Senior Living Providers Evolve Operations For Residents’ First 30, 90 Days

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What happens in a senior living resident’s first 30 days after move-in can set the tone for the entire duration of their stay. Getting things right in that crucial window is important – and not always easy.

The new senior living resident onboarding experience in 2026 is one based on more quickly building social connections among existing residents and staff, while also matching newcomers with programming and events that fit their lifestyle.

“The priority is creating a real connection,” said Aspenwood Company Vice President of Resident Experience Amber McDaniel. “The first thing is we want them to make connections to their community as their new home.”

Creating a “comfort zone” for new residents in the first 30 days after moving in is critical, McDaniel said. Aspenwood staff work with new residents to identify programming and ongoing events that can help residents find purpose, meaning and belonging within the first month of their stay at an Aspenwood community.

Helping new residents settle into their new homes starts before they move in. Salespeople can ask residents about their preferences and lifestyles and share that with operations to ease the transition.

Other senior living operators American House Senior Living, Arrow Senior Living Management, Sonida Senior Living, Erickson Senior Living and Mather are taking steps to improve new residents’ experiences – including the “second move-in moment” that many face after they get their bearings.

Personalizing the new resident experience

New Mather residents are increasingly moving into life plan communities to enhance their lifestyle and wellness standards rather than seeking clinical care, according to Mather Associate Vice President of Resident Engagement Caroline Edasis.

Mather has as a result adapted its resident onboarding efforts that focus on wellness, belonging and showcasing all that a community has to offer. Mather makes sure residents have access to online resources highlighting programming, dining and special events, letting them browse these at their own pace so they are not inundated with too much information.

New residents today often still have careers, volunteer responsibilities or active travel itineraries, making it critical for operators to focus on wellness and lifestyle, Edasis said.

“Our new residents really expect to start consuming wellness right away. They want to engage in that lifestyle right away,” Edasis said.

Aspenwood extended some of its touch points with new residents by expanding check-ins from the first 30 days to now extending past 90 days after a resident’s move-in date. This led the Houston-based operator to formalize its new resident checklists over the course of four critical times: one week, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days after move-in, McDaniel said.

Relying on digital tools like apps that allow residents to communicate, plan their schedules and adapt community life to their own personal routines has helped make the move-in process more accessible for newcomers, McDaniel said.

“Younger people are moving into our communities and they want to use technology and it’s helped us improve engagement between residents because they can see who is attending events or programming,” McDaniel added.

These peer-to-peer interactions are shaping how new residents are welcomed into communities, according to Erickson Vice President of Community Living Sara Kokinos. Resident ambassadors and peer volunteers are more common today than in the past at Erickson communities, with resident councils playing an “active role” in how new residents are welcomed.

Today, baby boomer residents are demanding more than an activity calendar, they want to be offered programming that provides new experiences, Kokinos said, with organized concerts, trips and structured events. Popular programming events like fitness classes have been a great way to include new residents in community life.

“Instead of giving our new residents everything at once, this is about how we give these touch points along the way to help make people more comfortable,” Kokinos said.

Rather than waiting for new residents to report problems or dissatisfaction in their initial transition, Kokinos said Erickson life enrichment staff check in with residents proactively to address practical issues or provide a listening ear for those adjusting to new life in a community. Erickson communities also host “resident review” weekly meetings to check in on how new residents are doing in a community.

This is because new residents demand “more connectivity and transparency” in having access to shape their routines and lifestyles while living in a community, according to American House Senior Living President Jeff Floyd. Cultural and culinary preferences are also shaping how operators connect with new residents, often using the dining room as a way to connect more deeply with residents.

At American House communities, culinary teams go “beyond the dining room,” offering bistro happy hours, outdoor barbecues and food demonstrations to create a “healthy, connected and supportive” experience for new residents, Floyd said.

“Belonging starts with small moments—sharing a meal, attending an activity and meeting neighbors. Early interactions help new residents feel less scared or nervous, more included and they can begin to feel the joy in their new home,” Floyd said.

Technology evolves new resident experience

Senior living operators have in the last few years invested more in helping new residents connect with one another, and technology is playing a growing role in those efforts.

Operators are working on shorter timeframes to gauge resident satisfaction. A resident’s first 30 days can help operators gauge whether they are fitting in, while their first 90 days inform whether they will stay long-term, according to Arrow Senior Living Vice President of Resident Experience Kayla Barlow.

In the past, the new resident onboarding experience for many providers was often rooted in paperwork or physical brochures to provide information. Arrow has two digital platforms, one for staff and one for residents, that streamline the move-in process, Barlow said. One of those platforms, an app called The Archer, allows staff to coordinate with one another. The resident-facing app, called Arrow, helps schedule appointments and track event calendars, giving residents the power of self-managing their experience.

The Arrow app also allows residents to connect virtually and has been a strong source for building resident connections as new people move in, Barlow said. There they can share hobbies, discover similar interests or develop new skills.

“It’s almost like our version of a dating app, except this is all about setting things up in a way that makes our new residents feel most comfortable with their experience,” Barlow said. “We’re putting residents in the driver’s seat as early on in the process as possible.”

By giving residents autonomy to connect with their peers in-person and online, it helps create a smoother transition in the first 90 days of a resident’s move, Barlow added. Arrow relies on one-week post move-in surveys and surveys at 90 days to adjust onboarding practices.

Adjusting operations for residents’ ‘second move-in moment’

When a new resident moves into a community, they often are flooded with information about their new home. How operators manage these crucial first steps is shaping the views new residents have of their surroundings.

But there’s a period after residents settle in where activity slows down and residents adjust for daily life. Watching out for this “second move-in moment” is critical for making sure new residents feel comfortable in their homes, according to Sonida Senior Living Chief Clinical Officer Tabitha Obenour.

After getting feedback from residents and families about the move-in process, Obenour said Sonida life enrichment teams changed how the company views this crucial transition period. The level of attention new residents receive in the first few days must carry over to check-ins by staff, she added.

“When those first days feel personal and supportive, residents settle into the environment much more comfortably and quickly,” Obenour said.

Move-ins touch “every department” and communication is crucial for staff. This period is critical for staff to get to know residents “beyond what you find written in a file” and assess health needs, while also learning routines and preferences. Families also pay close attention to how their relatives are settling into their new home, and communication from staff regarding residents participating in activities or events can validate a decision to move into a senior living community, Obenour noted.

“There’s also more focus on personalization earlier in the process,” Obenour said. “The move-in isn’t the finish line, it’s the beginning of the relationship between the resident, the family and the community.”

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