Commonwealth Senior Dwelling is transferring ahead with efforts to enhance staffing and develop wellness after a busy 12 months of change in 2024, based on COO Michelle Hamilton.
In 2024, Invesque (TSX: IVQ.U and IVQ) introduced plans to promote its curiosity in Commonwealth and offloaded eight communities previously managed by the Charlottesville, Virginia-based supplier. However, as of Thursday, Invesque has not finalized the sale of its curiosity within the firm, based on Commonwealth CEO Earl Parker.
Right now, Commonwealth’s senior dwelling portfolio consists of 33 communities throughout 4 states, 27 of that are in Virginia.
“Final 12 months was a 12 months of change, and the Invesque sale was fairly tough to lose to these communities,” Hamilton informed Senior Housing Information. “However on the identical time, we have been buying new properties.”
Commonwealth bounced again from shedding eight communities and purchased three others final 12 months with plans for future progress forward. That included a neighborhood in Wyoming, Michigan, during which Commonwealth upgraded its reminiscence care space together with including a big patio. The corporate additionally took over administration of a neighborhood in Hampton, Virginia, which is at present underneath renovation that may embrace the addition of reminiscence care. Lastly, the corporate assumed administration of an assisted dwelling and reminiscence care neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia that can be present process an entire renovtion, Parker famous.
After a lot change final 12 months, Hamliton added that she feels 2025 can be a “stabilizing 12 months” for Commonwealth. The corporate has initiatives underway meant to enhance varied elements of staffing and increase a brand new wellness mannequin for Commonwealth residents.
“The long run is to proceed to search for these communities which might be underperforming belongings in good markets the place we are able to put collectively a method, the imaginative and prescient and take our mannequin and place that into the neighborhood and enhance it,” Hamilton stated.
The corporate’s relationship with its unique investor, Municipal Capital Appreciation Companions (MCAP), stays sturdy and can proceed into the longer term, Hamilton famous the 2 corporations could be “very strategic” in future progress.
Commonwealth additionally in 2025 is launching a brand new wellness program, it calls “Journeys.” This system was piloted in eight communities in 2024 for residents and associates to construct personalized way of life and care primarily based on pursuits.
“That encompasses all elements of resident care, eating, programming and coordination of out of doors companies,” CEO Earl Parker informed SHN final 12 months.
The corporate additionally has partnered with Serviam Care Community and Curana Well being’s Worth Based mostly Care Alliance of Virginia to supply residents “a holistic means” to enhance well being outcomes by means of preventative wellness programming, Hamilton stated. The packages permit entry to Medicare Benefit plan choices for assisted dwelling and reminiscence care residents by means of the Senior Care Institutional-Equal Particular Wants Plan (IE-SNP). This system focuses on preventive care, illness administration, and care coordination.
“There’s no magic bullet on wellness as a result of it’s individualized however it’s having your entire administration staff centered on this and making the residents’ life experiences the perfect they’ll presumably be,” Hamilton stated.
Commonwealth is that this 12 months specializing in shoring up staffing, making an attempt to grasp its worker turnover and enhance retention, one thing Hamilton believes is linked to rising acuity seen inside assisted dwelling and reminiscence care communities. Senior dwelling operators are grappling with increased acuity operations in assisted dwelling and reminiscence care as acuity wants rise, and operations develop into extra advanced.
“If we don’t transfer staffing as acuity modifications, there’s going to be burnout and churn,” Hamilton stated. “We now have staffed to acuity as an organization, however what we now have discovered is that we are able to do a greater job of measuring acuity.” This, Hamilton added, led to the corporate launching the time research.
The corporate employed an impartial guide to conduct a real-time work research observing Commonwealth employees inside communities to higher assess how workers are spending their time in care supply.
Commonwealth additionally created an algorithm the corporate can use to watch the place care wants are highest and shift employees and assets accordingly primarily based on every neighborhood’s want, Hamilton stated.
“There was a first-rate element of the resident acuity that was affecting pressuring operations and pressuring the employees that just lately joined us,” Hamilton stated.
For instance, from the impartial, third-party guide report, Commonwealth realized a correlation between a rise in resident acuity in reminiscence care that resulted in a rise in turnover.
“You possibly can actually see it within the enhance in acuity and turnover,” Hamilton stated. “That was mind-blowing and that signifies we now have to assume in a different way about workload.”
Bettering retention of employees additionally immediately connects with enhancing resident satisfaction, Hamilton famous, with the corporate setting its sights on its “highest precedence” of enhancing customer support and staffing.
“The actual problem goes to be how do we now have these individuals who really want care that would have been in a nursing house, but additionally present them with the social engagement and continued dwelling and assembly them the place they’re,” Hamilton stated.
