Increased concerns about interoperability and a significant increase in optimism about artificial intelligence were among the findings from a newly released survey from Argentum and A Place for Mom that examined the role of innovation in senior living. They called those results “surprising.”

“The State of Technology Adoption” report, released Tuesday, is based on surveys in late 2024 of almost 1,000 senior living operators, executives and technology leaders to highlight technology trends and barriers shaping the future of the $475 billion senior living sector. The report lays out how the industry is responding to increased demand, workforce shortages and changing expectations.

Prioritizing solutions that offer compatibility and interoperability with existing systems, securing funding for technology investments, enhancing operational efficiency and resident care through AI, and engaging in co-innovation with technology vendors to develop tailored solutions were key themes to emerge from the report. 

AI is being widely adopted in senior living, with most using it for predictive analytics (70%), staff efficiency (50%) and chatbots for resident interactions (50%), according to responses. A higher proportion of 2024 participants in the most recent survey said they were enthusiastic about the role of AI (76%) compared with the 2023 survey (58%). 

The report, intended to be updated annually, also identified key issues that need to be addressed, including technology silos that lack interoperability and compatibility, vendor challenges in serving the industry, delayed participation in value-based care, a lack of quality data, and efforts to meet consumer expectations. 

The majority of executives participating (58%) said that their organizations consistently collect data on health and wellness, but 40% do not.

Only 7% of executives reported that their organizations have implemented a system providing a comprehensive view of resident health and wellness outcomes across all data sets. Most said they are working toward such systems, however, with 48% expecting to complete implementation within 18 months, although 26% anticipate implementation to take up to 36 months. 

“The senior living industry’s vast data resources — currently locked in systems that are neither compatible nor interoperable, could be used to inform an expansive array of clinical and operational decisions, to drive value-based care collaborations, track resident health, manage human capital needs, and to tell the industry’ story to families, regulators, legislators and other stakeholders,” the report read.

Among other highlights of the report:

The report is the evolution of an Argentum report titled “Taking the First Steps Toward Innovation Roadmap” released in 2023, according to Argentum Vice President Stephanie Robert. She said that the latest report is part of the association’s ongoing effort to provide insights and track the progress and trends in technology adoption within the senior living industry.

Robert told McKnight’s Senior Living that Argentum and A Place for Mom have a “shared commitment” to enhancing the lives of older adults through innovation. She added that the report aligns with the association’s strategic imperative to increase access to senior living through policy, partnership and innovation. 

Survey participants included senior living operators, capital market leaders, technology vendors, “innovation leaders” focused on aging populations, senior living analysts and other experts within and beyond the industry, including CEOs, presidents, chief financial officers, chief information officers, directors of information technology, chief operating officers and directors of operations.

Argentum and A Place for Mom said that operators can use the survey findings to see how their peers are solving their data and technology challenges as well as to help them identify how to create more interoperability across systems, effectively leverage data in decision-making, adopt common definitions of data, and leverage AI as a “thought partner” that works with human expertise.