The trend toward providing multiple levels of care for retirees is related in part to the overbuilding of the assisted-living rental market, Granger said. Facing intense competition as a result of the overbuilding, many centers are trying to offer more opportunities for aging in place so they can keep residents longer, he said. Granger said he would not be surprised to see some of the centers that offer only assisted-living close their doors or be acquired by other companies in the near future. Unless the centers can keep the residents for several years, they can't provide services at a profitable rate, he said. You can't provide services to keep residents long enough to be profitable.
Demographic trends promise help for the oversupply problem.
To compete with newer and more modern centers, her facility emphasizes personal service and aging in place. The center has pods where the most independent of the residents live in a home-style setting, then has another area with long halls where residents can move as they need more help with daily living and more sophisticated care, Epley said. In addition, Epley and other staff meet every week with the families of four residents to hear their concerns and revise their care plans as necessary. Such personal attention helps the older facility compete with newer centers, she said. Meadowbrook Terrace also has an Alzheimer's and dementia care unit, Epley said.