbeya will provide sales development, coaching and market insights to Charter’s communities is it forges ahead with its growth plan.

Hunt Names New COO for Real Estate Capital Division

Hunt Real Estate Capital has welcomed Tyler Griffin as its new COO.

Griffin will now work in the firm’s New York headquarters and report to Hunt Real Estate Capital’s president and CIO, James P. Flynn.

Before joining Hunt Real Estate Capital, Griffin worked as COO at Dwight Capital, where was responsible for portfolio that exceeded $3 billion. Griffin has also worked with Capital One Multifamily Finance.

Hunt Real Estate Capital is part of Hunt Companies, which this year expanded its senior housing and health care lending platform under the Hunt Mortgage Group banner.

Cadence Hires Regional Director of Operations

Cadence Living has hired Treva Whalen as the director of operations for its growing western U.S. region.

In the new role, Whalen will join the provider’s regional management team to help oversee Cadence’s growing portfolio in California and Washington.

Whalen has more than 15 years of senior housing operations experience, and previously worked as a regional director of operations for Pacifica Companies. Treva also worked with Sunrise Senior Living, Westmont Living and Brookdale.

Greenbrier Names Vice President of Operations

Greenbrier Senior Living has appointed Page Ensor to the role of vice president of operations.

In her new job, Ensor will help oversee Greenbrier-managed communities with regard to excellence the company’s core values.

Ensor has more than 20 years of senior living experience, ranging from community-level roles to senior executive positions for larger organizations. Previously, she worked as regional vice president of operations for Morning Pointe Senior Living, and also launched the Tennessee chapter of senior living industry association Argentum.

Benchmark Welcomes Director of Community Relations in Pennsylvania

Benchmark Senior Living has hired Kelly Ellis as the external director of community relations for Wellington at Hershey’s Mill in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

In her new role, she’s tasked with targeting referral sources from community associations, the medical community and professional societies to drive leads and move-ins.

Ellis has a decade of experience in health care, senior living administration, sales and marketing, with experience at Bryn Mawr Extended Care Center, Ivy Hill Rehabilitation Center and Genesis HealthCare.

Leo A Daly Architects Hires Senior Project Manager

Leo A Daly Architects has hired Gabriel Jaroslavsky to the role of senior project manager.

Under the senior project manager title, Jaroslavsky is tasked with client services in the firm’s senior living market sector.

Jaroslavsky has more than 30 years of experience in design and project management of high-rise residential buildings, venues, medical and mixed-use project design. He also has managed all phases of the architectural design process.

Oasis Senior Advisors Hires Nurse, Administrator

Oasis Senior Advisors has hired Sarah Price, a registered nurse with 30 years on the job and experience in upper management, to work for the franchisor as its new operations administrator and trainer.

Price’s new duty is to guide franchisees on helping seniors and families choose senior housing and resources. The hiring announcement comes as 75-franchise Oasis is seeing a period of growth in the 26 states where it operates.

Oasis Senior Advisors provides free help to seniors and their families in finding transitional housing solutions, including senior housing, hospital discharge, elder law and specialty care.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Charter Senior Living Names Sallerson COO appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Benchmark Senior Living has long been one of New England’s largest senior housing operators. Now the firm is setting its sights outside the northeast.

The Waltham, Massachusetts-based provider recently opened Whisper Woods of Smithtown, a $25.5 million assisted living and memory care community with 130 assisted living and memory care units in Smithtown, New York. It is Benchmark’s first community in New York state, Benchmark chairman and CEO Tom Grape told Senior Housing News.

“We’ve long been working on entering New York,” he said. “It’s been a target market for some time.”

With Whisper Woods now open, Benchmark’s attention turns to expanding its pipeline. A second community is set to open in Woodbury, New York next spring, and Grape said the company is looking at several other locations for other construction opportunities outside of New England, where all but two its 58 communities are located.

“We’ve long seen our footprint as the Boston-to-Washington, D.C. corridor,” Grape said. “Northern Virginia would be as far south as we would consider.”

As a developer and operator, Grape believes Benchmark is not concerned about the oversupply the industry at large is currently struggling with, and is choosing its markets based on a lack of competition, where the demand-supply ratio favors them.

“Building, for us, is a market-by-market question,” Grape said. “We’re choosing markets where we believe demand remains strong, like Long Island.”

A fruitful partnership with Arena

Whisper Woods also marks Benchmark’s first new community to open since its partnership with Baltimore-based data analytics firm Arena launched last May. Arena uses data analytics to help senior housing providers hire employees who will stay at a community long term, and reduce employee turnover, Arena founder and CEO Mike Rosenbaum told SHN.

“We’re using predictive analytics to route someone into the place where they will be most successful,” he said.

Prior to implementing Arena, Benchmark’s turnover was higher than Grape would have preferred, although it was still lower than that of its competitors. Five months in, Arena has had a notable impact on Benchmark’s communities. At a presentation at last month’s National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) fall conference in Chicago, Benchmark revealed that employee turnover is down 10% since Arena launched in its communities, and Grape said the company is seeing significant improvement in the workers they are hiring.

“Being able to use Arena in a community from the get-go gives us confidence our workforce will improve and we’ll experience lower turnover from the onset,” Grape said.

He added that the Arena partnership strengthens Benchmark’s already solid reputation as an employer. The company is one of a handful to make the Boston Globe’s “Top Places to Work” list all 11 years of publication, Grape said. Benchmark was also recognized as a top employer by the Providence Journal and Hartford Courant, and was ranked 16th in Fortune magazine’s inaugural Best Workplaces for Aging Services list, and third among providers with 40 or more communities.

“We’re conscious of being a good provider and are always looking for ways to improve,” Grape said. “It can always be better.”

An eye on disruptive forces

The partnership with Arena is one example of Benchmark’s continuous search for operational efficiencies, and to stay ahead of the disruptive forces that are rapidly changing the senior housing industry.

“We’re always looking for new efficiencies and best practices,” Grape said. “We’re looking to purchase more effectively, staff differently and more effectively. We look for ways to improve the use of technology to give us more efficiencies, and employ different systems and vendors to help us do all these things.”

Another disruptive force Benchmark is monitoring is Medicare Advantage (MA). Although it is not currently partnered with an MA plan, the rule changes approved earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) have the potential to revolutionize senior living by creating a new revenue stream for providers, while making them more integral players in the U.S. health care system.

Benchmark wants to be prepared and Grape promises the company will be an active participant in MA when the opportunity arises.

“We’re exploring some [MA] options,” he said. “We know it’s coming and it’s a great development for seniors, and the industry.”

Additionally, Benchmark is looking at ways to have closer integration with its existing health care partners.

“This is an industry trend we’re pursuing in our markets,” Grape said.

Written by Chuck Sudo

The post Benchmark’s Future Is Outside New England, Embracing Disruption appeared first on Senior Housing News.

Movers & Shakers is brought to you by the Senior Housing News Job Board. Browse and apply to management and executive senior living jobs and positions from leading professional firms serving the industry. Employers can post single jobs, purchase job packages or our premium subscription that includes unlimited job posts and editorial coverage for one year. Visit SHN Jobs today.

Civitas Senior Living Names New COO, President

Civitas Senior Living has named Greg Anderson as executive vice president, Misty Miller as COO and Cooper Vittitow as president.

Vittitow, who previously worked as Civitas’ COO, is now tasked as president with overseeing operations and collaborating with CEO Wayne Powell on initiatives regarding innovation and the company’s future.

Miller, the company’s former chief wellness officer, is a registered nurse with more than 17 years of experience in the health and wellness field and in the senior living industry.

And in his new role, Anderson will now as executive vice president help oversee regional operations in addition to developing and overseeing special partnerships. Anderson was previously the company’s senior vice president of operations.

New Jewish Home Welcomes Senior VP of Business Development

The New Jewish Home has named Anne Meara to the role of senior vice president of business development.

In her new role, she will help strengthen existing programs, explore innovative resident and patient services ideas and models and promote the nonprofit’s older adult services to hospitals, physician groups and others in New York City.

Meara has more than 25 years in the health care space, and previously led departments at the NYU Langone Health System and Montefiore Health System.

Erickson Living Community Names Executive Director

Oak Crest, an Erickson Living continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in Parkville, Maryland, appointed Adam Dickson to serve as its associate executive director.

Dickson will now help support the community’s day-to-day operations and will focus on resident satisfaction and employee engagement.

Dickson has more than 10 years of experience with Erickson Living. He first served as a business office manager in 2010 and then as an administrator-in-training for Riderwood in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2014, he then became assistant administrator of Oak Crest before being promoted to director of continuing care at Wind Crest in Denver, Colorado. Dickson returned to the Baltimore region to work as associate executive director for Charlestown in Catonsville, Maryland.

Benchmark Community Welcomes New Executive Director

Orchard Valley at Wilbraham, a Benchmark assisted living and memory care community in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, has named Catherine Williamson as its executive director.

Before her career in senior living, Williamson managed spas for hotels including the Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton. She also holds a master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Howard University.

Summit Vista Names New Associate Executive Director

Summit Vista, a life plan community in Taylorsville, Utah, has promoted Marcus Cordova to the role of associate executive director.

His new role will task him with advising operational departments to ensure a high-quality resident experience. Before joining Summit Vista in 2017, he was owner and chef at a Denver-area country club, the executive chef and general manager of a specialty food market and the food and beverage director and executive chef for another retirement community.

Integrace Hires Director of Adult Day and Night Program

Integrace Copper Ridge, has named Sabrina Bruce-Rivera as director of the Peabody Club, an adult day and night program at the Sykesville, Maryland community.

In her new position, Bruce-Rivera will help oversee the daily operations and activities of the program.

Her experience includes a two-decade career as a registered nurse. She is also a former manager and owner of Grace Manor Senior Assisted Living in Gwynn Oak, Maryland.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Civitas Senior Living Names New COO, President appeared first on Senior Housing News.

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Civitas Names First Chief Information Officer

Civitas Senior Living has promoted Nathan Bowyer to Chief Information Officer — the first such position in the company’s history.

Bowyer, formerly the company’s vice president of technology, is now responsible for finding and implementing technical solutions to solve a wide array of issues. His new role will also give him more influence on how technology affects Civitas’ mission.

The company also promoted Cassie Peteet to vice president of operations and Tanner Stierwalt to assistant vice president of operations.

Under the new title, Peteet will lead wellness and operations for each of the communities she has a hand in. And, Stierwalt will work directly with the operations executive team on project implementations, financial analysis, data delivery and formatting of policies and procedures.

LCB Senior Living Names New CFO

LCB Senior Living has hired Matt Quinn as its new chief financial officer.

Quinn will now help oversee the company’s financial reporting, investor services framework, tax and debt compliance and information technology. Previously, Quinn was a director at Cohn Reznick, where his practice focused on the assisted living industry. Overall, Quin has more than 20 years of public accounting experience.

LCB Senior Living also appointed two directors for its forthcoming Residence at Chadds Ford community in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.

The company named Allison Mazza as sales and marketing director and Alicia Sheerin as director of business development.

Sheerin has more than 25 years of business development and marketing experience, and most recently worked as director of sales and marketing at Amana Senior Care in the Philadelphia area. Mazza has more than six years business development and marketing experience in the senior care sector.

Atlas Senior Living Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Atlas Senior Living has promoted Greg Crutcher, its vice president of sales and marketing, to the role of chief marketing officer.

Crutcher first joined Atlas Senior Living in 2013, and has supported the company as it’s grown since then. Today, Atlas Senior Living has nine communities spread across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Lifespace Names VP of Development, Design and Construction

Lifespace Communities has announced that Russell Mauk is its new vice president of development, design and construction.

Mauk is a California-licensed architect with 35 years of experience. He previously worked at senior housing nonprofit HumanGood, where he managed the redevelopment of eight senior living communities and the development of a new one.

Lifespace, a nonprofit, is the owner and operator of 12 senior living communities in seven states.

Arbor Hires Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing

The Arbor Company has named Kelley Skarp to the role of senior vice president of sales and marketing.

In her new role, Skarp focuses on growth strategies utilizng analytical, budgeting, pricing and forecasting skills.

Skarp previously worked at Sunrise Senior Living, where she served in various sales roles over a decade, including as vice president of dales and marketing. She has also in her career managed large portfolios and led team collaborations.

Benchmark Names Executive Director for Massachusetts Community

Benchmark has named Jaime Girard as the executive director of River Ridge at Avon, an assisted living and memory care community in Avon, Connecticut.

Girard previously served in a variety of capacities for River Ridge’s sister community, The Village at Buckland Court, which is located in South Windsor, Connecticut.

New Jewish Home Names Chief Medical Officer

The New Jewish Home, a health care system serving older New Yorkers, has named Ed Wu as its as Chief Medical Officer.

Wu, who is an internal medicine physician, will direct the delivery of medical care for the 10,000 older adults the New Jewish Home services each year.

Before joining the New Jewish Home, Wu previously served as the chief medical officer of Spring Health.

Healthcare Management Partners Adds Senior Living Executive

Consultancy firm Healthcare Management Partners has appointed Stacey Swinney as a director.

In her new capacity, Swinney will focus on improving operations for the firm’s clients. Swinney most recently served as the executive vice president of operations at Omega Communities. She has also worked as executive director of several assisted living communities.

Written by Tim Regan

The post Movers & Shakers: Civitas Names First Chief Information Officer; LCB’s New CFO appeared first on Senior Housing News.

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Construction: Planned

Ryan Companies, Grand Living Plan Community in Iowa

Ryan Companies US and Grand Living are collaborating on a new senior living project in West Des Moines, Iowa.

As planned, the 174-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community will come with three restaurants; a salon and spa with a fitness area, indoor pool, beauty salon, massage and personal trainer services; a theater; library; and a club room. Unit types will range from studios to two-bedroom designs with dens.

Construction is slated to begin in the second quarter of 2019 and finish up as early as the fall of 2020.

South Bay Partners to Develop California Community

South Bay Partners, in a joint venture with Lamb Properties, has purchased property in Irvine, California, on which to develop an eight-story senior living community.

Initial plans call for a 370-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community with multiple dining venues, underground parking, an indoor therapy pool and spa, a wellness gym, yoga studio, bar and lounge areas, two theaters, an art studio and outdoor courtyards with grills and fire pits.

The community will be managed West Bay Senior Living. Construction is set to begin this summer, with an estimated completion date early in 2021.

Construction: In progress

Sodalis Breaks Ground on Assisted Living Expansion in Texas

Sodalis Senior Living on Jan. 10 held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new assisted living expansion adjacent to an existing Sodalis memory care community in Buda, Texas.

The community, Sodalis Buda Summit Oaks Assisted Living, will serve as an expansion to the company’s memory care building next door. It will come with amenities such as a salon, a wellness and exercise room, movie theater, wine bar, dining area, patio and a prayer room.

Benchmark Community in New York Now Under Construction

A new Benchmark Senior Living community is coming together in Woodbury, New York.

Plans call for an 89-unit community, Orchard Estate of Woodbury, that can accommodate up to 102 residents. Amenities for the community include a 24/7 bistro, wellness center, family room with full kitchen and dining room, second-floor balcony and walking paths.

Work is expected to wrap up in the late summer or early fall of this year. The opening would mark Benchmark’s second senior living community on Long Island.

Construction: Complete

HRA Opens HarborChase Community in Florida

Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) recently celebrated the opening of a HarborChase community in Orlando, Florida.

The community, HarborChase of Dr. Philips, has 186 units and is located within the larger Spring Lake Health and Living Campus, which was developed by Dr. Phillips Charities. Amenities and services include concierge, 24-hour nursing, a rooftop terrace, library, wellness center, beauty salon and a cocktail lounge.

HRA is managing HarborChase of Dr. Phillips, and the property was designed and developed by THW Design. Other project partners include Interior Design Associates and Brasfield & Gorrie.

Other noteworthy projects:

Planned

— Plans are coming together for a 234-unit independent living, assisted living and memory care community in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

— A proposed 55-apartment development for older adults would include space for in-home caregivers in Glendale, Wisconsin.

— A mixed-use project coming together in Lonsdale, Minnesota, could include a city hall, police station and independent living community.

— A new 24-unit senior living community could be in the works for Linden, Michigan.

— Work could begin as early as this summer on a 285-unit senior living community in Boynton Beach, Florida.I

Complete

— A senior housing complex underwent a sizable rehabilitation project in Delray Beach, Florida.

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