Tenfold Senior Living Eyes New Development As Baby Boomer Demand Grows

Tenfold Senior Living is gearing up for new development plans in California while improving operations to capitalize on strong demand for senior living.

The Bend, Oregon-based senior living provider currently manages two communities spanning 280 units. To meet future demand, Tenfold Senior Living is working on two development projects for additional communities in California, according to Co-Founder Principal Tom Bahrman.

Bahrman teamed up with business partner, Tenfold Senior Living Co-Founder and Principal Brigid Flanigan, to form a senior living management company in 2019. Flanigan started developing communities for Leisure Care in Oregon in the 90s and later developed and sold six communities in California between 2011 and 2013.

The arrival of the baby boomer generation’s oldest seniors gave both Bahrman and Flanigan the confidence to launch Tenfold Senior Living and the path for the company taking on its first communities under management in early 2020. Specific to Tenfold Senior Living’s development thesis, the company creates communities that prioritize full kitchens in all units, in-unit laundry and spacious layouts to create a homelike setting for older adults.

Tenfold Senior Living currently manages two properties developed in Folsom, California and Elk Grove, California, both of which were developed between 2015 and 2017 and have notched strong lease-up periods in nine months, Bahrman said. The full continuum communities are licensed to allow staff to give assisted living care throughout the community. Occupancy at both Tenfold Senior Living communities has held strong at 96% for the last six months, Bahrman added.

“We wanted to build beautiful properties where people could feel that they had choice, autonomy, purpose, connection in a space that was that felt more that felt more homelike that embraced more of the aspects of a traditional home,” Bahrman told Senior Housing News.

Future development plans include new communities of similar size, layout and scope in Morgan Hill, California and Sacramento. The projects were delayed due to the pandemic, but the process has restarted, and Tenfold Senior Living’s development wing, Tenfold Development, is currently in the process of securing building permits from local municipal leaders. Construction on the new communities could start within the next 12 months, Bahrman said.

The new communities will range from over 100 units each and include independent living and assisted living. Both new projects follow the Tenfold model of larger, more home-like apartments and a continuum-of-care mindset but are configured without memory care and scaled to fit their individual sites.

Even with tough development conditions across the industry, Bahrman said he feels the “environment is right” for new construction given the strong demand and aging demographics of older adults.

“The numbers are still a little bit tight today, but I think definitely the opportunity is there,” Bahrman said. “I would hope that we start moving dirt within the next year because the opportunity is now ripe.”

A sidelined, third development effort in the Natomas area of Sacramento could also get underway with pre-development work, Bahrman said, seeking new building permits after the previous permits expired.

Focusing on operations, Bahrman said Tenfold Senior Living is working on further improving staff culture while improving the resident experience through better engagement that can build social connection, Bahrman said. Fitness programming and lifestyle events are critical parts of Tenfold Senior Living’s ability to engage with residents. For example, recent trips have included a camping trip where residents went paddleboarding and kayaking, Bahrman added.

“I think as an industry we sometimes focus too closely on the care, while that is obviously important, we can’t lose sight that we need to provide residents with unique experiences that build a sense of engagement and community with everyone,” Bahrman said.

Tenfold Senior Living follows a leadership development and mentorship program that was created by one of the company’s executive directors, Cheryl Martin, whose efforts won her Executive Director of the Year award from the California Assisted Living Association (CALA) in June 2026. Also new in the last year is a welcoming program for residents and new staff to “create more connection” between residents, their families and new employees.

“The goal is really to find people that are ready and excited for growth and career development,” Bahrman said. “Culture is an operating strategy and we believe that is the solution to every operational challenge we face as an industry.”

In the coming years, Bahrman said technology and integration of new technology will help shape the future of senior living.

“I think a lot of the technology being embedded in apartments today helps us better communicate with and provide safety nets for our residents,” Bahrman said. “It frees up our team to be more resident-centric and resident-focused, rather than chasing around and worrying about the details.”

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