“As of 2025, we are housing our most vulnerable senior population, in facilities of which 60% are over 30 years old. The aging infrastructure of these communities, compounded by an increase in more impactful weather situations (forest fires, flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes or ice storms), has seen a rise in government mandates requiring facility upgrades. The safety and security of elders is critical; the challenge becomes how we plan, execute and pay for required and necessary improvements.”

Understanding the regulatory landscape 

Regulations often follow crises like hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and ice storms that expose vulnerabilities in aging facilities. After Hurricane Irma, Florida’s mandate for 96 hours of backup generator power for skilled nursing facilities became a blueprint now echoed in other states. Likewise, new assisted living facility regulations are emerging nationwide, aimed at fortifying disaster preparedness and ensuring uninterrupted resident care. 

The realities of implementation 

1. Underestimated costs & capital expenditure

Many state legislators undervalue the true scope of capital expenditure needed for compliance. California initially projected $20,000–$50,000 per facility for emergency power, but actual costs frequently approach $200,000–$500,000 when factoring in engineering, permitting, and installation of multiple backup generators.

2. Supply chain constraints

When thousands of communities race to meet new backup generator regulations, demand outstrips supply. Equipment shortages and labor scarcity delay projects, undermining both compliance and disaster preparedness efforts. 

3. Tight timelines & permitting

Regulatory compliance timelines often don’t align with providers’ maintenance and capital-expenditure schedules, which typically allow only 12–18 months to comply. That window is insufficient for a multi-phase rollout, site surveys, design, permitting, and commissioning, creating a compressed schedule that elevates risk and can lead to costly fines.

Funding challenges & Medicaid reimbursement 

Most mandates arrive without dedicated funding, leaving operators to shoulder the financial burden. Only a handful of states, California among them, integrate certain capital expenditure into their Medicaid reimbursement models. Even there, providers must navigate complex Medicaid reimbursement rates that vary by facility size, acuity level, and service mix. For the majority of communities, securing grants, loans, or alternative financing becomes essential to move projects forward. 

How Direct Supply is responding and what we can do to help 

Operators face significant challenges balancing mandated upgrades with daily operations, especially when resources are limited. Direct Supply provides scalable expertise, including: 

Managing supply chains to deliver essential equipment promptly.

Our TELS™ Building Management platform, combined with a 25,000-technician nationwide field services network, coordinates installation, commissioning, and compliance verification from site survey to final inspection, shrinking the window from mandate to operation.

Preparing for ongoing regulatory evolution 

Regulatory mandates will continue to proliferate, and extend beyond skilled nursing into assisted living, memory care, and beyond. Robust risk management and proactive regulatory compliance strategies are no longer optional; they are essential pillars of operational excellence. 

Direct Supply stands ready to partner with your community, helping you transform regulatory requirements into cost-effective, resilience-building initiatives. By aligning project planning with reimbursement insights, capital funding pathways, and industry best practices, we ensure compliance becomes a strategic advantage rather than an obstacle. 

Fee-for-service vs. value-based care: what’s driving the shift?

A fundamental change is underway in how skilled nursing providers are reimbursed for care. The industry is moving away from volume-based payments and toward models that prioritize value. 

Historically, the fee-for-service model dominated care delivery. Under this structure, providers were paid based on the number and type of services delivered, regardless of patient outcomes. While straightforward to administer, this model created incentives for higher utilization, not necessarily better care, and often overlooked the quality or effectiveness of services provided. 

Value-based care turns that model on its head. It ties reimbursement to performance metrics such as improved recovery rates, fewer hospital readmissions, and overall cost efficiency. By aligning payment with patient outcomes, value-based care encourages a more coordinated, proactive approach to treatment—aiming to deliver better results while reducing the total cost of care. 

“CMS has been testing and driving us towards more value-based care payment models for many years. By tying payment and incentives to population health metrics and outcomes, CMS expects these alignments to reduce healthcare costs. ”

How Medicare Advantage and Medicaid value-based payments affect senior living operators

With the majority of skilled nursing revenue derived from Medicare and Medicaid, any policy change in these programs sends ripples through the industry. Today, more than half of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, a key driver of value-based care. Simultaneously, state-developed Medicaid value-based payment programs are increasingly shaping reimbursement for Skilled Nursing Facilities, further complicating Medicare and Medicaid payment strategies. These programs require enhanced care coordination, improved clinical outcomes, and often involve lower per-day reimbursement rates. 

This poses challenges for providers already operating with narrow margins. However, it also presents a powerful opportunity: operators that demonstrate measurable success in delivering quality outcomes can stand apart and secure stronger payer relationships. 

Driving clinical outcomes through strategic procurement in value-based care

In today’s value-based care environment, procurement has become a strategic lever for better outcomes. Senior Living providers are selecting products and services that go beyond cost savings to support clinical workflows and operational efficiency. 

Intentional technology designed to augment and streamline clinical workflows are increasingly being adopted. For example, upgrading to DS smart® brings automation, faster vitals capture and more accurate data—enabling better clinical decisions. Similarly, pac-IQ® streamlines referral workflows, allowing providers to allocate time towards improving the resident experience and ensuring more informed care transitions. These strategic investments give clinical staff real time back to focus and resident care and lessen practice variability that leads to improved accuracy, both known to contribute to better outcomes, all while reducing the total cost of care. 

“These new trends that you’re seeing at the federal level and at the state level with regard to payment incentives on the value-based care side are going to dictate a lot of the behavior that our customers have when it comes to purchasing and procuring services.”

The future of value-based care in senior living: lowering the total cost of care

The momentum behind value-based care is growing—and it is here to stay. With bipartisan support and proven results from early programs, it’s becoming the foundation for how care is measured, delivered, and reimbursed across senior care. 

As these models expand across the continuum of care, operators who embrace them today are better positioned for long-term success. By focusing on improving clinical outcomes and managing the total cost of care, forward-thinking providers can gain a competitive edge while delivering greater value to residents and payers alike. 

Direct Supply is committed to helping senior living providers succeed in this evolving landscape. From helping improve outcomes to controlling costs, we’re here to support your mission every step of the way. 

Frequently asked questions about value-based care in senior living  

What is the difference between fee-for-service and value-based care? 

Fee-for-service reimburses providers based on the quantity of services delivered, such as appointments, procedures, or tests. Value-based care, on the other hand, links reimbursement to patient outcomes—rewarding providers for improving clinical outcomes, reducing hospital readmissions, and enhancing recovery rates. 

How does value-based care affect senior living providers across the continuum of care? 

Value-based care impacts every level of the senior living continuum—from assisted living to skilled nursing—by prioritizing outcomes, efficiency, and coordination. Providers must demonstrate measurable improvements in resident health and reduce unnecessary hospitalizations to secure favorable reimbursements and payer relationships. 

What role do Medicare Advantage plans play in value-based care? 

Medicare Advantage plans are a major driver of value-based care adoption. With over half of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in these plans, they emphasize quality metrics, care coordination, and cost control. This directly affects how senior living operators are reimbursed under Medicare and Medicaid programs. 

How can procurement support better clinical outcomes in value-based care models? 

Strategic procurement in senior living involves selecting products that enhance resident health and operational efficiency. From vital signs monitors to infection control systems, these purchases can reduce avoidable hospitalizations and support compliance—ultimately improving outcomes and lowering the total cost of care. 

The current challenge

Medicaid remains the primary funding source for more than 70% of residents in skilled nursing communities and plays a vital role in supporting services across assisted living, home care, and other long-term care settings. But as Congress debates significant funding cuts to the Medicaid program, they are focusing on provider tax provisions that could deliver serious funding reductions to America’s seniors and their caregivers.

 For providers already delivering care below cost, that kind of reduction directly threatens financial stability, care continuity, and the dedicated teams who support residents every day.

How value-based care and private payers are shaping senior living

Beyond direct cuts, care funding is increasingly flowing through Medicaid managed care and Medicare Advantage plans, shifting oversight from public entities to private insurers. While these models offer flexibility, they often prioritize cost containment in ways that do not always align with the realities of delivering high quality care. This shift toward private payers and value-based care models in healthcare places additional financial and operational pressure on senior living providers, especially in the wake of Medicaid cuts. Many communities are grappling with the impact of Medicaid cuts, which have compounded longstanding challenges tied to senior living Medicaid funding and reimbursement.

As this shift continues, strong partnerships with private payers are becoming more critical. Providers are being asked to demonstrate how their outcomes, innovations, and services create measurable value, improving resident well-being, supporting care teams, and helping payers achieve efficiency goals.

Innovation and technology as a response to Medicaid and Medicare cuts 

There is growing recognition among payers that innovation can drive better outcomes and lower costs. Simple solutions—like anti-rollback devices for wheelchairs—can help prevent injuries and avoid costly hospitalizations, benefiting both residents and the bottom line. In the face of federal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, innovation becomes not just beneficial, but essential. For skilled nursing communities, technology can bridge the gap caused by declining reimbursement and cutting Medicaid funding initiatives.

At Direct Supply, we’re seeing increasing engagement from private payers interested in smart equipment, home-based technology and streamlined formularies that reduce rehospitalizations and enhance safety. These conversations present a critical opportunity to help build a more resilient, sustainable system for senior living.

 “Are we incentivizing and motivating for the outcomes we desire? In my 30 years of experience, CMS has missed the mark. Prioritizing regulatory compliance and overly complex, and underfunded reimbursement mechanisms make it difficult for providers, and CMS, to achieve more. Value-based care, aligns incentives to desired outcomes and reduces cost of healthcare, but it won’t work if regulatory oversight doesn’t change, or is too late to protect providers. 

Incentivizing for outcomes, not process, and re-working regulations can motivate stakeholders to connect actions to the right things—the right outcomes, the right care, the right types of things we’re trying to do—those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive. They can work in tandem together, and we can get good outcomes and still save money.“

Senior care advocacy in the wake of Medicaid cuts  

The debate over Medicaid isn’t just about funding—it’s about the future of care. Any reduction in Medicaid, whether labeled a provider tax adjustment, block grant or rate shift, ultimately translates to fewer resources for those who need them most. Senior care advocacy has never been more urgent. Reductions in federal funding for Medicaid threaten long-term stability, particularly for communities reliant on long term care Medicaid reimbursements.

That’s why Direct Supply continues to advocate for the providers we serve, making sure their voices are heard at every level. Through targeted, intentional efforts, we’re helping to spotlight the true impact of policy decisions—and fighting to protect the future of senior living. Read about our advocacy efforts.

How Direct Supply is responding and what we can do to help 

1. Advocacy efforts to address Medicaid and Medicare cuts

Our Government Relations team is focused on protecting providers from the real-world impacts of cuts to Medicaid and Medicare by championing smart, sustainable policy. They are leading proactive, focused efforts to ensure the needs of senior living providers remain front and center as key policy and funding decisions are made in Washington. We’re fighting for what’s right—and making sure our customers’ voices are heard when it matters most.

2. Supporting senior living providers with cost-saving solutions

Every day, our teams are showing up with purpose—helping customers focus on what matters most. We work side-by-side with senior living providers to deliver affordable, high-quality solutions that offset the rising cost of assisted living and equipment.

3. Investing in technology to offset the cost of senior living

From AI-powered monitoring to predictive analytics, we help customers manage the cost of senior living while aligning with emerging value based care models in healthcare. These innovations are helping providers lower their cost to serve, allowing more dollars to be reinvested into care and operations.

4. Leading change by partnering with Medicaid stakeholders

As senior living Medicaid models evolve, Direct Supply remains at the forefront—educating, adapting, and collaborating with emerging Medicaid stakeholders to shape sustainable care strategies.

“But if there is a dollar less flowing into nursing home care or hospital care for America’s seniors, that’s a big, big problem.

And we’re going to stand up and not only say no, but we’re going to try to make it a political point for the constituents of these policymakers—let them know that these voters are not going to take it anymore.”

Frequently asked questions about senior care and Medicaid cuts

What is the cost of assisted living with Medicaid in 2025?

The cost of assisted living continues to rise, and with Medicaid funding cuts in 2025, fewer options may be fully covered without out-of-pocket expenses. Coverage also varies significantly by state, as each state’s Medicaid program operates under different eligibility rules and reimbursement structures. Many states now utilize Medicaid waiver programs, which may only cover a limited number of participants or services within assisted living communities. Additionally, even when Medicaid provides some support, families often still face expenses for room and board, personal care, or enhanced service packages. It’s crucial to consult your state’s Medicaid office or a local senior living advisor to understand your specific options.

How do Medicaid cuts affect senior care providers?

Cuts reduce reimbursements, forcing senior care providers to find efficiencies or scale back services—potentially impacting care quality. In some cases, facilities may limit the number of Medicaid residents they accept or delay investments in staffing and infrastructure. This can place additional strain on caregivers and hinder the delivery of personalized, timely support that residents need.

What is the impact of federal funding cuts to Medicaid?

Federal cuts to Medicaid jeopardize access to care for vulnerable seniors, particularly in skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. These reductions may lead to facility closures in underserved areas and reduced availability of critical services. Over time, this can widen health disparities and limit families’ choices when seeking appropriate senior living environments for their loved ones.

Is microfiber better than cotton?

Microfiber helps with labor savings over cotton. If you’re considering microfiber for your facility, here are a few key things to know:

• How microfiber works
• How to take care of it properly
• What surfaces to clean with it
• Impact of microfiber in healthcare

How does microfiber work?

Microfiber contains tiny fibers made up of synthetic materials. Knit together, these fibers can access small grooves and crevices as you clean that larger fibers can’t, trapping bacteria, viruses, and particles with its static-charged fibers. Due to how microfiber is created, it also have a high absorbency level, which means you can clean more frequently and faster using a microfiber mop or cloth than if you were using a regular cotton or polyester mop or cloth.

There are four main types of useful microfiber tools in healthcare cleaning, including:

• Dry mops: Use to remove loose particles on any hard floor – wood, tile, ceramic, vinyl, and linoleum – before the damp mop.
• Dust mops: Use to remove dust and small particles from hard surfaces.
• Damp mops: Use after dust mopping for disinfection on any hard flooring.
• Cloths: Use to dust, disinfect, and clean anywhere you would typically use a regular cloth or paper towel – including non-carpeted areas such as baseboard, bathroom surfaces, countertops, flooring, door handles, etc.

Microfiber benefits: cleaning labor efficiencies for medical facility cleaning

Does microfiber cost less than cotton?

Labor savings is an overwhelming need in the healthcare industry – now more than ever before. That’s why researching and purchasing the correct tools is essential. Switching to microfiber mops and cloths not only helps you save time, but also helps reduce strain on your staff and saves you money in the long run. We are here to answer three essential questions in terms of microfiber savings:

• How much time will microfiber save me vs cotton?
• Addressing common issues with microfiber
• What microfiber brands should I choose?

Microfiber vs cotton comparison

Microfiber pollution problems to consider

We wish there was a one-cloth-fixes-all solution to your cleaning needs, but it is important to consider all the facets of utilizing microfiber, and that means addressing microfiber problems. We’ve told you what’s great about them, now it’s time to determine if they are the right fit for you and your facility. This type of cloth, while taking the industry by storm, is not without its disadvantages.

The table below outlines what microfiber problems you may want to consider before making the switch from cotton to microfiber.

Microfiber brand comparisons: what are the best brands to use?

If you are interested in learning more about the pros and cons of microfiber vs cotton and which brands to use, we encourage you to reach out to your Direct Supply representative.

Microfiber Brand Usage and Style Comparison

Top microfiber products for healthcare cleaning

There are tons of different microfiber options floating around in the industry, so it can be difficult to figure out where to start. If you’re looking to get your building set up with microfiber products, we suggest checking out these top microfiber products for healthcare cleaning.

Floor care microfiber products

Microfiber hard surface cleaning products

Microfiber accessories & cleaning buckets

Sources

1. https://ecomm-cdn.directsupply.cloud/marketing/promotions/resources-page/category/pdf/microfiber-solution-program.pdf

2. https://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/resource-limited/supplies-equipment.html

3. https://rcp.structpim.com//media/18028/hygen-microfiber-selection-guide.pdf

Related notes:

*Assuming diluted chemical cost of $.055/gallon, filling 4 gallons/bucket and changing bucket every three resident rooms
**Assuming water cost of $.02/gallon, filling 4 gallons/bucket and changing bucket every three resident rooms
***Assuming 10 minutes/mop bucket change and the bucket is changed every three resident rooms

Key Benefits of Adopting Foodservice Robotics

The use of foodservice robots in Senior Living dining brings several advantages:

• Places people where they give the most value, with patients or residents
• Provides a reliable, consistent dining experience 
• Reduces or eliminates human time spent lifting and carrying, running back and forth with food, supplies, or dishes.
• Reduces the need to train new staff members
• Reduces cost of overtime pay when short-staffed
• Leads to hiring and labor cost savings

Benefits for Residents:

• Fresher food: the kitchen sends food as soon as it is ready, not after it’s been waiting under a heat lamp
• Receive better service: wait staff stays in the dining area, ready to help residents

Will Robots Replace Humans in Senior Living Foodservice?

Integrating robots in Senior Living isn’t about replacing human jobs. Instead, they are designed to enhance service delivery and address challenges with labor shortages, missed shifts, and frequent turnover. Robots work alongside the server team to deliver a reliable, consistent dining experience.

How Can Senior Care Robots Improve Resident Engagement?

Foodservice robots, like Servi Plus, have transformed routine activities into sources of joy and resident engagement. From naming contests to delivering custom messages, like “Happy Birthday,” these robots create memorable moments for residents. Such engagement initiatives personalize this technology and foster a stronger community spirit, elevating the dining experience. By taking over routine tasks, robots enable staff to dedicate more time to meaningful interactions with residents.

Hiring a Foodservice Robot: Servi to Improve Senior Living Dining 

Direct Supply’s Innovation and Technology Center (ITC) is focused on finding innovative Senior Care solutions that will help our customers. Our team selected Servi Plus from Bear Robotics not only for the strength of its technology with many benefits but also for its ease of implementation and level of service and support.  Bear Robotics provides free onsite startup support, plus ongoing technical support 24/7 to keep robots running. Direct Supply® is committed to applying technology to solve Senior Living’s biggest challenges and providing outrageous customer service to our customers.

*Labor cost savings vary depending on your staffing needs, labor rates, and length of lease. Assumes existing wi-fi connection.  Shipping and deployment costs not included in calculation. Contact us to calculate potential savings for your unique community.

Far-UVC: the UV light you can use in hospitals, businesses, and senior care buildings

The disinfecting properties of the UV spectrum have been around for a hundred years, but it’s only in the past decade that we’ve taken steps to use them around humans¹. This type of environmental sterilization can be used in hospitals, businesses, schools, and senior care buildings in conjunction with human presence. In terms of labor savings, this is groundbreaking technology. Here’s why.

What is UV-C and how does UV-C light help disinfect?

Unless you’ve read up on ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), microbes and the UV spectrum, you’re probably not familiar with exactly how lights can be used to kill or inactivate viruses, fungi, mold, and bacteria. While we could get into the science of it, there are really five key points that go into understanding UV-C:

 Far UVC vs UVC: how is far-UVC different from regular UV lights?

Unlike regular UV-C lamps, towers, and other UV devices, far-UVC doesn’t operate with 254 nm. Instead, it uses 222 nm uv lamp bulbs. Combining the UVC lamp with the short pass filter removes harmful UV lights, leaving the lamp with a band of 222 nm UV light which has been shown through a new study conducted from Columbia University for Radiological Research to be safe for human skin and effective against common pathogens in the air and on surfaces⁴.

How can UV lights lead to labor savings & far-UVC’s role in it?

Even by needing to evacuate a room, UV lights have the ROI potential of $101,610 of labor savings per month⁵, according to a study done by the Caro school system in 2019 when the seasonal flu broke out and infected 25% of the student population and 20% of the staff population in this 5-building school system in Caro, MI6.  Far-UVC takes this a step further. 

This technology is new enough that we don’t yet have any stats for you. However, think of it this way: according to the Caro school system study, UV lights have the potential to save you $101,610. That’s with the labor of evacuating the room, hauling the UV tower out, letting it run, turning it off, hauling it away and allowing humans back into the room. 

With far-UVC, you don’t need to do any of that. It’s controlled by a free app, and the lights can run with people inside the room. If UV towers, with all of that labor, still gave you x labor savings, how much more will you see with far-UVC? We certainly think it’s worth a shot.

Where can I install far-UVC lights in my building?

The key thing to remember when determining where to install far-UVC is that you need a ceiling height of at least 9 ft. So long as the ceiling is high enough, you can use this particular type of ultraviolet light for places like your bathrooms, common areas, kitchens, etc. Basically, you can place far-UVC lights anywhere you would have a regular light, so long as the height requirement is met.

What are the decor style types for 222 nm UV lights?

Currently, far-UVC is offered in three select styles:

Can light

How many hours can a far-UVC light run?

The far-UVC bulbs are rated for 10,000 hours. To put that into perspective, there are 8,760 hours in one calendar year, and your typical work year (40 hours a week) lasts about 2,080 hours per year⁷. 

However, you may not even need to run far-UVC for the entirety of your typical work hours. Far-UVC light can inactivate 99.9% of pathogens the light hits in both air and on surfaces in a 400 square foot room in about 10 minutes. 

There’s a bonus of being able to control far-UVC from a free app, so you can start the UV light sanitization no matter where you are.

Sources

1. https://insights.regencysupply.com/uvc-vs-faruvc 

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2789813/#:~:text=Low%2Dpressure%20mercury%20(Hg),their%20deoxyribonucleic%20acid%20(DNA) 

3. https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/tanning/ultraviolet-uv-radiation#:~:text=Skin%20burns%20and%20eye%20injuries,thought%20to%20be%20very%20low 

4. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/php.13602 

5. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fhF-nR58l2BQk5eWitq9Tz0hb6Aiq0ah/view?usp=sharing 

6. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?Search=2&ID2=2608040&DistrictID=2608040&details=4 

7. https://www.theforage.com/blog/basics/how-many-work-hours-year#:~:text=The%20average%20full%2Dtime%20U.S 

The Power of DS smart and EMR Connectivity

As the most simplified EMR connectivity solution in Senior Living, patent-pending DS smart® technology allows caregivers to instantly capture, protect and connect data to EMR-connected equipment, such as wireless vital signs monitors and scales.

The DS smart technology connected care solution helps more staff provide more efficient care for less, and is proven to empower nurses, communities and innovative caregiving.

Don’t just take our word for it– read on to learn customer insights into how one community took advantage of the time saving power of DS smart.

“We needed something to streamline and standardize our approach for staff accountability and uniformity. With everyone on the same page, using the same vitals machines and a really easy app to navigate on tablets, we’ve achieved great outcomes over the past five months since rolling it out. Most importantly, we’ve got buy-in from the CNAs using these tools. Training was quick and straightforward. Everything makes sense on how it’s used. It makes rounds way faster to get through.”

The Benefits of DS smart’s Medical Device Integration with EMR: Download the Success Story

This Senior Living community was on the hunt for a product to increase CNA efficiency and vitals collection accuracy while performing daily vitals rounds. DS smart’s medical device integration with EMR connectivity delivered the following benefits to the community:

• Accurate Vital Machine Readings and Increased Staff Efficiency

DS smart’s medical device integration eliminates the use of varying devices and streamline readings

• Corporate Clinical Expectations

DS smart Customer Success Managers’ valuable data and caregiving reports increase community clinical expectations.

• A+ “Building Health Score”

The DS smart team strives to help each community achieve an A+ “Building Health Score” to better the lives of residents and caregivers.

In this customer success story, learn real user insights into using DS smart and how this connected technology delivered invaluable EMR connectivity and much more.

Microfiber improves staff efficiency by 139%

If an autoscrubber is out of your budget, consider switching to microfiber. This small change can make a huge difference in the amount of time spent on easy tasks. Moving from a 16 oz. wet mop to an 18”W microfiber pad improves staff efficiency by 139%¹.

How to properly size commercial floor care equipment

When making the investment in new floor maintenance equipment, consider sizing first. A properly sized unit makes it easy for your staff to operate and has the potential to reduce the number of paths required. So, it’s vital to know how wide your hallways are in order to invest in the proper equipment. 

 For example, per the National Fire Protection Association 101 Life Safety Code and International Building Code, the majority of states require an 8’-0” wide clearance in Skilled Nursing Facilities, while other states require 6’-0” wide clearance, depending on local codes².  Investing in a 24”W autoscrubber will only require four passes, whereas a 20” unit will require five. The reduction of that single pass equates to a 20% reduction in staff time required.

It’s important to also consider your staff’s ability to handle larger floor maintenance equipment. If you’re investing in larger equipment due to more open common spaces, you may want to research self-propelled or ride-on equipment as a crucial component of your investment. This assists with reducing operator fatigue.

 Popular cleaning systems for small hard floor areas

When it comes to cleaning up small spills and slip hazards, it can be helpful to know what other communities are using to clean their floor. You won’t have to get out the autoscrubber for the odd spill, but it is still important to clean up as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of falls. It isn’t abnormal to find brands such as Rubbermaid offering a wide range of compatible sets for your cleaning needs, such as the Rubbermaid HYGEN cleaning system, which is a microfiber cleaning system you could utilize for cleaning small or compact hard floor areas:  

Seasonal floor care considerations

When it comes to winter and spring, there is one key area to pay more attention to: your doorways. You’ll need to keep an eye on your entrance and exits for:

• Loose gravel/dirt that could scratch your floor
• Salt that could damage floor or stain carpets
• Water that could make the floor slick

So, how can you clean with winter in mind? There are a few key areas to watch out for:

• Vacuum your entry mats regularly. This will help prevent salt, loose gravel and dirt from being transferred from the mats to the floor
• If possible, place exterior mats before your entrances to reduce debris tracked indoors from boots
• Vacuum your floors before you wet or dry mop
• Treat your floors with sealants that protect from scratches, salt, and water damage

Looking forward: the future of autonomous floorcare

We’re seeing a growing amount of autonomous floorcare methods cropping up in the commercial industry. From autonomous robotic floor scrubbers that utilize cameras and sensors to navigate and beyond, robotics is taking a more prominent role in Senior Living. 

The goal for including robotics in Senior Living is to make the jobs of the current staff easier; eliminating the repetitive tasks and leaving staff more time to dedicate to residents. 

Robotics isn’t limited to floorcare – there are already Senior Living communities that utilize robots like Servi in foodservice. Learn more about Servi here.

Sources

1. https://www.parish-supply.com/pdf/issa-cleaning-times.pdf 

2. NFPA: New Health Occupancies 2021 Edition. In NFPA National Fire Codes Online. Retrieved from http://codesonline.nfpa.org

Original Air Date: August 16, 2023

The future of Senior Living is here! Join Innovation & Technology Senior Manager, Justin Smith, to gain valuable insights into the current and future impact of robotics in the industry. You’ll walk away with key knowledge to propel your community forward.

Objectives:

1. Learn the background of some of the largest innovation trends in Senior Living.
2. Gain insight into the role of robotic task automation and the potential impact.
3. Understand how building IoT can provide new insights and bring down operational costs.
4. Focus on the importance of change management to drive successful technology deployment.

How can AI help with Senior Living Staffing Shortages?

It is time to learn how to augment staffing shortages through Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) in healthcare. Did you know that AI in healthcare is not only within reach, but is already here? It is time to transform your health care facility with AI by taking a closer look at what artificial intelligence and machine learning actually is, and how it is used in Senior Living spaces.

 Together, we will learn how Artificial intelligence can help Senior Living staffing shortages through the power of data, including:

• Capital Planning
• Hiring the right service provider
• Planned maintenance

What are the subsets of Artificial Intelligence?

Before we begin to understand how you can augment Senior Living staffing shortages through AI technologies, we’ll dive into a bit of background. By definition, artificial intelligence  is “the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings¹.”

Our focus, however, is going to remain focused primarily on machine learning and robotics.

Imagining AI looks different to different people, depending on how they associate robots and computers, but despite what some may expect, Siri, Skynet, JARVIS and other commonly known and loved AI systems aren’t typically what you’ll find in healthcare and senior care spaces. Instead, AI-enabled healthcare delivery looks much different. 

Is Artificial Intelligence in healthcare within reach?

Capital Planning and AI: using data to identify past trends to prepare for the future

Takeaway tip: utilizing Capital Planning tools and AI technologies, facilities can streamline the Capital Planning process, freeing up time that can now be directed towards other building needs.

How identifying fair service provider costs can help with staffing shortages

While you may not be familiar with it, Direct Supply® already uses Artificial Intelligence in our systems. Using years of industry insight and dynamic partnerships with customers across the nation allows Direct Supply to take advantage of data and information not found elsewhere in the Senior Living space. This enables the company to combine data and machine learning to provide price guidance and industry pricing standards and review quotes with more accuracy and confidence. With greater accuracy and faster response times, customers can cut back on the amount of time it takes to get the job done.

With this streamlined process, Direct Supply® TELS® users are empowered to review bids at an accelerated time frame, thus enabling faster project completion and allowing staff to turn their attention to other building tasks.

How long does machine learning take?

How facility partnerships and collective data can help Senior Living with AI technology

Data has great potential to help augment staffing shortages. From Capital Planning to identifying pricing trends, assisting in procurement and much more, data is vital to machine learning. But, you can’t use just anything. Instead, Direct Supply(R) data scientists need two vital items to create a high-functioning artificial intelligence. Direct Supply Senior Data Scientist, Sarthak Dabas, explains in further detail:

So, how does more data and quality data work in using AI technologies for Senior Living? You may want to think of it as a lifecycle. Collecting good data allows the creation of Artificial Intelligence technologies, and those technologies have the capability to help relieve staff burden. This enables the staff to work more efficiently and identify other key areas where assistance is needed, feeding this information back to the Direct Supply team, who collects more data and begins the cycle all over again.

Transforming healthcare staffing shortages with Direct Supply AI: what comes next?

So, while you won’t be greeted by a robotic butler when walking into a Senior Living facility, there is much to look forward to in these spaces. Transforming health care with AI isn’t going to happen instantaneously, but we’re already seeing some pretty big changes. We’re already identifying old trends to prepare for the future with Capital Planning and prepared maintenance, streamlining processes and augmenting staffing shortages in the industry. Through data and machine learning, buildings can already understand trending service provider costs to determine fair pricing from providers based on gathered data of past prices, and identify current pricing trends and cost of local services. That’s a pretty big step already!

If you’re looking to keep up with the latest Direct Supply innovation and technologies, you can keep an eye on our innovations page and our blog. We’re continuously striving to improve technologies and keep finding dynamic building management solutions for portfolios nationwide, and we’ll keep you updated throughout our process. Or, feel free to reach out to your Direct Supply representative with any questions.

Sources:

1.     https://www.britannica.com/technology/artificial-intelligence

2.     https://www.javatpoint.com/subsets-of-ai

3.     https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/07/27/how-is-ai-used-in-healthcare-5-powerful-real-world-examples-that-show-the-latest-advances/?sh=330343af5dfb

4. https://torontotoday.org/482480842-how-ai-is-helping-to-address-staffing-shortages-in-healthcare