Tom Grape has a sobering message for a senior living industry facing a growing number of disruptive forces, including rapid technological change and shifting consumer preferences that pose a threat to the long-term health of the sector. “If we continue to think of ourselves as senior living operators in the way that we have, I personally think we’re vulnerable. If we think of ourselves in ways that will allow us to compete for this new era, we’ll be positioning ourselves successfully.” Grape is chairman and CEO of Waltham, Mass.-based Benchmark Senior Living, which operates 58 communities offering independent living, assisted living, memory care and continuing care across eight states in the Northeast. His concerns about disruption aren’t centered on overly aggressive capital providers or new entrants to the business. Instead, the veteran executive, who has been in this niche sector for 32 years, believes that there is “a whole host of people from a whole variety of different angles that are trying to put the senior living business out of business. I think that has huge implications.” The comments from Grape came Tuesday morning during a keynote address titled “Prospering in the Era of Disruption” at InterFace Seniors Housing Northeast, which …
