By Amira T. Fahoum
Is it possible to hit and maintain 100% occupancy?
This is a question that is frequently asked and many in our industry have offered answers. There are two answers you hear frequently:
- It is impossible/unrealistic in the current marketplace.
- That some marketing organization has an easy magic cure-all available to you . . . for a price.
By Amira T. Fahoum Is it possible to hit and maintain 100% occupancy? This is a question that is frequently asked and many in our industry have offered answers. There are two answers you hear frequently:
- It is impossible/unrealistic in the current marketplace.
- That some marketing organization has an easy magic cure-all available to you . . . for a price.
My answer is neither. And yet my team and I did it and you can too. A few weeks ago I met Steve Moran at the Oregon Health Care Association Convention in Portland. You may have seen his article about the keynote presentation in which we all learned to ask “what is going well?” I shared with Steve that I had a community that hit 100% occupancy, and that it was a community that for the year prior, had really struggled with occupancy. Perhaps as important, this community has a mix of low income and market rate and in addition to hitting 100% occupancy, we were able to increase the number of market rate residents. Here is the story of Chateau Gardens Memory Care in Springfield, OR
Challenges
My “go to” action to increase occupancy is to do events. The idea is that we use events to attract prospects, then nurture those prospects to move-in. A great idea, but, this particular community is relatively small with limited common space. Our best area for events is the backyard, but in Oregon, weather makes this challenging for large parts of the year. Making it even more difficult, is that it is all memory care and they have a few residents that just don’t appreciate it when a big group of strangers come into their home without “being invited” (by the residents, of course). Location is also not a referral source this community can depend on. It is located in a residential neighborhood tucked far away from any main thoroughfares. To compound the problem, one of our competitors is located on the corner just before this community.
Opportunities
What changed was this: how the staff looked at their community; dispelling preconceived notions, and focusing on a layered marketing approach. I often ask our community marketers, “what really makes you different? Do you know?” When they answer “it’s the home-like atmosphere and the fact everyone feels like family,” my response is “try again (everyone says that)”. When the staff took a hard honest look at this question they discovered they could offer a true elder-directed environment. The figured out they could take advantage of their small size and hold meaningful resident and family councils. The elders decide on the menus; the elders create the life enrichment calendar; and the elders talk with visitors when they come in. Families have a forum to voice concern or praise, raise questions, or find support. What is really cool is that this community was recently was added to The Eden Alternative Registry and received high praise from The Eden Alternative for their innovative approaches to even the simplest of tasks such as serving meals. This little community let go of the idea that differentiating themselves meant having a lot of amenities, or having a fancy building.
They let go of the idea that elders with dementia couldn’t do certain things. On the contrary, they found their elders thrive when they contribute; and families work side by side with staff instead of feeling ignored or at the mercy of the staff. This didn’t happen overnight! This environment is the result of hard work over several years by dedicated individuals. It was the trust of the Administrator and Assistant Administrator that they were moving in the right direction, even though they had no idea exactly where they were going to end up. They just knew they had a vision. When they began articulating to others that vision and explain what they were trying to achieve, the staff got on board; families got on board; other professionals got on board; even the state surveyors were amazed at what a memory care community such as this could accomplish.
Part 2 will be published on Thursday. Amira T. Fahoum is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Ridgeline Management Company based in Eugene, Oregon and operator of seventeen assisted living and memory care communities nationwide. She is the President-Elect of the Emerald Marketing Association and holds her assisted living administrator certificate in the state of Oregon. She can be reached at [email protected]
I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again, “Successful people and successful organizations do what unsuccessful people and unsuccessful organizations can’t do, won’t do, or even conceive as possible”. This is a perfect example of a leader leading the team to work together to accomplish goals for the betterment of the entire facility, and involving all stakeholders in the “Community” to provide imput and on board with the process. I really like the fact that excuses were thrown out and positive outcomes were expected and attained. I for one, salute you! Congratulations!
In response to Adam, thank you! It has been an honor to watch the team discover for themselves what they could do; even when they had their own doubts. Just today, Patty, our Administrator, told me she used to say “that’s not how we did it at (previous employer) community before; that’s not how its done”. And now, she realizes just how great things can be by letting go of the “way its always been done.”
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Senior Assisted Living Sales, Marketing & Operations
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Very possible. There must be consideration for turning an apartment so you might be at 99%…it has been done.
Posted by Maureen M. Smallwood
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Senior Healthcare Facilities Forum Professionals
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Of course. At our Church Ranch campus we’ve been 100% occupied for years. When an apartment becomes available, it’s renovated and full as soon as the next family is ready. At worst, a few apartments open up at once, but are full as soon as they’re renovated and a few families are ready.
Posted by Robin Avery
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Senior Assisted Living Sales, Marketing & Operations
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Steve,
It’s possible if you have a long enough wait list and you require the new tenant to pay from the date of vacancy even if you the unit hasn’t been turned. Also, in SNF and RCF you can require the existing family to pay until belongings are are removed or to the end of the month and collect on a new resident to hold that unit. I have actually accomplished it before, but it defintely takes the right community, waitlist and policy for it to happen. It isn’t common in the industry today
Posted by Maureen M. Smallwood
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: CCRC’s – Continuing Care Retirement Communities
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Yes it can be done and I have done it. Finding the real value you have to offer and then partnering with your team, residents, their family members and your community referral sources. I have provided leadership that has filled a great many communities, each with its own set of challenges. My longest period at 100% occupancy remains 24 straight months. Great leadership, inspires not just your team to performance, but everyone you come in contact with. When you say,”it impossible or unrealistic to achieve 100% occupancy in this economy, you have failed right then. The most unfortunate result of this attitude is the impact it has on the people around you. If you create a mission that matters to people anything is possible as long as you remember one thing, “people are important”.
Posted by Peter Brooks
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Assisted Living Professional Network
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Thank you for sharing your article. We are all looking for the next big solution to frowth in our communities. It is possible!
Posted by K’Lee Latham
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Senior Assisted Living Sales, Marketing & Operations
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Steve, one of our communities has not had a lost revenue day yet this year and had a total of three lost revenue days last year. The community has 76 apartments, with an annual turnover that averages around 50%.
Posted by Rick Banas
See my comment on CCRC 100% occupancy should and can be the standard. Everyone who has achieved 100% occupancy understands how to inspire people to performance.
Drive, Focus, and Persistence, will work in getting you there but don’t forget your wait list and a team attitude with everyone you meet. “Everyone”
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Senior Healthcare Facilities Forum Professionals
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
Well have been very blessed at Heritage Court AL we have been full w a waiting list for awhile…its not easy you have to be out in the community cont to sell and market..My ALZ we have seen increase in the last 6 months have two semi-pvt open…Just keep urself out there ..everywhere..think outside the box…Make sure you keep you families happy they will be a good referral source….
Posted by Amoreena Leyva
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Senior Healthcare Facilities Forum Professionals
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
My 10 year average occupancy for a SNF was 97.6% which is amazing for a geriatric population. I have had 100% for days at a time but expirations are inevitable. When deaths occurs on a weekend, it is difficult to coordinate a SNF admission Sat/Sunday as many hospitals are not fully staffed with social workers and discharge planners to facilitate transfers. This is the primary reason for having under 100% occupancy in my SNF. I have always had a waiting list as well but in Manhattan with many hospitals eager to discharge and SNFs poised to admit, families often must place their loved ones in an alternate facility if a bed is available.
Posted by Frank Popoli Jr.
From LinkedIn Groups
Group: Licensed Nursing Home Administrators
Discussion: It is possible to reach and maintain 100% occupancy – Part 1
I agree that the first step to achieving a high occupancy rate is doing internal marketing to your staff, so they know how census % affects them personally and feel engaged to be supportive problem solvers. Our SNF maintains a 98% occupancy year round occupancy because we are all pulling in the same direction.
Posted by Alicia Hensley