Because the 2025 Senior Residing Govt Convention in Tampa, FL, wrapped up Wednesday, it was clear that the sector is at a key inflection level. Right here’s what this cat noticed…
Shifting on from the Nice Debate
Argentum President and CEO James Balda set the tone early. Reflecting on his decade on the helm, Balda acknowledged how far senior residing has come. The place the dialog as soon as centered on whether or not assisted residing must be a social or medical mannequin, it now has matured into one thing way more strategic: how the business can lead in care innovation.
Balda’s message was clear: senior residing has the potential to grow to be an integral participant within the broader healthcare ecosystem, not by resisting change, however by turning into a catalyst for it.
Two for the highway
In a number of periods, leaders emphasised that the longer term shall be pushed by two key forces — value-based care and synthetic intelligence.
Juniper Communities founder and CEO Lynne Katzmann introduced it into focus: care fashions that enhance outcomes, scale back prices and provide seamless transitions aren’t a “nice-to-have” — they’re the very coronary heart of value-based care. And behind that engine? Information. Communication. Integration. In different phrases, know-how.
The sphere’s angle towards synthetic Intelligence is quickly altering. From “sounds attention-grabbing” to “are we too late?” Many operators already are utilizing it for every part from predictive analytics to enhancing employees effectivity and resident engagement. Anthem Reminiscence Care even described AI as a “digital assistant” for gross sales groups — capturing calls, producing personalised follow-ups and releasing up employees members to do what people do finest: join.
Balda additionally supplied a preview of Argentum’s upcoming State of Know-how report. In accordance with the findings, nearly 60% of operators are routinely gathering information on the well being and wellness of residents. Absolutely 76% of operators reported that they count on that synthetic intelligence will considerably have an effect on their communities within the subsequent 5 years. At the moment, 70% of operators are utilizing AI for predictive analytics, whereas 50% are utilizing it to enhance employees effectivity and resident interactions, he stated.
“It’s this use of know-how that’s going to be so vital to forging a path for our communities to completely exhibit our worth to the broader healthcare ecosystem,” Balda stated.
The underside line
This 12 months’s Argentum convention wasn’t about incremental change — it was about redefining senior residing’s worth proposition in quickly altering occasions.
The underlying message was one in all hope and urgency: With a dedication to value-based care, a transparent funding in AI, and a management physique prepared to satisfy the second, the longer term isn’t one thing to worry. It’s one thing to form.
John O’Connor is editorial director for McKnight’s Senior Residing and its sister media manufacturers, McKnight’s Lengthy-Time period Care Information, which focuses on expert nursing, and McKnight’s House Care. Learn extra of his columns right here.
