Even though our masks are coming off across the country, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting how we work, live, and take care of our health. Those who needed skilled nursing during the pandemic experienced the effects of the pandemic profoundly and gained fresh perspectives on the benefits of health care at home.

The pandemic kept many patients within nursing facilities, hospitals, and other group health care settings where they were at a high risk of virus exposure, isolated from friends and family even as they were living out their final days.

Senior housing occupancy in the United States reached a record low of 78.8 percent in the first quarter of 2021, which was a fall of 8.7 percent from the previous year. From staffing shortages to the pandemic, the industry has seen a number of challenges in recent years. Improving building census numbers continues to be a major focus of independent living communities, and Executive Directors and community administrators need to be proactive and finding creative ways to tackle these challenges and provide attractive options in this already competitive market.