Clearly, technology in senior living has never been more important or innovative. From tech that enables residents to age in place safely to devices that let residents receive care, communicate with family and friends, and shop, work, and enjoy activities remotely, senior care tech is gaining momentum.

Pi sat down with Mike Girard, chief investment officer at Senior Living Residences, to discuss where the senior housing industry is heading. His insights paint a portrait of fast-paced change, unprecedented innovations, and seemingly limitless opportunities.

Lots of Senior Living Communities look good at a glance. But what does it take to have buildings and spaces that combine beauty, functionality, practicality, energy efficiency, safety, and other elements that attract and keep residents? And what amenities do we most want and appreciate?

We asked some of our Pi partners and friends to share their thoughts about what they’re looking forward to in 2022. Judging by their responses, it’s going to be an exciting year filled with many opportunities for positive change. Cutting edge innovations, partnerships and collaborations, plus much more.

Creating environments that enable staff to relax, take a break, enjoy some recreational activities, and have a workplace that feels home-like, senior living communities can attract and retain the best workers.

We at Pi have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. We’ve had the opportunity to work with some genuinely visionary individuals and organizations and contribute to the design of senior communities that will provide comfort, purpose, and quality of life for many, many Americans

Many organizations are so busy looking for ways to attract new staff that they’ve overlooked an important way to address staffing shortages – making the best, most efficient use of their current team.

When we design a senior living community, we are thinking about the people who will live there. We try to view the community through their eyes and include features and amenities they want and need. But this requires more than considering their chronological age. We have to think about their subjective age.

“Census and staffing go hand-in-hand in many ways,” said Jonathan Woodrow, Co-Founder and CEO of LivingPath, a Chicago-based company that helps people discover great senior living communities. Painting a picture of a career and work life that attracts and engages staff, in turn, can result in a portrait of a community where seniors want to live.

Thinking we know what others want or need may be well meaning; but it can lead to problems, for example, when you assume what makes your employees stay or leave. We went to an expert, Charles Turner, CEO of Kare, to find out what frontline workers in senior living and long-term care actually say and think about what makes them love – or hate – their job.

Imagining the future of senior living takes experience, knowledge, data and analytics, creativity, vision, and a bit of luck. It also takes input from people who are willing to think about their own future and what they would want senior living to look like for them.

August is Artist Appreciation Month. Pi would like to Acknowledge and celebrate the artists who are featured in recent Communities. Their contributions have been significant, as art and design have a deep connection that creates living spaces that people love and thrive in.

As people were isolated during the pandemic, many turned to pets for companionship and comfort. In fact, adoption rates surged in the past year. This presents some exciting opportunities for your senior living community.

Let’s talk development liability and excess insurance. No, really. It’s more interesting than you think. And when you have all the facts, you can evaluate the most efficient way to manage risk for your construction and development projects.

There is a psychological aspect to senior living design that can impact what we do and how we feel. The importance of this has taken centerstage during the past year.

Even as society – including residents of senior living communities – gets back to some semblance of normal post-pandemic, a focus on cleanliness and sanitation will continue as a priority.

Despite the best efforts of meteorologists and others, unexpected storms and weather events happen. Yet you can best protect your buildings and their inhabitants by planning for what you can expect as well as a few surprises you can’t.

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.

As we move into 2021, energy efficiency is one tool that can help senior living communities reduce costs, expand resources, and generate more move-ins.