“Senior living might want to reconsider its superiority complex,” by John O’Connor, McKnight’s Senior Living

“It wasn’t long ago when many assisted living operators disparaged their skilled care brethren as being somehow second-class. It wasn’t hard to see why. Back then, assisted living communities generally could claim to offer greater choice, autonomy and aesthetics. As for nursing homes, they were comparatively bleak at best. Plus it seemed they were always getting themselves into trouble. But much has changed in the past two decades. For one, many skilled care settings have stepped up their games, big time. The old institutional look largely is a thing of the past. In fact, many skilled care operators are offering amenities and choices that more than hold their own. At the same time, the assisted living sector has lost one of its best old marketing messages: that it is an alternative to nursing homes. That claim can hardly be made with a straight face these days, except maybe in conversations with hospital discharge planners.”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

Interesting editorial by a seasoned LTC analyst who gets to the crux of the matter toward the end of the piece: “[S]enior living now must compete with new challenges. One is the need for many operators to accept Medicaid payments. That is not in and of itself a bad thing. But you don’t have to be an accountant to know that fewer Medicaid dollars coming in (at least when compared with private-pay dollars) reduces your amenity and staffing options.”

Senior living might want to reconsider its superiority complex

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