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August 3, 2023

How Technology Can Help with Workforce Shortages and More in Senior Living

We recently shared some New Ideas to Address the Workforce Shortage in Senior Living, including policy changes, employee recruiting and retention tips, on-campus housing and technology. While automation has been around for decades, the introduction of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer like ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence (AI) tools promise to transform not only senior living…

April 7, 2023

New Ideas to Address the Workforce Shortage in Senior Living

If you’re still experiencing some kind of staffing shortage since the pandemic, you’re definitely not alone. The numbers are alarming when it comes to the workforce shortage in senior living, regardless of which industry source you read. A LeadingAge poll released in March 2023 shows the numbers have improved a little in the past year,…

February 3, 2022

Erin Willems Named Community Living Solutions Construction Project Engineer

We’re happy to announce our latest hire, Erin Willems, as our new Construction Project Engineer.  Based in De Pere, Wisconsin, Willems comes to us with a knowledgeable perspective on both sides of the infrastructure world, bringing experience from working with engineering firms and construction contractors.   Willems graduated from UW-Platteville with a bachelor’s in Civil Engineering, with a focus on structural engineering and construction project management. Self-described as “contagiously enthusiastic,” Willems is inspired by a project’s possibilities…

March 2, 2021

Senior Living Design Trends for 2021

When COVID-19 became a part of our daily lives, it altered much of how we live and work. For us at Community Living Solutions and our clients, it means our approach to senior living community design takes into account more factors around senior health and wellness. The senior living design trends emerging are in response…

February 23, 2021

State Funds Available for Nursing Home Construction Projects in Minnesota

If you’re considering replacing or renovating an existing nursing home in Minnesota, you may be eligible to receive funds from the state. Through what is known as the moratorium exception, the state’s Department of Health announced the appropriation of additional nursing home construction funds that total about $58 million for a variety of building and…

April 14, 2020

Designing Senior Living Facilities to Enhance Socialization

A plan for connection, conversation and companionship If the recent social distancing protocol has taught us anything, it’s that we crave daily human interaction. The innate need to socialize is real for people of all ages. Yet, as some adults enter their golden years, socialization tends to decrease due to retirement, the loss of family…

April 7, 2020

Riverwood Senior Living Design Project Qualifies for $1.6 Million PACE Wisconsin Loan

Program helps facility provide resident-centric amenities For Community Living Solutions, senior living design starts with a belief that as architects, we owe a responsibility to the environment and to our clients to design buildings that are sustainable. For Riverwood Eagle’s Nest LLC, that belief helped its investors reap great rewards. The Wisconsin Dells-based developer qualified…

January 29, 2020

The Rise of Intergenerational Senior Living

Unique multigenerational living communities find success It turns out that today’s seniors and young generations have a few things in common—they both often suffer from feelings of isolation, and in the case of young 20-somethings, they both may be living within a limited budget. The commonalities, along with the fact that these generations share stronger…

January 23, 2020

John Huhn Named Community Living Solutions Director of Development

We are happy to announce that we recently hired John Huhn, LNHA, as our new Director of Business Development. Huhn comes to us with more than 30 years of experience in the senior living industry. He is a licensed nursing home administrator, having served in multiple senior living leadership roles, as well as roles in…

December 19, 2019

Senior Living Design Trends

Learning from the latest in senior living construction  A few months back, Senior Housing News discussed four senior living design trends that are crisscrossing continents. While a common thread unites the trends, each takes on its own local flavor in places like China, Europe and the United States. We’ve noticed the trends, too, and in…

November 6, 2019

Dementia-friendly Lighting

Improving the well-being of those living with memory loss We know what happens when we lose a significant amount of sleep—that mid-afternoon lag we may normally experience extends throughout the day. We feel drowsy and likely a bit irritable. The blame is a disruption to what is called our circadian rhythm. And, this circadian rhythm…

July 31, 2019

Creating Communities with Pocket Neighborhoods for Seniors

Pocket neighborhoods – the future of senior living As the number of retirees continues to increase, so does the demand for housing that matches the wants and needs of seniors ages 55 or more. And what do seniors want and need? They are looking for social interactions with people their own age, they want some…

April 9, 2019

How Senior Housing Design is Taking on the Rental Market

Apartment living is the future for more seniors It used to be that the American dream was to own a home where you raised a family and later became an empty-nester, welcoming grandkids for holidays and backyard gatherings. Downsizing to a smaller home or condo may have been a rite of passage for some, but…

March 5, 2019

Senior Living Construction Opens in Keystone, Iowa

Facility celebrates with ribbon cutting Community Living Solutions and Keystone Nursing Care Center in Keystone, Iowa, celebrated completion of phase one on a 12,350-square-foot senior living construction project, hosting a ribbon cutting in late February. The first stage of CLS’ design-build project included a one-story addition with 10 short-term rehabilitation beds, four long-term skilled care…

February 21, 2019

Clark County Senior Living Construction Project

Clark County Rehabilitation & Living Center opens Community Living Solutions and the Clark County Rehabilitation & Living Center in Owen, Wis., celebrated the opening of the senior living facility’s short-term rehabilitation suites on Feb. 15. CLS broke ground on the 23,570-square-foot, single-story addition in May 2018. The new addition connects to the existing 1920s-era building….

January 29, 2019

Designing Senior Living Facilities to Nurture Socialization

How social connections keep seniors healthy Social connections are important at any stage in life—we all need human interactions to be our best selves. But as we age, the number of interactions and connections we have declines, whether by choice, poor health, or the death of friends and loved ones. Feelings of loneliness can be…

November 29, 2018

Remodeling and Adaptive Reuse Projects

Finding more affordable ways to improve marketability As architects specializing in senior living design and construction, we hear it often—care facility owners and executives like you are challenged with appealing to more discerning clients (and their children) while keeping costs in check. So, what happens when your senior living community is years out of date…

September 12, 2018

The Power of Light and Space in Dementia-friendly Environments

Designing space and lighting solutions for memory care facilities In creating a dementia-friendly environment, the right lighting and space design can have an incredibly positive effect on resident quality of life. In fact, both artificial and natural light, as well as space design, can have an impact on emotional and psychological well-being. How we integrate…