Short-term stays are not a big focus for Cornerstone Senior Living and other assisted living community operators. But that could change if things go well with the local rollout of a service similar to Airbnb for seniors in need of limited-time, “respite” care.
Last month, Bay Area-based Seniorly.com began offering information, reviews and booking services for San Diego County senior residential care facilities. Some four dozen local centers immediately showed up on the website after expressing an interest in the website and completing the vetting process.
The service is hailed by consumer advocates as a convenient arrangement offering family members much-needed time off from demanding caregiving schedules, as well as an opportunity to check out facilities they might want to contract for longer-term stays.
Josh Buller, CEO of San Diego-based Cornerstone, which manages two local residential properties totaling 117 units, said there’s also the potential for a strategic shift — assisted living communities setting aside a larger portion of their facilities for short-term stays, which require more resources but produce more revenue.
“We’re really looking at this very closely right now to see if we might want to set aside certain units to serve this segment of the population,” Buller said. “It’s too soon to know for sure, but I think it’s absolutely a possibility that we could create an entire business, sort of a subset … to serve this segment.”
A Community Service
Others view respite care as a helpful community service, just not something they necessarily want to expand because of the disproportionate amount of resources it can consume.
St. Paul’s Senior Services, a San Diego nonprofit offering a variety of senior living options, already reserves some of its units specifically for short-term stays. Corporate Marketing Director Amanda Gois said though such visits are seen in the industry as helping consumers, they also require fully furnished apartments and a lot of staff time, which is typically unscheduled because of the short notice.
For the price facilities charge, respite care “often doesn’t pencil out,” she said. Still, websites promoting short-duration stays are a valuable asset to the industry, she said, adding she expects the same of Seniorly’s services.
Since launching in 2014, Seniorly has entered the Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco markets. It works with nearly 1,000 senior residential properties in California and is looking to expand within and outside the state.
Seniorly charges a share of rent paid through the website to facilities offering senior residential services. These are facilities regulated by the state Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division, such as independent living communities, continuing care retirement communities and board and care homes.
Stays arranged through the website can be as short as three days or as long as three months, the company said. Seven days is the typical duration of a “respite” visit providing a break for family caregivers, Seniorly said, while short-term stays following a hospital visit usually last 17 days.
Filling the Beds
Founder Arthur Bretschneider said assisted living centers’ occupancy rates generally range between 85 percent and 95 percent.
“We are streamlining the process of making it easier for them to fill these beds,” he said by email.
Signing up to be listed on the website is free, and Buller said it only takes about half an hour. Once listed, the website displays photos of the facility, as well as customer reviews and prices, and provides links to regulatory records.
Ana Gonzalez Seda, coordinator of community outreach at the San Diego and Imperial Valley chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, said she is encouraged by Seniorly’s expansion into the local market, in part because many families don’t know about respite care.
Seda called the website easy to use, informative and helpful for families who need a short break from providing what can be very taxing care to seniors.
“It’s sort of the model of taking care of yourself so you can take better care of others,” she said.
Patients Can Test the Waters
There may be some potential for misuse, said Buller at Cornerstone. Companies turning their focus to short-term stays may be tempted to cut corners in how they deliver care, he said.
But with its fairly transparent process, Seniorly appears to be an improvement over what can be deceptive online referral services that he said take advantage of families when they’re most vulnerable. Senior living facilities that prove their value might win long-term customers through the service, he said.
“They’re giving people an opportunity to try assisted living without having to sign a full rental agreement,” he said. “That’s a really big benefit.”
