Profile: Brookdale Senior Living Inc (BKD.N)

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. is an operator of senior living communities in the United States based on total capacity, with 548 communities in 35 states and the ability to serve over 51,800 residents. As of December 31, 2008, the Company operated in four business segments: retirement centers, assisted living, continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) and management services. During 2008, the Company operated 85 retirement center communities with 15,251 units/beds, 409 assisted living communities with 21,021 units/beds, 32 CCRCs with 11,183 units/beds and 22 communities with 4,349 units/beds where it provides management services for third parties. Its subsidiaries include American Retirement Corporation, Brookdale Living Communities, Inc. and Alterra Healthcare Corporation.

Retirement centers

Retirement centers communities are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors, generally age 70 and older. It consists of both independent and assisted living units in a single community, which allows residents to age-in-place by providing them with a continuum of senior independent and assisted living services. The communities are large multi-story buildings containing on average 184 units/beds with common areas and amenities. Residents may choose from studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, depending upon the specific community. Each community provides residents with basic services such as meal service, around the clock emergency response, housekeeping, concierge services, transportation and recreational activities. Most of these communities also offer custom tailored supplemental care services, which include medication reminders, check-in services and escort and companion services. Its Innovative Senior Care program offers various educations, wellness, therapy, home health and other ancillary services.

Assisted Living

Assisted living communities offer housing and around the clock assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. It includes both freestanding, multi-story communities with more than 30 beds and smaller, freestanding single story communities with less than 30 beds. Depending upon the specific location, the community include private studio, one-bedroom and one-bedroom deluxe apartments, individual rooms for one or two residents in wings or neighborhoods scaled to a single-family home, which includes a living room, dining room, patio or enclosed porch, laundry room and personal care area, as well as a caregiver work station.

The Company, under the Clare Bridge brand, also operates 75 memory care communities, which are freestanding assisted living communities specially designed for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias requiring the attention, personal care and services needed to help cognitively impaired residents. Its memory care communities have from 20 to 60 beds and some are part of a campus setting, which includes a freestanding assisted living community. Its residents receive the basic care level, which includes ongoing health assessments, three meals per day and snacks, coordination of special diets planned by a registered dietitian, assistance with coordination of physician care, social and recreational activities, housekeeping and personal laundry services. In some locations it provides exercise programs and programs designed to address issues associated with early stages of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. It also offers Innovative Senior Care program.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC)

Continuing Care Retirement Communities are communities that offer a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. CCRC’s have retirement centers, assisted living and skilled nursing available on one campus, and also include memory care/Alzheimer’s units. Ten of its CCRCs are entry fee communities, in which residents in the retirement centers apartment units pay a one-time upfront entrance fee. It also offers an array of ancillary services, including therapy, home health, and other services through its Innovative Senior Care program, to the residents of each of its CCRCs.

The Company competes with Sunrise Senior Living, Inc., Emeritus Corporation, Capital Senior Living Corporation, Professional Community Management Life Care Services, LLC and Atria Senior Living Group.