Private Equity Expansion in Assisted Living: Implications for Dementia Care

The goals of this project are to understand how changes in ownership through sales may impact assisted living operations, and to identify any consequential effect on residents’ health and well-being. The study will have a specific focus on the role of private equity firms’ investment in assisted living. In this project, we aim to:

  • Understand the goals, methods, and decisions associated with private equity investments in assisted living, including how private equity acquisition or divestiture of an assisted living community may impact the care of residents living with dementia.
  • Document the characteristics of assisted living communities that were acquired or divested by private equity firms, and compare them to those that were not.
  • Understand how private equity acquisition and divestiture of assisted living communities impact residents’ outcomes (e.g., end of life care) and the types of residents served (e.g., people living with dementia).

Our goal is to identify acquisition strategies that better align owner, operator, staff, family, and resident expectations in an effort to improve residents’ well-being and experience of care. This study is funded by the National Institute on Aging [R01 AG079868-01A1] in partnership between researchers at Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, Miami University, and Portland State University.

Contact

PSU Project Director
Paula Carder, PhD
E-Mail: carderp@pdx.edu
Tel: 503.725.5144

Project Principal Investigators 
Kali S. Thomas, PhD, MA, Associate Director of Health Services Research, Center for Equity in Aging, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
E-Mail: kali.thomas@jhu.edu

Momotazur Rahman, PhD, Associate Professor, Center for Gerontology & Health Care Research, Brown University School of Public Health
E-Mail: momotazur_rahman@brown.edu

Interviews with Senior Housing Professionals, State Agents, and Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Our goal is to identify acquisition strategies that better align owner, operator, staff, family, and resident expectations in an effort to improve residents’ well-being and experience of care. A key component of achieving this goal includes conducting interviews with experts in the field. These interviews are confidential, expected to last one hour, and will be conducted over the telephone/Zoom at the participant’s convenience. See the study information sheet below for additional details.

Research Publications 

Bonvissuto, K. (2024, June 20). Researchers implore policymakers to consider assisted living’s ‘unique’ structure before potentially limiting private investment. McKnights Senior Living . 

Thomas, K.S., Bowblis, J. D., Carder, P., Hua, C., Huang, S. S., Singh, Y, Smith, L., & Rahman, M. (2024). Private equity investment in assisted living: Distinct impacts and policy considerations. Health Affairs Forefront.