By Leigh Ann Hubbard

I failed at the Senior Living Executive Conference.

You wouldn’t know it from my LinkedIn.

Okay, that parade was epic. But here’s how I didn’t caption it:

This was one of the few moments I got even a little footing, and for most of the night, I still mostly felt like a duck out of water. “Who am I? Where am I? What even am I?” Angsty teenagernesssss!!!

Ah-maaaaazing

It’s funny to watch the Instagram effect happen on LinkedIn. [The Linstagram effect?] You know that thing where people share their pretty lives and nobody shows the messiness outside the frame?

After any conference: We all had the most amazing time of our lives. Cough. And no one will never post that …

  • A lot of vendors got no traffic to their booths, and they are frustrated!
  • Some people had trouble connecting with, like, anybody, and they feel deflated.
  • It was hard to get anything out of a few of the sessions.
  • Some presenters were banking on business rolling in … and that didn’t happen.

One conferencegoer mentioned that we never talk about the travel, the lack of sleep. Up early to network; up late … to network.

I know, boo-hoo — we’re paid to jetset, schmooze, and party. #Perspective. But I worry that, when the social media flurry happens, people get a skewed picture. … ’Cause they do.

The Instagram Effect on Occupancy

Speaking of skewed pictures, let’s talk benchmarks.

In first quarter 2023, occupancy was …

83.2%, per NIC (average of independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing).

OR, it was …

76.6%, per WelcomeHome* (average of independent living, assisted living, memory care).

Comparing apples to apples: both independent living and assisted living were lower in WelcomeHome’s report than in NIC’s. (Hear about more of WelcomeHome’s numbers in this Marketing Monday episode.)

Why the differences?

One potential factor: NIC asks communities what their numbers are. WelcomeHome pulls the actual data from their nationwide network.

I’m not saying people are lying. But there is the tendency to skew things in your favor, isn’t there?

Senior living is full of passionate, genuine, down-to-earth people. And even in our little bubble, we get — and, confession, contribute to — social media envy.

Next time you feel less than, remember: What you’re comparing yourself to may not even be real.

It may just be Linstagram.

*WelcomeHome is a Foresight partner, but this isn’t a sponsored article. 

Foresight is an industry partner to the 2023 Senior Living Executive Conference.