During the pandemic, seniors—many of them reluctantly—have gotten on board with Zoom and other video technology. Now they’re hooked. Want to attract and keep residents in the months and years ahead? Consider a media room that fulfills their wildest dreams.

Agility and creativity have always been key to good senior living community design, but the pandemic has taken these efforts to new levels; and they will drive the future as well.

We talk a lot about the “new normal” in health care and senior living, but no one really knows exactly what that means.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every type of senior living community, including assisted living. There are nearly 30,000 AL communities in the U.S., and every one of them is likely looking at change and innovation to survive and thrive post-pandemic.

Zoom reunions and video visits with kids and grandkids, concerts and serenades, photos and videos of seniors dressing in costumes and hamming it up with friends and staff, and outdoor parades of family, pets, and others.

“We think of the passing of the ADA as an ‘Independence Day’ for people with disabilities,” says Marcela Abadi Rhoads, FAIA, RAS, owner of Abadi Accessibility. The ADA, the landmark legislation designed to increase the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life, ushered in a new era of independence for millions of Americans.

“Now is the time for marketing and sales directors to re-evaluate their SWOT analysis in a COVID-19 environment and be strategic,” says Heather Potts, Owner of HP Consulting Solutions. “It is important to examine both internal and external factors that may help or hinder your ability to effectively market your community,” she adds.

Take a minute to think about what features you have or are adding designed to increase comfort and safety in the new normal and how you can highlight these on your website, in marketing materials, and on tours (including virtual tours).

More than ever, design and amenities make a difference as pandemic fears creep into decisions about senior housing…