Zach Bowyer, MAI, MRICS, senior managing director, valuation & advisory/living sectors at C&W, told Pi, “Our same-store valuation data does suggest year-over-year improvement in operating margins, which is a combination of improved occupancy, rent growth, and improving labor market. However, continued innovations in technology, healthcare provider partnerships and building envelope will be required in order to regain pre-COVID operating margins.”

Here’s the dilemma. We’ve seen firsthand how physically and mentally damaging social isolation can be on seniors, but—at least for the foreseeable future—we can’t go back to in-person visits, group activities, concerts, and crowded dining halls.

As senior living communities seek to address pandemic concerns and prepare for the new normal post-COVID, renovations are on their minds.

Senior living communities have worked valiantly to ensure that their properties are safe and comfortable for residents and staff alike during the COVID pandemic. This presents both challenges and opportunities.

If you think back to the last couple of rooms that you walked through, what do you remember?  Stagnant white walls?  Or do you recall patterns, changes in lighting, or brightly colored cushions?