Environments for Aging - Summer 2021 - 7

EDITORIAL
The talk
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Lori Alford
Chief Operating Officer
Avanti Senior Living
CC Andrews
It's time for the senior living design industry to have an honest
conversation about where we go from here By Jennifer Kovacs Silvis
At this writing, we're a little over two months out from heading
to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the 2021 EFA Expo & Conference
being held Aug. 28-31. Despite tiptoeing back to some sense of
normalcy lately, it's surreal to consider that we'll really all be together
soon. The reunion is much needed, and I'm certain there
will be no shortage of good vibes throughout those four days.
As energized as I am at the thought of merely being
there, I'm also excited to see what we'll accomplish as an
industry with this time together. I keep thinking back on
something Jane Rohde, principal at JSR Associates Inc.,
said to me recently. We were chatting via Zoom to record a
spot for an EFA Expo promotional video, and Jane shared
some of the things she values most about the show in general
and, specifically, why it will be so important to gather in the wake of
COVID-19. " If change doesn't happen now, I don't know when it's going to happen, "
she said.
And she's right. The senior living industry was effectively put on pause during the
pandemic, with daily operations overhauled, visitations restricted, social activities
halted, and even new move-ins frozen. Existing shortcomings were exacerbated, too,
and we've now realized new value in shifting away from institutional models; integrating
more meaningful, activated outdoor spaces; and achieving a heightened sense of
community within our physical communities.
Consider isolation. It's an issue this industry has always worked to combat for
senior living residents, yet it endures. During COVID-19, however, it wasn't just seniors
experiencing the detriment of solitude but all of us. What have we collectively learned
that can be applied to projects going forward to deliver better solutions?
As the reopening continues and daily life goes back to normal, issues like these
push the need to consider if " normal " still cuts it-and if it ever did. New data from the
National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) shows seniors housing
occupancy reaching a new low, with the next two quarters expected to signal
whether prospective residents are ready to consider a move once again.
So where do we go from here, and how might the design industry help influence a
future surge in occupancy?
I've asked Jane and a few other industry minds to help answer that question. In the
closing keynote for EFA Expo, I'll sit down with Jane; Lisa Warnock, director of housing
interiors at LRS Architects; Steve Lindsey, CEO of Garden Spot Communities; and
Mike Harris, president of Cornerstone Senior Living LLC to identify key strategies they
think the industry should embrace as we evolve to the next phase of senior living.
It's a conversation I know won't just be happening on that stage, either, but between
all of our industry members as we take steps forward together. I can't wait to
talk to many of you soon. EFA
President and Chief Strategist
Quantum Age Collaborative
David Banta
Associate Partner, Senior Living Market Leader,
Senior Project Manager
BKV Group DC
Laura Busalacchi
Senior Director of Interior Services
Brookdale Senior Living
Vassar Byrd
Chief Executive Officer
Rose Villa Senior Living
Margaret Calkins
Board Chair
Ideas Institute
Daniel J. Cinelli
Managing Principal and Board Director
Perkins Eastman
Michelle Clark
Vice President of Development
Domus Development
Andy Coelho
Senior Vice President of Facilities, Design,
and Development
Sunrise Senior Living
Alexis Denton
Associate Principal
Perkins Eastman
Mitch Elliott
Senior Partner
RDG Planning & Design
Lorraine Hiatt
Environmental Gerontologist
Planning, Research and Design Consultation
Steve Lindsey
Chief Executive Officer
Garden Spot Communities
Dean Maddalena
Founder and President
StudioSix5
Eric McRoberts
Partner
RLPS Architects
Robert C. Pfauth
Director of Senior Living Planning
Erdman
Jane Rohde
Principal
JSR Associates Inc.
Jill Schroeder
Senior Planner/Senior Interior Designer
Pope Architects
Rob Simonetti
Senior Associate and Design Director
SWBR
Summer 2021 * EFAmagazine.com
7

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Environments for Aging - Summer 2021

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