• 60 Seconds with Swett: The Republican Budget and Medicaid Cuts

    There will be significant political interest in what happens to Medicaid funding as Republicans work to pass a budget and tax bill with their very slim majority. Touching entitlements remains politically risky, and the party is divided on whether any Medicaid cuts would be acceptable heading into an election cycle. At this stage, per-capita caps... Read More »
  • Sonida Senior Living Continues Upward Trend

    We are at the end of the first quarter 2025 earning roll call, and Sonida Senior Living posted another solid quarter. Weighted average occupancy for its same-community portfolio (56 communities) increased by 100 basis points year over year to 86.8%, which is at the top end of many of its competitors. In addition, same-community RevPOR increased... Read More »
  • Regional Owner/Operator Purchases Turnaround SNF

    Evans Senior Investments was engaged by a regional owner in a partnership with the University of Michigan Health-West Hospital to facilitate the sale of a skilled nursing facility in Wyoming, Michigan. Opened nearly 10 years ago, Healthbridge Post Acute comprises 65 beds and was experiencing operational challenges, including an annual net... Read More »
  • Family Owner Divests CCRC to Not-For-Profit

    Senwell Senior Investment Advisors sold a family-owned/operated CCRC in Maumee, Ohio, to a not-for-profit organization. The community had been in the seller’s family for 75 years, but they are divesting to enter retirement. Established in 1949, Elizabeth Scott Community spans 51 acres and offers independent living, assisted living, memory care... Read More »
  • HUD-Backed Seniors Housing Community Opens on Long Island

    A HUD-financed seniors housing project has celebrated its grand opening in Bay Shore, New York. Netherbay at Bay Shore is a state-of-the-art assisted living/memory care community located at the historic Gulden family’s summer homestead on Long Island. It features 72 units and is operated by Meridian Senior Living. Greystone’s Lisa Fischman had... Read More »
What Do The Experts (and the Audience) Say On The Labor Crisis?

What Do The Experts (and the Audience) Say On The Labor Crisis?

On Thursday, July 13, we hosted a webinar entitled, “The Coming Labor Market Shock to Senior Care,” with panelists Glenn Barclay of Quality Senior Living, John Gonzales of SDG Senior Living and Lori Porter of the National Association of Health Care Assistants. For 90 minutes, the panel discussed how the industry will deal with a labor shortage, improving retention rates, improving onboarding and training practices, an increased minimum wage to $15 per hour in the coming years, technology’s impact on labor demands and how middle market operators will be able to deal with these changes. If you’d like to hear a recording of the webinar, click here. Needless the say, the industry has a lot of... Read More »

Seniors Housing Occupancy Weakens

NIC announced their second quarter occupancy and development trends, and unfortunately it was not pretty. After a first quarter which suffered from the ubiquitous flu season census declines, we had expected, at worst, a small sequential decline in the second quarter, but perhaps a small 10 to 20 basis point uptick, maybe even better. For majority assisted living in the top 31 MSAs, for those properties open for two years (stabilized properties) average occupancy dropped 50 basis points from the first quarter to 88.9%, but down 80 basis points from the year-ago quarter. Historically, the average second quarter sequential decline is 10 basis points, and the current 50 basis point drop was... Read More »

Walker & Dunlop Obtains HUD Financing For Senior Living Project

A group of local owners in Colorado went to HUD to receive construction financing for their 137-unit senior living development in Monument, Colorado (between Denver and Colorado Springs). Having just broken ground last month, the community will feature 80 assisted living, 30 memory care (in two separate 15-unit neighborhoods) and 27 independent living units on a scenic 6.4-acre property. It is scheduled to open in late-2018, with a host of amenities, including several dining areas, guest apartments, a barber and beauty salon, community store and concierge services. Lakewood, Colorado-based WellAge Senior Living will manage the community. Ralph Lowen of Walker & Dunlop structured a... Read More »

Ensign Extends Its Reach In Colorado

Always a prolific buyer, The Ensign Group is keep up its steady pace of acquisitions in 2017, most recently adding two more communities in Colorado to its portfolio. Already this year, the firm has bought several properties in Texas and Wisconsin, four in Utah and one each in Iowa and Nevada. Now, in Colorado, Ensign purchased two CCRCs: a large 64-acre campus in Thornton with 134 skilled nursing beds, 198 independent living units and 35 assisted living units and a community in Colorado Springs with 60 skilled nursing beds, 64 IL units and 44 AL units. Previously operated by a faith-based not-for-profit, CHI Living Communities, we imagine the properties could improve their operations. At... Read More »
HCR ManorCare Fails To Pay Rent, Again

HCR ManorCare Fails To Pay Rent, Again

Quality Care Properties receives partial rent payment for the second month in a row, triggering a notice of default. In our June issue of The SeniorCare Investor, we laid out the issues in the battle between Quality Care Properties and HCR ManorCare, including the partial rent that HCRMC paid on June 1. The battle escalated this week when HCRMC paid just $8.2 million of the $39.5 million it owed QCP for July rent. Quality Care sent a notice of default demanding payment of all current and past due rent by July 14, which comes to $79.6 million. I don’t think they will comply with the demand. Otherwise, why waste everyone’s time with these partial payments? Is this gamesmanship on the part of... Read More »

Will the Labor Crisis Bring Senior Care To Its Knees?

The issue of labor will challenge the senior care industry and potentially bring it to its knees. That is at least our opinion, and that of many in the industry, as demand for senior care services (which will only increase in the next 10-15 years and beyond) must be met with an appropriate supply of skilled labor. The number of CNA, food service, maintenance, RN and LPN positions required to serve the aging population is only growing, and those jobs, particularly CNAs, RNs and LPNs, are getting more complex as the average resident acuity rises at assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Operators, if they find the skilled labor to fill these roles (a big if), will have to contend... Read More »
Griffin-American Closes First Tranche of California Senior Portfolio Deal

Griffin-American Closes First Tranche of California Senior Portfolio Deal

Griffin-American Healthcare REIT IV closed the first of two tranches for an eight-property seniors housing acquisition in Northern California, bringing the REIT’s total to 27 medical office and seniors housing properties since its first acquisition in June 2016. Located in high-barrier-to-entry markets in California, these communities were owned by affiliates of Nazareth Healthcare, Inc. and featured 327 units of assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing.The portfolio was fully occupied, certainly adding to its appeal. Built on average 43 years ago (although with renovations since), the first tranche of properties included a 22-unit memory care community in Menlo Park, a 65-unit... Read More »
Two Years After Acquisition, Queens SNF Refinances with Greystone

Two Years After Acquisition, Queens SNF Refinances with Greystone

Greystone just couldn’t get out of Queens this summer (must have hit the Van Wyck). After providing nearly $60 million in HUD financing for a 302-bed skilled nursing facility in the borough last month, Fred Levine of Greystone’s Monsey, New York office closed yet another transaction for a Queens SNF. Located in Flushing, the facility features 227 beds and was recently renovated to include a brand-new rehab room and therapy offerings. It was acquired in 2015 by Sapphire Care Group, with the help of a highly-leveraged bridge-to-HUD loan arranged by Greystone too. With the renovation completed and operations improved, the owner sought to refinance with a $29 million HUD loan, originated by... Read More »

QCP vs. HCRMC Heats Up

Other than its increased share price, the news does not seem to be getting better with regard to the negotiations between Quality Care Properties (NYSE: QCP), HCR ManorCare and the various stakeholders. After making only a partial rent payment for June because of liquidity concerns, it looks like HCRMC has skipped the July payment in its entirety. The two sides have been trying to negotiate a deal, which seems to be the acquisition or merger of HCRMC into QCP, which would wipe out the burdensome lease payments. Our guess is that they just can’t over a few of the major sticking points, which include the Department of Justice investigation and the unfunded deferred compensation totaling more... Read More »