Reports
The ICAA Wellness Think Tank brings together thought leaders from many organizations--both private and public--to form a think tank that develops strategies to turn the challenges facing senior living providers into opportunities. Launched in 2005, the meetings forge connections among industry leaders while promoting understanding and cohesive action around the ultimate goal: health and quality of life as people age.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank April 2024: Living better, longer: The new narrative for senior living
Explore the language that describes how a wellness-centered community appeals to the generations of people who know they will live longer and desire the support that enables them to spend each day in a healthy, fulfilled manner. Six possible narratives are outlined to explain the value of wellness lifestyles for investors, executives, staff members, current and potential residents and suppliers. Worksheets and action plans map the journey to writing the narrative that positions wellness for each audience.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank October 2023: The promise of well-tech
Wellness technology (well-tech) is valuable because, like wellness, it crosses all functional areas to support quality of life for individuals and impactful operations for organizations. Use eight principles to guide a well-tech vision, then follow steps for auditing needs and opportunities, determining priorities and readiness, setting criteria for technology, and encouraging adoption and sustainability. Checklists and priority tools aid the process. Technology provides many benefits when utilized by trained and supported decision makers, staff members and users.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank April 2023: Person-centered wellness is the key to the future
Combine customer service, programs, and processes into a comprehensive senior living package that highlights the uniqueness, dignity, and freedom of choice for each resident. In this era of personalization, embracing person-centered wellness can result in a consistent occupancy rate, extended lengths of stay, satisfied residents, and a younger demographic. Explore strategies for securing funding and leveraging technology while rejuvenating programs, enhancing staff training, and improving the built environment.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank November 2022: Going all-in for wellness
Journey through five stages of culture change to fully commit to a wellness-based senior living community by following the action steps outlined in this report. Regardless of where the community begins, you’ll find specific actions to guide the organization’s culture, leadership team, belief systems, financial models and staffing models toward the wellness culture. Lessons learned and success tips for culture change are included. Reap the benefits of occupancy, lower costs, healthier and happier residents and new revenue streams by going all-in for wellness.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank, June 2022: Funding the new wellness model in senior living
Join the thought leaders at the ICAA Wellness Think Tank as an array of 11 funding sources detail the economics of the new business model: senior living based in a wellness lifestyle, with options for care. By repositioning senior living for today’s cultural and economic realities, the wellness philosophy succeeds in merging clinical and nonclinical services into a compelling suite of services that is attractive and revenue-generating. A list of 21 metrics and 5 categories of Key Performance Indicators establish the value.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank, January 2022: The future is an employee-first workplace
Delve into the philosophy of a person-centered workplace to recognize how senior living benefits when each staff member is valued. Create an action plan using the nine strategies and 28 tactics to shift to a new approach that can recruit new workers and retain current staff members. Elevate each staff member to an equal partner in bringing to life the organization’s mission so staff members give the best possible experience to residents and customers.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank, May 2021: Wellness attracts the middle-income market
New models are needed to meet the expectations and needs of people in the “middle income” range, who will look for value first, then the lifestyle they seek in a community for older adults. Framed by the dimensions of wellness, changes to the lifestyle opportunities, dining, built environment and integration into the larger community are detailed. Revenue opportunities and market potential are discussed.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank, November 2020, Future-proof your senior living community
The next models of senior living need to be future-proofed, meaning the philosophy and infrastructure of the organization are built for resilience, able to withstand the stresses that will inevitably impact operations.
To prioritize the issues, the ICAA report "Future-proof your senior living community" focuses on four areas that are key to all organizations:
- The built and unbuilt environment
- Technology integration
- Workforce quality, growth and retention
- Wellness culture and lifestyle
ICAA Wellness Think Tank May 2020: Creating a path towards the next normal in senior living
Strategies and tactics to position communities that seize the opportunity to reinvent culture and services during and after the pandemic.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank, May 2019: Creating your blueprint for a wellness-based community.
The following recommendations are intended to provide a general guide to help organizations create the tailored blueprints they'll need to move themselves-and the industry-forward as the wellness-based model becomes increasingly important to our businesses and society as a whole.
ICAA Fall Wellness Think Tank 2018: The modern elder: Re-thinking roles and preparing for action.
The ICAA Fall Wellness Think Tank 2018 provided participants the opportunity to understand the challenges of midlife and retirement and to develop relevant, actionable ideas to meet the challenges facing families and aging adults. Chip Conley shared his insight into the development of a “Modern Elder” and the creation of the Modern Elder Academy. Dr. Ken Dychtwald energized participants to brainstorm together and develop new ideas and solutions to some of the most critical issues facing the aging industry.
ICAA Spring Wellness Think Tank 2018: Transforming the way we fund, staff and operate programs to meet Boomers’ expectations This report covers three major concepts: funding, staffing, and operating senior living communities,rehabilitation services and corporate wellness programs to best meet the challenges and opportunities presented by the large and unique Baby Boomer generation.
Insights from ICAA Wellness Think Tank 2017: Optimize environments for health and wellness
The roadmap for achieving health and well-being is found within the dimensions of wellness, which provide a framework for serving the wants and needs of all age groups. The environmental dimension can encourage or discourage older adults in leading active, engaged lives. From indoors to outdoors, what environments will be needed to support active aging and wellness?
To answer that question, the ICAA Wellness Think Tank on May 24, 2017, brought together the thought leadership of 65 senior managers in the fields of design and development, senior living, rehabilitation services, community services and industry suppliers to develop a framework for merging concepts of health and well-being into the built environment and the spaces within and outside the buildings. Delegates freely shared their knowledge and experiences to consider options for the ultimate goals: health and well-being for older adults.
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Framing the return on investment (ROI) in wellness staff
The outcomes of a lifestyle/wellness program are determined by the competency of staff members and support from senior management. Wellness staff members impact satisfaction, revenue and social accountability, according to leaders at the ICAA Wellness Think Tank development meeting. Find lists of expectations for the wellness program and staff and methods to evaluate return on investment (ROI) in hiring, coaching and educating lifestyle/wellness staff. This report coordinates with the Career Path for Wellness Professionals white paper.
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ICAA Wellness Think Tank 2016: The future of technology for active aging
Technology has a lot of potential to aid providers in senior living and community agencies. Discover the five key considerations for successful implementation of technology, along with recommendations for active-aging providers and for technology developers. A checklist for evaluating technology is a useful tool. Developed during the ICAA Wellness Think Tank think tank meeting.
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Inspiring wellness across organizations
By reverse engineering the ideal scenario for wellness, Forum participants identified the factors that enable organizations to incorporate wellness across their values and operations. The rapid-fire visioning of the future when a wellness culture is firmly in place led to strategic areas and suggestions that could be implemented by many types of organizations dedicated to the philosophies of active aging and wellness.
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Strategies for bringing wellness to people with cognitive decline
This blueprint for action lists 14 strategies for culture, staffing, programming and physical environments aimed at providing the most positive experiences for people with mild-to-moderate dementias. Family members and colleagues are considered within the implementation tactics.
Discovering the connections between brain health and wellness Summary and Next Steps
Where do active aging and wellness fit into the conversation surrounding the need to support people with cognitive decline and dementias? Is there an opportunity to support quality of life and perhaps mediate the changes in cognition through wellness interventions and opportunities? These are the questions delegates to the ICAA Wellness Think Tank addressed.
ICAA Wellness Think Tank 2014: Strategies that create an environment for wellness
The purpose of the ICAA Wellness Think Tank 2014 was to develop actionable recommendations that many organizations can use to create and/or enhance the environments that are necessary to support wellness and quality of life for older adults, no matter what sector of the industry.
