Maximizing Revenue and Length of Stay Through Resident Intelligence
Recent research indicates that when senior living residents participate in at least one meaningful community event each day, their quality of life improves significantly. With community event calendars brimming with opportunities, one might wonder: why aren’t more residents getting involved?
“That’s a great question, and probably the first question I asked myself when I joined,” says Lauren Blacker, Corporate Director of Wellness and Life Enrichment at Senior Resource Group (SRG).
Since joining SRG, a developer based in Solana Beach, California, in January 2022, Blacker has focused on enhancing the daily experiences of residents. Her initiatives aim to foster a sense of purpose, reduce feelings of isolation, maintain physical fitness and nutrition, cultivate friendships, and promote cognitive wellness. To achieve these goals, she led a committee that evaluated seven potential wellness platforms, narrowing it down to two options.
“And right at the last moment,” she recalls, “I was introduced to TSOLife.”
What ultimately swayed Blacker and SRG to select TSOLife was the company’s exceptional ability to capture and analyze resident data. TSOLife’s resident insight and experience platform empowers senior living operators with actionable insights derived from real-time data. Since its inception in 2019, TSOLife has collaborated with 1,500 communities across 48 states, generating an average of over 150 data points per resident from a total of 175,000 residents.
Operators utilizing TSOLife can leverage this data to make informed decisions tailored to the individual needs of residents, just as SRG does.
How SRG Built a Resident-Centric Activities Calendar
The partnership between SRG and TSOLife began when one of Blacker’s colleagues highlighted that TSOLife met all their requirements.
“They came in at the 11th hour and delivered on what we didn’t even know we needed,” Blacker states. “We were amazed by their AI platform, which would handle the intelligence work we had been spending hundreds of hours trying to figure out.”
On a practical level, SRG gained valuable insights into their residents. For instance, in a building with 400 residents, each individual’s connection between event participation and quality of life must be considered. This presents a monumental challenge for any operator.
Part of the TSOLife solution includes an inclusion score. Blacker or another team member conducts individual interviews with residents, using AI to capture data in real-time during the conversation.
Instead of manually entering data points into an Excel spreadsheet, Blacker can focus on having meaningful conversations with residents, learning about their lives and aspirations. The conversation is then uploaded to the resident’s profile, and TSOLife’s AI assesses whether the resident’s interests are reflected in the activities calendar. If not, the system suggests new activities to include.
“That is amazing, and it’s something we didn’t even know was possible,” Blacker says. “It removes the guesswork for operators, ultimately creating an engaged, vibrant experience for our residents.”
3 Key Takeaways for SRG
Research from TSOLife indicates that as a senior living resident’s quality of life improves, their length of stay tends to increase, potentially resulting in over $1 million in additional retained revenue.
Blacker and SRG are aware of these potential benefits. Here are three key takeaways from TSOLife’s approach to resident wellness:
1. If Residents Aren’t Attending Activities, the Activities Might Be Wrong
The primary advantage of the resident intelligence provided by TSOLife is that it enables staff to personalize engagement.
“Make sure you’re promoting the ‘Why’ for residents to participate in activities,” Blacker advises. “Ensure the activities reflect their interests.”
This consideration extends beyond the activities themselves to include the settings and characteristics of those activities.
“We discovered through TSOLife that some residents prefer smaller gatherings,” she explains. “When we asked whether they liked small or large groups, we were surprised by how many favored smaller settings. This insight led us to organize more intimate events, increasing attendance.”
2. If Residents Aren’t Attending Activities, They Might Just Need Encouragement
Once Blacker and SRG gathered the necessary data, they could add a personal touch to each resident’s experience.
“Be a cheerleader,” Blacker suggests. “Sometimes residents just need a little encouragement.”
With insights into the preference for smaller activities, SRG was able to tailor their outreach to residents, addressing barriers to participation.
“Regardless of age, we all appreciate someone saying, ‘Hey, come to the party!’” she adds. Feedback from residents often includes gratitude for invitations that help them discover new interests, such as painting.
This type of validation is invaluable, she emphasizes.
3. Each On-Point Increase in Quality of Life Predicts 85 Additional Days of Stay
Senior living operators aim to provide a fulfilling lifestyle for seniors while also maintaining a viable business. Enhanced engagement leads to improved quality of life and longer stays.
TSOLife employs a point system to quantify quality of life, revealing that each point increase correlates with an average of 85 additional days of residency—nearly three months per resident. This can significantly impact a community’s overall performance.
“TSOLife intelligence helps us identify when a resident is struggling,” Blacker notes. This insight is crucial, even for residents who appear engaged. They may still face challenges in forming social connections.
“Without studying quality of life, we wouldn’t have recognized these issues,” she explains. TSOLife enables deeper engagement levels that were previously unattainable.
The system provides operators with insights that residents might not openly share, potentially empowering them to lead their own activities.
“This fosters a sense of purpose,” she concludes. “Many residents have so much to offer, and they can share their experiences and knowledge through programs and intergenerational events.”
“You just see them light up,” she adds.
This Views is sponsored by TSOLife. To learn more, visit tsolife.com.
Recent research indicates that when senior living residents participate in at least one meaningful community event each day, their quality of life improves significantly. With community event calendars brimming with opportunities, one might wonder: why aren’t more residents getting involved?
“That’s a great question, and probably the first question I asked myself when I joined,” says Lauren Blacker, Corporate Director of Wellness and Life Enrichment at Senior Resource Group (SRG).
Since joining SRG, a developer based in Solana Beach, California, in January 2022, Blacker has focused on enhancing the daily experiences of residents. Her initiatives aim to foster a sense of purpose, reduce feelings of isolation, maintain physical fitness and nutrition, cultivate friendships, and promote cognitive wellness. To achieve these goals, she led a committee that evaluated seven potential wellness platforms, narrowing it down to two options.
“And right at the last moment,” she recalls, “I was introduced to TSOLife.”
What ultimately swayed Blacker and SRG to select TSOLife was the company’s exceptional ability to capture and analyze resident data. TSOLife’s resident insight and experience platform empowers senior living operators with actionable insights derived from real-time data. Since its inception in 2019, TSOLife has collaborated with 1,500 communities across 48 states, generating an average of over 150 data points per resident from a total of 175,000 residents.
Operators utilizing TSOLife can leverage this data to make informed decisions tailored to the individual needs of residents, just as SRG does.
How SRG Built a Resident-Centric Activities Calendar
The partnership between SRG and TSOLife began when one of Blacker’s colleagues highlighted that TSOLife met all their requirements.
“They came in at the 11th hour and delivered on what we didn’t even know we needed,” Blacker states. “We were amazed by their AI platform, which would handle the intelligence work we had been spending hundreds of hours trying to figure out.”
On a practical level, SRG gained valuable insights into their residents. For instance, in a building with 400 residents, each individual’s connection between event participation and quality of life must be considered. This presents a monumental challenge for any operator.
Part of the TSOLife solution includes an inclusion score. Blacker or another team member conducts individual interviews with residents, using AI to capture data in real-time during the conversation.
Instead of manually entering data points into an Excel spreadsheet, Blacker can focus on having meaningful conversations with residents, learning about their lives and aspirations. The conversation is then uploaded to the resident’s profile, and TSOLife’s AI assesses whether the resident’s interests are reflected in the activities calendar. If not, the system suggests new activities to include.
“That is amazing, and it’s something we didn’t even know was possible,” Blacker says. “It removes the guesswork for operators, ultimately creating an engaged, vibrant experience for our residents.”
3 Key Takeaways for SRG
Research from TSOLife indicates that as a senior living resident’s quality of life improves, their length of stay tends to increase, potentially resulting in over $1 million in additional retained revenue.
Blacker and SRG are aware of these potential benefits. Here are three key takeaways from TSOLife’s approach to resident wellness:
1. If Residents Aren’t Attending Activities, the Activities Might Be Wrong
The primary advantage of the resident intelligence provided by TSOLife is that it enables staff to personalize engagement.
“Make sure you’re promoting the ‘Why’ for residents to participate in activities,” Blacker advises. “Ensure the activities reflect their interests.”
This consideration extends beyond the activities themselves to include the settings and characteristics of those activities.
“We discovered through TSOLife that some residents prefer smaller gatherings,” she explains. “When we asked whether they liked small or large groups, we were surprised by how many favored smaller settings. This insight led us to organize more intimate events, increasing attendance.”
2. If Residents Aren’t Attending Activities, They Might Just Need Encouragement
Once Blacker and SRG gathered the necessary data, they could add a personal touch to each resident’s experience.
“Be a cheerleader,” Blacker suggests. “Sometimes residents just need a little encouragement.”
With insights into the preference for smaller activities, SRG was able to tailor their outreach to residents, addressing barriers to participation.
“Regardless of age, we all appreciate someone saying, ‘Hey, come to the party!’” she adds. Feedback from residents often includes gratitude for invitations that help them discover new interests, such as painting.
This type of validation is invaluable, she emphasizes.
3. Each On-Point Increase in Quality of Life Predicts 85 Additional Days of Stay
Senior living operators aim to provide a fulfilling lifestyle for seniors while also maintaining a viable business. Enhanced engagement leads to improved quality of life and longer stays.
TSOLife employs a point system to quantify quality of life, revealing that each point increase correlates with an average of 85 additional days of residency—nearly three months per resident. This can significantly impact a community’s overall performance.
“TSOLife intelligence helps us identify when a resident is struggling,” Blacker notes. This insight is crucial, even for residents who appear engaged. They may still face challenges in forming social connections.
“Without studying quality of life, we wouldn’t have recognized these issues,” she explains. TSOLife enables deeper engagement levels that were previously unattainable.
The system provides operators with insights that residents might not openly share, potentially empowering them to lead their own activities.
“This fosters a sense of purpose,” she concludes. “Many residents have so much to offer, and they can share their experiences and knowledge through programs and intergenerational events.”
“You just see them light up,” she adds.
This Views is sponsored by TSOLife. To learn more, visit tsolife.com.
