• Thank You Ortelius?

    Brookdale Senior Living just reported June occupancy, and the increases were much better than we expected for a second quarter, which historically has been a mixed bag for the industry. Let’s just say, we were impressed. June’s same-community weighted average occupancy was 81.1%, up 220 basis points year over year and up 50 basis points... Read More »
  • SLIB Sells SNF in New Jersey

    Toby Siefert of Senior Living Investment Brokerage got a skilled nursing sale in New Jersey over the finish line after survey issues caused a buyer switch-up. Built in 1980, Medford Care Center is located in the town of Medford (about an hour east of Philadelphia) and features 180 beds on an 11-acre campus. Operations were not strong, and the... Read More »
  • Carnegie Capital Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary with Texas Portfolio Deal

    Carnegie Capital, the national seniors housing debt brokerage founded and run by JD Stettin and David Farhadian, celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a $124 million, or $117,100 per bed, portfolio acquisition transaction. Carnegie provided a combination of advisory work and debt placement for the nine-skilled nursing facility portfolio with... Read More »
  • 12 Oaks Senior Living Appoints New CFO

    12 Oaks Senior Living appointed Elliott Westerman as CFO, effective immediately. Westerman has more than two decades of leadership experience across senior living, healthcare, and real estate sectors. As CFO, Westerman will oversee all aspects of financial management, including financial planning and analysis, capital structure strategy,... Read More »
  • Ensign/Standard Bearer Adds Two Facilities

    The Ensign Group acquired a couple of skilled nursing facilities through its real estate subsidiary Standard Bearer Healthcare REIT. The first purchase was for Duncanville Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, a 124-bed SNF in Duncanville, Texas, which will be operated by a third-party operator subject to a long-term, triple-net lease. Ensign... Read More »
The Ensign Group Reports Encouraging Results

The Ensign Group Reports Encouraging Results

The Ensign Group came out with its third quarter earnings, and contrary to many in the industry, the company reported rising revenues, net income and skilled mix. That news, plus the announcement that the company returned another $23 million of relief funds (on top of the previous $109 million announced last quarter), sent shares up by 6.3% to $60.19 per share, which is close to a near-term high of $61.98 per share achieved on October 14. By returning those provider relief funds, and reporting strong operating results, Ensign saw its market cap increase by over $130 million, so it seems like the move may have paid off.  Combined same store and transitioning occupancy did decline by 2.4%... Read More »
Digging Out

Digging Out

Cases of COVID-19 are rising across the country, but providers are better prepared than ever to take care of our elderly. The coronavirus pandemic is spreading, and any notion of a vaccine by the end of the year has faded. Yet, even though we take care of the most vulnerable population, the senior care acquisition market seems to be stabilizing. More deals have been closing this month than in the previous several months. But what does this mean? Third quarter earnings reports start coming tomorrow, and no doubt the occupancy numbers from the REITs will show continued deterioration to new record lows. This is the unfortunate reality we are all dealing with. And as average occupancy goes... Read More »
Getting Ahead of Labor

Getting Ahead of Labor

The pandemic has riled operations at seniors housing communities and skilled nursing facilities across the country, and the long-term effects are still somewhat unknown. But one issue that was top of mind for many operators before COVID and will still be for years to come is labor. There are several facets to the issue too, from finding and attracting skilled labor to retaining staff to paying wages that are increasing every year. The pandemic has sent the unemployment rate straight up, but how many of those newly unemployed are really qualified to work in a senior care facility? Or want to. Probably very few. And retaining staff not adequately trained or prepared for the work is a hard... Read More »
Digging Out

Labor Costs During The Pandemic

Rising labor costs during the pandemic are hurting the bottom line, but there are solutions. As you may have heard, we will be hosting a webcast next week on the labor problems affecting seniors housing and care, and we hope to provide you with some solutions.  The panelists include the founder of Matchwell, a relatively new company whose goal is to rid every community of agency labor and overtime. Wouldn’t that be nice. Plus, we have someone from Benchmark Living which has some of the most innovative practices out there to keep and recruit new employees. Finally, the manager of a 105-unit community will explain how for 25 years she has kept annual turnover at just 20%, something most of... Read More »
What Covid-19 Has Done

What Covid-19 Has Done

The American Seniors Housing Association, together with HealthTrust, contacted over 30 seniors housing operators that operate more than 180,000 units about what has happened to their occupancy levels, revenues, expenses and additional costs pertaining to the pandemic between March 1 and June 30. The results were eye-opening.  One interesting result was that despite being the most need-driven, assisted living and memory occupancy dropped by 661 and 651 basis points, respectively, compared with 404 basis points for independent living in the four-month period. In addition, large operators (more than 3,500 units) appeared to fare worse than small (less than 2,000 units) or... Read More »
How Many Waves Will There Be? 

How Many Waves Will There Be? 

Anyone watching the news these days is well aware that we are seeing either the second or third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Six months ago, it was all about when the “second” wave was going to hit. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but why not three or four waves, or more, before a vaccine is approved and distributed. And the last poll we saw indicated that perhaps up to 50% of the population would not get the vaccine. Will the waves then keep on rolling in?   Less than 2.5% of the U.S population has tested positive for COVID-19, and while the percentage may not grow, the absolute numbers will. No matter how careful providers are being, it could still enter their buildings. What... Read More »