Welcome & Opening Remarks

Speakers: Elissa Sherman (LeadingAge Massachusetts) and Keith Robertson (Ziegler)

The 2020 State of Senior Living & Senior Living Capital Markets

This opening session will set the stage for the rest of the day’s agenda, providing an overview of key strategic trends in the senior living sector within a framework of the national economy, the capital lending environment and aging services climate nationally and in the state of Massachusetts.  

Objectives:

1. To learn about the key operating and financing trends in the not-for-profit senior living sector
2. To highlight the key trends, disruptors and catalysts impacting senior services
3. To understand how national and regional trends are impacting Massachusetts providers and how they can plan accordingly

Speakers: Dan Hermann, Keith Robertson (Ziegler), Chad Himel (Ziegler)

KEYNOTE – Senior Living: Facing the Innovation Imperative 

By 2060, a quarter of the U.S. population will be 65 and older. That’s double the number of older adults today. This seismic demographic shift is creating an emerging market that will drive economic growth in this country for years to come. Good news for the senior living industry, right?

Well, not so fast. While the Longevity Economy creates all kinds of exciting new opportunities for us, it also is attracting the attention of formidable competitors. And seniors housing has seen mixed results to date, with only one in 10 prospective customers choosing our products and services.

What will it take for senior living to achieve its full potential? In this keynote address, former HumanGood Chief Strategy Officer Dan Hutson will look at the current senior living market, the forces that are changing it, and how we might harness innovation to stay relevant and win in an exciting but increasingly more challenging environment.

Objectives:

1. How the emerging older adult market is creating a new “life stage”
2. Some of the issues holding senior living back from breakthrough success
3. How a focus on innovation can help achieve greater success
4. What you can do to create a culture of innovation in your organization

Speaker: Dan Hutson

LUNCH & WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS EXHIBITION

Meet with representatives from companies to learn about some of the latest workforce solutions for aging services.

Senior Living Financing in 2020 – Provider Case Studies

Senior living providers have been quite active in recent years with borrowing capital to fund campus expansion and repositioning projects and to also refund debt to lower the cost of capital. This session will highlight providers who have recently accessed capital and will delve into the rationale for selecting certain mechanisms (bank or bond) and the benefits/drawbacks associated with various approaches.

Objectives:

1. To understand capital sources and structure options for senior living providers.
2. To delve into case studies of recent financings to understand how to best align capital structure with financing objectives
3. To gain insight into alternative sources of capital and financing structures.

Speakers: Keith Robertson (Zielger), Stacy Donlon (TD Bank)

Technology in Longevity Economy 

Communities across the country are in the midst of a dramatic transformation moving from viewing technology as an expense, to a strategy business enabler driving new experiences, reducing costs/risk, supporting healthy aging, improving business processes and unlocking new business models.  This session will highlight current disruption, dive into key technology focus areas, help attendees strategically plan for the future and share real examples of organizations who have already gotten started.

Objectives:

1. To frame how technology is disrupting the senior living and services marketplace.
2. To identify how technology solutions are helping providers with operational efficiencies and intelligence through data analytics.
3. To talk about the role of ‘smart’ technologies in the future of our field.

Speakers: Kim Kessler (Caremerge), Keith Stewart (K4Connect)

Rental vs. Entrance Fee: Responding to Consumer Preferences 

Across the past several years, there has been increased focus on the rental contract option as an alternative to the historically popular entrance-fee model. This has been driven by a number of factors, including consumer preferences as well as affordability. In this session, speakers will highlight the drivers of the rental conversation, key differences between entrance-fee and rental communities, and financial considerations for various contract types for not-for-profit providers. 

Objectives:

1. To highlight the drivers of the increasing focus on rental contract types.
2. To educate attendees on key differences across contract types (occupancy, turnover, operations, etc.).
3. To review the development and financing considerations for rental communities. 

Speakers: Keith Robertson (Zielger), Rob Love (Love & Company), TBD (OnePoint)

The Changing Landscape of Fundraising and Development 

Every organization varies in their approach to development, depending on the structure in place, fundraising goals, and potential donor base. There are, however, elements that all providers can embrace to enhance their efforts. This session will talk about the current giving climate in the U.S., roles and responsibilities for fund development programs, the case for support, and ethical considerations unique to soliciting donations from older adults. 

Objectives:

1. To understand the overall landscape of giving behaviors and trends within the U.S.
2. To highlight the importance of ethical approaches to soliciting donors, particularly in the field of senior living and care.
3. To have attendees walk away with recommendations on how to improve their current development efforts.

Speaker: Robbe Healey (Aurora Philanthropic Consulting)

Closing Panel – Governance

We will close out the Symposium with a discussion on resident participation in governance.  You will hear from a panel of residents who also serve as members of their communities’ board of directors.  In this facilitated discussion, panelists will share the unique perspective and value that residents can bring to the work of the board.  They will also discuss some of the challenges and areas of caution that organizations and individual residents must be aware of if they are going to include residents as board members.  

Objectives:

1. Understand the value of including residents as board members.
2. Consider potential conflicts of interest and ways to avoid such conflicts when having residents on the board of directors
3. Identify best practices for including resident perspectives in governance.

Facilitator: Keith Robertson (Ziegler)

Panelists: Sarah Donnelly (RiverWoods), Patricia “Pat” Perry (Brookhaven at Lexington), Margery Silver (Lasell Village)

Wrap-Up & Closing Remarks
Speakers: Keith Robertson (Ziegler), Elissa Sherman (LeadingAge Massachusetts)