The Varsity team attended the National LeadingAge Annual Meeting + EXPO, which was held October 16–19 in Denver, Colorado. In case you weren’t able to attend, here are some of the top themes we heard.
- Workforce recruitment. This remains a hot topic of conversation and a major struggle for much of the field. However, it seems as if the situation is slightly improving and there are some signs of hope.
- Raising rates. How much and when? People talked about how they had to raise rates twice in a year and deal with the issues that go along with that. Given that Social Security will increase by 8.7% in 2023, there is hope that residents will be (somewhat) understanding.
- Technology. Some people said they were excited by all the technology they were seeing. However, others said they just keep hearing a lot of buzzwords and no real substance. Technology is great; it can replace the tasks that don’t need human interaction (e.g., waiting for food and delivering it to residents), so team members can focus on relationship building. But high tech alone is not enough — we need high touch as well.
- Marketing content development. We saw fresh ideas from old and new vendors alike. Marketers are looking for new ways to redefine perceptions of Life Plan Communities in the marketplace.
- Cherish the moment. We’ve all been through a lot with COVID-19. We’ve all lost people in our personal and professional lives. It’s been hard, hectic and long hours of work, but let’s cherish the moment and cherish the people we do have.
What moments have you been cherishing during these challenging times? Please share your thoughts on the Varsity Facebook page.
