As Senior Living Leaders Look to the Future, Enterprise Technology Platforms Take Center Stage

The fourth annual iN2L + LifeLoop survey of senior living leaders explores the evolving role of technology within community life

Denver, CO – February 7, 2023 – The need for innovative technology to augment highly personalized care is growing in the senior living industry as it continues its post-pandemic recovery.  This is one finding of a comprehensive, independently conducted survey of industry leaders by iN2L + LifeLoop, provider of the senior living industry’s most comprehensive engagement, staff efficiency, and community operations platform.  

"Senior Living 2023: The State of Engagement and Technology" is the fourth installment in an investigative series by iN2L + LifeLoop into trends regarding the adoption, state, and impact of technology on resident, staff, and family well-being in senior living communities. The report series is designed to track industry challenges and strategic priorities, the increasing adoption and use of technology, and the myriad ways that enterprise platforms can enrich the aging experience. 

"Each year we take the industry’s pulse to determine the evolving role of technology within senior living,” said Navin Gupta, CEO of iN2L + LifeLoop. “This year is unique in that we are seeing senior living leaders beginning to recognize technology as a powerful tool that can augment not only their resident engagement strategies but also generate efficiencies that support their workforce and act as a powerful connector to loved ones and families living outside the community walls. We are hearing loud and clear the call for a comprehensive solution and are working to adapt our services to support stakeholders across the entire aging experience.” 

This latest report revels in a growing sense of optimism for the future of senior living, as the industry shifts from its post-pandemic recovery mode into a period of renewal. Mirroring this optimistic sentiment, the report tracks for the first time a paradigm shift in senior living technology: its natural evolution from resident-centric engagement solutions to more holistic enterprise platforms that extend support across all areas of community life, from unlocking staffing efficiencies to streamlining family communications. 

This year’s report explores a range of topics, including engagement as table stakes, technology as a community differentiator, and its ability to augment staff responsibilities and connect residents to loved ones outside the community walls. The most notable takeaways are as follows:

Engagement technology is considered an integral part of community life: 

• 69% of respondents believe engagement technology helps them improve their communities’ overall quality of care. 

Providing residents with highly personalized experiences is still a top goal: 

• 85% of respondents believe that an ability to augment personalized care and provide engaging experiences is one of the most important features any enterprise technology platform can provide. 

The role of technology within senior living is evolving: 

• Now that engagement technology is considered table stakes, leaders are turning to their technology partners to unlock additional use cases to support overall community life. 

• 84% of leaders with a comprehensive enterprise platform consider it either “very” or “extremely” important.

91% of respondents are still experiencing significant staffing challenges: 

• Leaders feel enabling family and resident communications (79%) and helping staff coordinate personalized programming and activities (74%) are the most important ways that technology can support both residents and their workforce.

Methodology

This is the fourth installment of an annual series of investigations into the current adoption, state, and impact of technology on resident engagement within senior living communities. In November 2022, iN2L + LifeLoop commissioned Sage Growth Partners, a healthcare consultancy, to conduct a third-party survey of 110 senior living community leaders across various functional areas. This was a follow-up to three previous surveys, the first of which was conducted in March of 2019 with 114 senior living community leaders participating.

The complete results are available here.