Beth Burnham Mace

Q: What are some positive financial trends for skilled nursing?

A:We’re seeing a plateauing at least of occupancy rates. We had been seeing considerable declines. It’s too soon to say if it’s a permanent trend, but certainly from the data in the first quarter we’re seeing a plateau. 

Q: There’s been some discussion of repurposing older skilled nursing buildings. How feasible is that?

A:To my knowledge, we haven’t seen a lot of new development in skilled. We will see some repurposing for seniors housing and skilled nursing for older stock. For seniors housing, the repurposing may have some challenges, such as long corridors. With labor shortages, we need to make staff to be as efficient as they can with getting from one room to the next. In the case of skilled nursing, it depends on the vision of skilled nursing going forward in terms of rehab. 

Q: At the NIC conference this month you’ll be discussing the “middle market.” What should we know?

A:Our studies show there is a large portion of seniors who are not going to be able to afford today’s existing offerings. We need to put a spotlight on this as an issue. There will be a lot of people who desire to stay in their homes … but skilled will be for people who need considerable medical care.