We are selling a product that people don’t want to buy. This Senior Housing News article, The New Skilled Nursing: Assisted Living Operators Adapt to Changing Place in the Care Continuum does not hide a trend that is significantly changing their business but also the future for older adults. So they delay their move until it becomes urgent – Mom cannot live at home any longer. Translate – Mom is too frail, her dementia is worse, her mobility has declined, etc. She will need multiple types of support. Recent statistics about assisted living demographics are harsh: Consumer Affairs asserts that 70% of residents have some level of dementia, with the majority of residents women in their 80’s.
Families expect equivalent capabilities of a nursing home, but…Some assisted living facilities, for example, in Massachusetts, are allowed as of 2024 to offer ‘basic health care’ services -- oxygen management, injections, ointments, drops and home care, along with wound dressing, specimen collection and home-testing capabilities. The implications of these services are an increased staffing-resident ratio. These are also services offered by Home Health Care – with a doctor’s prescription. So there is a continuum of care emerging for the fastest growing segment of the US population – the 85+. Some will remain at home, perhaps with family caregivers, perhaps using technology to support that care.
…Nursing homes struggle with technology – so will assisted living. According to McKnight’s, 1 in 3 nursing home operators abandon technology they deployed within a 2-year period (as reviewed in an PubMed survey). The survey noted that this was primarily among larger facilities, and likely due to lack of effective change management processes. So both categories of senior care, struggling with staffing issues – nursing homes admitting to limiting admissions as a result. Assisted living communities are also struggling with staffing challenges.
Will AI tech does work for both assisted living and nursing homes? Yes. With so much pressure driven by changing resident needs, it would seem like a good time to look at where AI and other tech can mitigate at least some strain. The enthusiasm to obtain benefit from AI is there according to a July 2025 survey of senior living execs – 76% believed it would be positive or even transformative. Some are already using AI: “Predictive analytics are helping inform staffing decisions and care planning. Chatbots are being used to enhance resident engagement and streamline customer service. AI-powered content tools are assisting marketing teams. Even robotics are making a modest entrance, particularly in housekeeping and mobility support.”
