CiminoCare Consulting’s own Scott Eckstein had the recent honor of attending and speaking at the Senior Housing & Healthcare Summit in Brussels, Belgium. Here, Scott shares some highlights of the conference.
While every country has its own market dynamics, many of the conversations felt highly relevant to the future of senior housing in the United States. My biggest takeaway: the industry is moving beyond proving the need for senior housing. The challenge now is to create a smarter, more transparent, and genuinely more customer-driven sector.
Several themes I discussed were received with sincere interest:
- The need for data transparency, an interesting issue in Europe due to cultural differences
- Educating consumers, policymakers, and capital providers
- Establishing trusted, comparable performance data
- Designing housing and services around today’s older adults
- Expanding affordable options, particularly for the middle market
- Recognizing operations, not simply the real estate, as a primary driver of value
Data Transparency
In the session on Data Transparency in which I spoke with my fellow panelists, we discussed the importance of data and data transparency. The point I kept returning to was simple: comparable, credible data is no longer a nice-to-have. It is the foundation for informed investment decisions, disciplined growth and access to long-term institutional capital.
This is particularly important in Europe, where markets, regulations and operating models differ significantly from country to country. But the lesson applies equally to the United States. Capital moves more confidently when investors can understand performance, assess risk and compare opportunities consistently.
At the same time, we cannot continue building what we have always built simply because that is where the historical data exists. The generations entering their next chapter of life are approaching aging differently. They expect greater choice, flexibility, transparency, and control over where and how they live.
Industry Observations
In another discussion, I addressed designing from historical comfort rather than current customer expectations. If we continue designing from historical comfort, we risk missing where the market is headed. Demographic trends do not give us much time to correct those mistakes.
Several observations from the conference reinforced this point.
First, successful investors understand that senior housing is a long-term business, not a quarter-to-quarter proposition. That message resonated with me because the CEO of the first senior housing company I worked for, ARV Assisted Living (nor Atria) said much the same thing more than 35 years ago. The investors who perform best tend to be those who truly understand the operating complexity and long-term nature of the sector.
Second, the way capital evaluates operators has changed. Five years ago, covenant strength might have been enough. Today, investors are looking more closely at management depth, operating performance, disciplined growth, and the ability to articulate a credible long-term vision.
Third, environmental, social and governance considerations remain prominent in Europe, even if asset pricing does not yet fully reflect them. The terminology and regulatory environment may differ from those in the United States, but expectations around sustainability, social impact and responsible operations will continue to influence investment decisions there.
Across nearly every conversation, the common thread was clear: operations and data are increasingly what create value. Real estate remains essential, but the quality of the operating platform, customer experience, and care or service model will determine long-term success.
Affordability, especially for the large and underserved middle market, may represent the sector’s most significant growth opportunity. Addressing it will require more than reducing costs. It will demand new combinations of housing, services, technology, financing and partnerships.
Looking Ahead
The next chapter of senior living, in Europe, the United States, and beyond, will be written by organizations that combine trusted data, strong local expertise, and genuinely customer-centered housing, service, and care models.
The markets may be different, but the direction of travel is remarkably similar.
