Agenda - Economic Development Authority - 12/06/2018

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SPECIALTY SENIOR SERVICES What Makes Us Different? Care Model Staffing Model Building Design Cost Structure Marketing Methods CARE MODEL Our care model differs from most providers in that we specifically target seniors that need care. In an environment where long term care within nursing homes have dwindled (they now focus on providing rehab and capturing Medicare reimbursements) and the ability to license new beds has been cut off from the local government there is an even higher need for an alternative option for those seniors that require a more complex level of care i.e.: 2 person transfers, colostomy care and tube feeding. Suite Living fulfills this niche as it provides those cares that used to be provided only in a nursing home however continuing to operate under a Class F assisted living license, allowing Suite Living to have the freedom to continue to develop. We focus heavily on staff training and researching new methods to care for seniors that suffer from challenging diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. STAFFING MODEL Our staffing model is unique because of how vve utilize our staff differently. Our Caregivers are universal workers. They not only provide cares to the residents but they also perform housekeeping duties and serve the meals. We do not have multiple layers of line staff that each require managers instead we have an Executive Director who is responsible for the overall management of the building, staffing the building, overseeing the day to day sales, human resource duties, quality assurance and making sure families and residents are satisfied. We also staff a registered nurse (due to regulation Requirements) and licensed practical nurse who oversee the caregivers, chart, manage medications, and administer certain services such as injections and wound care. A cook manages the kitchen during the day and we also staff someone to provide activities to the residents. Lastly, our two highest salaries in each of the building are minimized due to our ability to share them between two buildings. Often time or executive director and registered nurse split their time between two geographically close buildings. Suite Living communities are clustered together in such a way that we can share staff between the two sites without sacrificing the quality of service. BUILDING DESIGN We design our buildings with the resident and staff in mind. Our communities are small and efficient. We do not build buildings with large apartments and narrow, long hallways, instead we focus on providing studios (300-365 sq. ft.) and making sure the hallways are as short and wide as possible. We also centralize all our community spaces. In most senior housing communities, the residents congregate near the front entrance. We have built around the idea that if we put the dining and activity space where the residents will naturally go then it's a win for everyone. Residents are happier to be part of activities because they are already down there and it's convenient for them also. Even if they decide not to participate in an activity they are still able to enjoy the ambiance of what is happening at the time while most importantly not closing themselves off in their suite, which can cause depression. COST STRUCTURE Suite Living offers services in packages. There are 4 basic packages, the first being the least acute level and the fourth being the highest level of acuity. This is important as it helps residents and families easily forecast what they are paying for. With ala carte services or point systems it is very difficult to decipher what your bill will be at the end of the month, often creating very unsatisfied customers, which can result in move -outs. Because we offer such high level of care in a package format we are much cheaper than a nursing home, which can cost up to double of what we cost for care. Other senior housing communities that offer ala carte services or point systems when compared to our packages can also be much more expensive. MARKETING METHODS We position our buildings on high traffic, highly visible pieces of land. This results in a high amount of drop in tours and decreases our need to advertise. We also spend a lot of time networking with discharge planners in nursing homes and staying in constant contact with other senior housing providers that cannot take the level of care that we do resulting in a large number of referrals. Because vve fill a special niche we get referrals from both ends of the spectrum, nursing homes that discharge residents due to their inability to keep them long term and assisted living/memory care or independent living providers that cannot provide a highly acute level of care.