For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the share of senior living and skilled nursing organizations reporting an acceleration in the pace of move-ins over the past month is higher than those reporting a deceleration.
The trend rings true for all care segments, according to data collected from the most recent Executive Survey conducted by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care. Further, organizations reporting a deceleration in the pace of move-ins have shrunk in the memory care, assisted living and nursing care segments over the past three waves of the survey.
The latest survey — Wave 22 — included responses collected Feb. 8 to 21 from owners and executives across 67 small, medium and large senior living and skilled nursing organizations.
The survey data also reveal an upward shift in the shares of organizations reporting increased occupancy across each of the care segments since the prior survey, and more organizations with memory care units and/or nursing care beds reported increases in occupancy than decreases. The shares of organizations with independent living and assisted living units with declining occupancy in the past month (across their portfolios of properties), however, continued to exceed those reporting rising occupancy.
“Positive signals are palpable in Wave 22 results, which reveal upward shifts in organizations reporting acceleration in move-ins and occupancy increases across each of the care segments in the past 30 days,” wrote Lana Peck, senior principal at NIC, in a blog post highlighting the latest survey results.
Survey respondents also shared that roughly 80% of residents and 60% of staff members have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, on average, and approximately 75% of residents and 55% of staff members have received a second dose.
“The Wave 23 survey, currently collecting data, will explore when operators expect their occupancy rates to return to pre-pandemic levels,” Peck said.
