Member News
Check out what ASHA’s doing for the seniors housing industry by clicking on the links below. For additional information related to government affairs or advocacy, please contact Jeanne McGlynn Delgado at [email protected] and Sheff Richey at [email protected]. Questions about the Associations meetings and sponsorship can be directed to Doris Maultsby at [email protected]. For all other inquiries reach out to David Schless, ASHA president & CEO at [email protected].
October 15, 2018
Longtime ASHA Executive Board member, Arnie Whitman, was the National Honoree at the Alzheimer’s Association’s Brain Ball on May 5, 2017 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC. Whitman is the Founder and Chairman of Formation Capital, a leading equity investor in the seniors housing and care industry, and Co-Chairman of Genesis Healthcare. The Brain Ball is an annual Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser that debuted in 2014, and has honored ASHA members each year, including Mark Ordan of Sunrise Senior Living (now with Quality Care Properties); Debra Cafaro of Ventas; Thomas DeRosa of Welltower Inc.; and Arnie Whitman of Formation Capital. ASHA President David Schless served on the Brain Ball Committee, and the American Seniors Housing Association is proud to sponsor this tremendous event.October 14, 2018
The American Seniors Housing Association presented William Kaplan, Co-Founder and Chairman of Senior Lifestyle, with the ASHA Lifetime Achievement Award at the association’s 2017 Annual Meeting in Palm Springs, CA. Click here to read the comments recognizing Bill Kaplan’s tremendous range of achievements and contributions to the senior living profession throughout a career spanning 30 years were made by David Schless, President of the American Seniors Housing Association.
September 7, 2016
Look back at when seniors housing began to emerge and come into its own, when multi-family developers, long-term care operators, hospitality groups and others saw an opportunity to fill a gap inserving seniors, and that's when the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) was formed, during the industry's earliest days. Today, 25 years after ASHA was founded in 1991, the association and its 400-plus members are at the forefront of senior living, continuing to lead what's become a diverse, dynamic and thriving collection of enterprises with one overriding mission: Helping seniors live longer better. Click here to read the stories and to share in commemorating ASHA's 25 years in service to the seniors housing industry.August 31, 2016
Click here for the 2016 ASHA 50, the definitive annual ranking of the nation's largest 50 seniors housing real estate owners and operators. The five largest owners as of June 1, 2016 are: Brookdale (78,595 units), Welltower Inc. (65,042 units), Ventas Inc. (61,969 units), HCP Inc. (49,000 units), and Senior Housing Properties Trust (34,687 units). The largest five operators in the U.S. include: Brookdale (104,878 units), Holiday Retirement (37,659 units), LCS (32,832 units), Five Star Senior Living (31,202 units), and Sunrise Senior Living (22,991 units). The ASHA 50 has been produced annually since 1994, and is considered to be the authoritative source for market-rate senior living ownership and management.March 9, 2016
The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) announces that its Executive Board has elected the following individuals to serve a two-year term as members of the Executive Committee: Lawrence A. Cohen of Capital Senior Living Corporation (Chairman) Michael S. Grust of Senior Resource Group (Vice Chairman) David J. Freshwater of Watermark Retirement Communities (Treasurer) Bradley E. Dubin of Bloom Senior Living/ Kandu Capital (Secretary) Mercedes Kerr of Welltower, Inc. (Seniors Housing Political Action Committee Chair) David S. Schless of ASHA (President)March 8, 2016
The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) has released a wholly revised, fifth edition of Seniors Housing Guide to Fair Housing and ADA Compliance. This 50-page resource for owners and operators was prepared for ASHA by Paul Gordon, Esq., of the San Francisco, CA-based law firm Hanson Bridgett. According to ASHA’s president, David Schless, the updated and expanded Guide to Fair Housing and ADA Compliance “is part of ASHA’s long-standing effort to provide the industry with timely information about evolving issues regarding fair housing and ADA rules, court decisions and interpretations.” Since publication of the previous edition of the Guide, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other fair housing enforcement agencies and advocacy groups have stepped up the level of challenges directly targeting seniors housing properties for allegations of disability discrimination. The Seniors Housing Guide to Fair Housing and ADA Compliance covers a wide range of pertinent topics for owners and operators, including: The Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, managing seniors housing discrimination issues, advertising, occupancy criteria, access to facilities and services, and much more. Copies of the new Guide to Fair Housing and ADA Compliance can be purchased from ASHA’s Bookstore.March 7, 2016
David Schless, president of ASHA, recently accepted the Friend of the Elderly Award on behalf of the Association at Retirement Housing Foundation's (RHF's) 55th Anniversary Celebration and Awards Dinner in Long Beach, CA. The award is RHF's highest honor presented annually to an individual or organization making a substantial and/or unique contribution to the health, housing, social, psychological, and spiritual quality of life for older persons. RHF is a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the United Church of Christ serving more than 18,000 seniors, low-income families, and people with disabilities in 170 properties in 26 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. RHF has been an active member of ASHA since 1991.December 3, 2015
ASHA ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH CORNELL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHY FUTURES Inspiring Innovations Across Hospitality, Health and Design The American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) is extremely pleased to announce an exciting new partnership as a Founding Member of the new Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures (CIHF) at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. This partnership will provide ASHA and its members with direct access to educational programs, research, and thought leadership that will flow from a multidisciplinary platform that will integrate hospitality, management, policy, and design thinking to enhance service excellence in senior living, health care, and wellness. Our relationship with the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures represents another important stepin the full implementation of ASHA’s bold new strategic vision, which also includes: The creation of a major new Consumer Education Initiative (Where You Live Matters) that will launch in early 2016 Expanded research through a new University Research Grant Program Creation of a Rising Leaders Program to help foster the development of next-generation industry leaders The launch of a Mid-Year Meeting for members of our Executive Board and Advisory Committee (June 16-17, 2016 at the Omni Interlocken Resort near Denver, Colorado) (ASHA Press Release 12/3/2015)March 18, 2015
The American Seniors Housing Association has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s. ASHA has created a National Team in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds to help end Alzheimer’s disease. In 2014 the ASHA Team, consisting of several member companies, raised over $20,000, providing not only financial support for the mission, but also helping to build awareness of the cause. Overall, ASHA’s member companies formed nearly 1,400 teams, and raised over $3.4 million. We invite our members (who are not currently National Teams) to come together collectively as an industry to raise money for this cause. We encourage you to form teams and raise funds for a Walk in your area. In return, you will earn national recognition for your company and ASHA. We send out a special thank you to the following ASHA members for their remarkable efforts in the 2014 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Brookdale Senior Living, Inc. Sunrise Senior Living, Inc. Senior Star Genesis Rehab Services LCS Belmont Village Senior Living HCP, Inc. Silverado Senior Living Prestige Senior Living Benchmark Senior Living Bank of America Merrill Lynch Brightview Senior Living, LLC Five Star Quality Care, Inc. Bickford Senior Living Wells Fargo Bank Oakmont Senior Living, LLC We hope you consider joining us this year in our efforts to eradicate Alzheimer’s. To create a team, please visit ASHA’s custom homepage: www.alz.org/asha Walk to End ALZMarch 9, 2015
Matt Valley of Seniors Housing Business interviews David Schless on ASHA's Strategic Plan What began as a daunting, seven month strategic planning process for David Schless, president of the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), turned out to be a rewarding experience for him. More importantly, the newly unveiled five-year strategic plan will position ASHA for even greater effectiveness in the long run, says the veteran executive. “It started in May and ended in January, but you could make the argument that it’s just beginning,” says Schless, referring to the comprehensive strategic planning initiative. “It was a remarkably time-consuming endeavor. At the same time, it was energizing to be part of the process.” The marathon strategic planning process, led by The Napa Group, began last April after discussions about a possible merger ended between the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) and ASHA with the two groups deciding to remain separate. More than 300 members at every level of ASHA were engaged in the strategic process through a combination of online surveys, committee meetings, subcommittee conference calls and webinars. Developers, operators, lenders, investors and other professionals all provided input. ASHA conducted two member surveys and even established a special strategic planning project webpage. “We started from scratch. There was nothing sacred about what ASHA does,” says Schless, who has led the association for the past 24 years. “ASHA has been a successful organization, but there are areas to improve. The membership identified areas of improvement and opportunities to fill real voids that haven’t been addressed by other industry organizations.” ASHA’s newly adopted vision of “Living Longer Better” is designed to improve the quality of life of seniors who reside in the communities owned or operated by the organization’s members. The updated strategic plan outlines five goals and objectives: Launch industry promotional campaign. Educate the general public on the merits of senior living and shape perceptions of the senior living experience, supported by a digital network, website and social media; Broaden the advocacy program. Deliver a coherent, coordinated legislative program at the federal level with increased focus and select engagement on state policy; Bolster research efforts. Partner with a leading university to provide exclusive research on topics such as aging, healthcare, hospitality technology and real estate; Foster leadership development. Develop a process for identifying prospective members and developing future ASHA leaders; Restructure meetings. Revamp meetings to become more strategic, proactive and forward-thinking while better engaging, educating and informing members. Following the association’s annual meeting in January, Schless spoke with Seniors Housing Business about the five-year plan in detail. Click on Download File to read the full interview.