Did You Know?
Trends in Senior Living Facility Design are Moving Toward More Homelike Settings
According to Building Design & Construction magazine, one of the top ten design trends in senior living facilities is creating a more homelike atmosphere in long-term care settings. When most of the long-term care facilities existing today were built, they were required by state codes at the time to be more like hospitals. As codes and public demands have changed, providers are upgrading facilities with features such as warmer lighting, more comfortable seating, and systems to reduce noise. The remodeling project to our Healthcare Facility incorporates many of these homelike elements. Check out the article on Page 5 to learn more!
Costs are Rising and Medicare Reimbursement is Falling
The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) recently issued new regulations on how Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) receive reimbursement. The new payment system (Value Based Purchasing or VBP) cuts baseline reimbursement by 2%, but gives facilities the ability to “earn back” higher levels by providing superior service. One key way that facilities can earn higher reimbursement is to reduce falls. The layout of our new Resident Care Center in the Healthcare Facility is specifically designed to help reduce falls, by providing wider hallways and better lines of sight.
In Long-Term Care, Economics Favors the Local
It may seem as though hospital systems just keep getting bigger and bigger, but in long-term care, trends seem to be moving in the opposite direction. Skilled Nursing News reports that because long-term care regulations vary significantly from state to state, providers with a local or regional focus are better able to stay current on requirements, compared to large nationwide chains. Smaller facilities also have the flexibility to respond to local and regional preferences from meal choices to enrichment programs. Grace Village is proud to be the only non-profit senior living facility in Kosciusko County, where our residents are our neighbors!
Yes, We’re Getting Older, but We’re Also Getting Better
It’s not news that the over-65 segment of the U.S. population is growing – from 9% in 1960 to nearly 16% today – but what “over 65” looks like is changing. According to “Aging in the United States,” a report produced by the Population Reference Bureau, education levels have increased and poverty levels have decreased among those over 65. Since 1965, the percentage of persons over the age of 65 with a bachelor’s degree has increased from 5% to 25%. Since 1966, the number of seniors living in poverty has dropped from nearly 30% to 10%.