Assisted Living/Memory Care Senior Living Communities See Stronger Family Member Satisfaction Since Pandemic, J.D. Power Finds

Life Care Services and Five Star Senior Living Rank Highest in Their Respective Segment

Senior living community residents and their family members are largely satisfied with their related experiences, particularly those in the assisted living and memory care segment, in which overall satisfaction scores are up significantly this year. According to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, overall satisfaction with assisted living and memory care communities is up 18 points (on a 1,000-point scale) from a year ago, while satisfaction with independent living communities is down 3 points.

“Senior living communities have moved beyond the pandemic-related effects that saw widespread restrictions and staffing shortages, resulting in a major strain on resident and family member satisfaction,” said Andrea Stokes, hospitality and senior living practice lead at J.D. Power. “A positive trend is evident in the assisted living/memory care segment, where there are improvements in every satisfaction area, particularly the quality of care provided by staff. Post-pandemic investments are really paying off with higher satisfaction and advocacy scores for the largest assisted living/memory care providers.”

Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:

• Significant increase in satisfaction with assisted living communities: Satisfaction among the families/decision-makers of assisted living/memory care community residents is 855, up 18 points from a year ago. The increase is driven by improvements in satisfaction with price paid for services received (+24 points); community staff (+19); and community buildings and grounds (+17).
• Assisted living communities have effective problem resolution: Among the 16% of family members/decision-makers who experienced a problem with their community in the past three months, the vast majority (89%) say the problem was completely resolved.
• Independent living community satisfaction essentially flat: Overall resident satisfaction with independent living communities is 728, on par with 731 a year ago. Declines in resident satisfaction with dining (-6 points); resident activities (-6); and community buildings and grounds (-5) are contributors to this year’s score.
• Independent living community satisfaction increases with resident tenure: Overall satisfaction with independent living communities is highest among residents who’ve been living in their community for more than four years (746), and lowest when residents have been living there for one year or less (718).

Study Rankings

Life Care Services ranks highest in independent living resident overall satisfaction for a sixth consecutive year, with a score of 822. Five Star Senior Living (755) ranks second and Discovery Senior Living (741) ranks third.

Five Star Senior Living ranks highest in family member/decision-maker overall satisfaction with assisted living/memory care providers, with a score of 877. Senior Lifestyle (874) ranks second and Life Care Services (864) ranks third.

See the rank chart for each segment at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2024149.

The U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study measures resident satisfaction with the nation’s largest providers¹ of independent living for seniors and family member/decision-maker satisfaction with the largest providers of assisted living/memory care service providers. Overall satisfaction is measured across six factors of the senior living experience (listed in alphabetical order): community buildings and grounds; community staff; dining; price paid for services received; resident activities; and resident apartment/living unit. The 2024 study is based on 3,565 responses from residents living in an independent community or family members/decision-makers with loved ones in assisted living/memory care communities. Responses were collected from June through August 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study, visit http://www.jdpower.com/business/resource/senior-living-study.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹ Independent living providers included in the study must have had at least 7,000 living units and could not solely operate entrance-deposit communities. Included assisted living/memory care providers must have had at least 7,000 assisted living and/or memory care living units. Living unit data based on the Argentum Largest Providers Report, 2023.

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