Initial efforts to advance dialogue and action around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
ANNAPOLIS (November 9, 2022) — The first-ever Senior Living DEIB Survey on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), and the Senior Living DEIB Toolkit to aid industry operators and organizations in advancing DEIB practices is now available. The survey, conducted by Ferguson Partners, collected information across the participating companies and reviews both the degree to which DEIB programs are deployed and the diversity of their respective staff. The survey results indicated opportunities for senior living companies to give more focus to DEIB efforts and the DEIB Toolkit was developed for interested companies to customize programs suited to their respective firms.
Released by the Senior Living DEIB Coalition, a partnership among Argentum, the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), and the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), the new survey marks the first industry-wide effort to summarize the data on DEIB.
Industry leaders hailed the study’s release and stressed the work on DEIB is just beginning.
“As an industry focused on service and growth, creating diverse and welcoming organizations is the right path and a critical aspect of expanding talent and human capital to meet workforce needs within senior living,” shared James Balda, president & CEO of Argentum. “The survey and toolkit are just the first steps towards this industry-wide need and effort.
Survey Results
The executive summary provides a snapshot on the current state of DEIB within the industry. Administered by Ferguson Partners, the survey uncovers several practices being implemented by senior living organizations and the percentage of organizations executing on specific DEIB initiatives. It also provides demographic breakdowns related to gender, race, orientations, and other diversity measures.
“The survey signifies the beginning for senior living to measure year-over-year progress of DEIB efforts,” said Chuck Harry, COO of NIC. “It serves as a catalyst for additional dialogue within organizations around the practices necessary to advance DEIB.”
DEIB Toolkit
The DEIB toolkit, developed by The Axela Group, is the Coalition’s first initiative to help organizations advance DEIB practices. It is designed to inform, educate, encourage, and drive stakeholders to resources to assist them in DEIB pursuits.
“The toolkit is where the rubber meets the road and senior living organizations take action to either launch or advance DEIB initiatives,” stated ASHA President & CEO David Schless. “It contains resources to inform, equip, and catalyze positive impact and thinking around DEIB and will undergo periodic upgrades as we learn more and advance our industry.”
The Executive Summary of the Survey results and the DEIB Toolkit can be found on our website.
For more information, contact Sarah Schmidt at McCabe Message Partners at media@nic.org or 202-868-4829.
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Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and responsible for providing over 1.6 million jobs.
American Seniors Housing Association
The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), a 501(c)(3) organization, works to enable access and choice by providing data, analytics, and connections that bring together investors and providers. The organization delivers the most trusted, objective, and timely insights and implications derived from its analytics, which benefit from NIC’s affiliation with NIC MAP Vision, the leading provider of comprehensive market data for senior housing and skilled nursing properties. NIC events, which include the industry’s premiere conferences, provide sector stakeholders with opportunities to convene, network, and drive thought-leadership through high-quality educational programming. For more information, visit NIC’s website and follow NIC on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Ferguson Partners
Specializing in Board, executive recruitment, and business advisory services, Ferguson Partners delivers premier strategic solutions to the seniors housing, healthcare, real estate, real assets, technology, retail and hospitality sectors. Our global teams specializing in executive recruitment, management consulting, compensation consulting, and leadership development serve clients in our sector specialties. Our colleagues commit to understanding your business’s unique needs and advancing its success. Our boutique firm has nine offices worldwide, dedicated to offering personalized client services and integrated talent management solutions.
National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care
The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), a 501(c)(3) organization, works to enable access and choice by providing data, analytics, and connections that bring together investors and providers. The organization delivers the most trusted, objective, and timely insights and implications derived from its analytics, which benefit from NIC’s affiliation with NIC MAP Vision, the leading provider of comprehensive market data for senior housing and skilled nursing properties. NIC events, which include the industry’s premiere conferences, provide sector stakeholders with opportunities to convene, network, and drive thought-leadership through high-quality educational programming. For more information, visit NIC’s website and follow NIC on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
The Axela Group
The Axela Group is a certified small, women-owned consulting firm that offers customized Organizational Impact Consulting and Coaching for mid to large size organizations, associations, social businesses and non-profits who are transforming themselves and the systems in which they operate for good. With core competencies in Coaching, Culture, Transformational Change, Instructional Design and Facilitation, Diversity & Inclusion, and Organizational Effectiveness, we put all of these together to create meaningful and impactful shifts for organizations and communities.