John O'Connor, VP, Associate Publisher, Editorial Director

I’m always hit by a mixture of euphoria and fatigue at the conclusion of the big fall gatherings.

These trade shows/conferences certainly provide an abundance of food, stimulating conversation, food, new connections, more food and interesting insights. But at a price.

To understand what active participation in four industry events in roughly the same number of weeks can do to a person’s sense of time and space, consider this thought experiment: Imagine that you are trying to ride a Tilt-A-Whirl while shooting heroin. Not so easy, is it? And boy, that first step afterward can be a real doozy.

Please note that the last few sentences were a lame attempt at humor. I would never recommend something as foolish or dangerous as riding a Tilt-A-Whirl.

Kidding aside, here are three unmistakable takeaways for long-term care providers, courtesy of the events that just were:

1. The healing has begun

It’s no secret that the past two and a half years have been trying times for most operators. COVID-19 fueled thousands of resident and staff deaths, delivered unprecedented infection control challenges, hurt occupancy rates, drove up costs and made a difficult hiring/retention challenge all but impossible.

But there are signs that things are getting better. Most operators I met said census rates and revenues were improving. To be sure, the recovery is not universal, but it is happening. Against all odds, operators have learned to survive some of the most challenging conditions ever.

The sector is far from recovered. But things are getting better – even if the pace is a bit more glacial than most would like.

2. The tech revolution is officially underway

Walking the expo floors at the various events, it was obvious most firms are either tech-centric or tech-dependent. Perhaps most conspicuous of all are emerging vendors dedicated to giving staffing agencies a decent burial.

These newbies are focused on providing additional staffing resources that are vetted, graded and available when needed.

Then there are the vendors that are creatively applying new tech to old problems, such as foodservice, resident lifting and medication dispensing. These, too, were present in never-before-seen abundance.

Yet for all the promise technology holds, there was a sense that many vendors are still working on things that may not be ready for a few years, or that may require partnerships and/or mergers to complete.

What that suggests is that we may be on the cusp of quite a few announcements of the recent nuptials variety, as tech firms toil to fill in blanks and/or complete started projects. And as last week’s announcement between AHCA and PointClickCare makes clear, there are going to be more vendor-operator alliances as well.

 3. Nothing is guaranteed

Yes, things are looking up, generally. But that does not mean all players are safe. Smaller operators, especially those in rural areas, still appear to be vulnerable.

As for those banking on a silver tsunami of aging baby boomers to fill their buildings? Well, the oldest among them just turned 76. How many 76 year-olds do you have in your facility? Or for that matter, residents younger than 80?

As a practical matter, the real demographic payoff may be nearly a decade away. Wait until then and you may not survive.

John O’Connor is Editorial Director for McKnight’s