In today’s senior living communities, the challenges are mounting, and the stakes are rising.

Resident care needs are increasing. Staffing is stretched thin. And despite best efforts, critical risks like falls often go undetected until it’s too late.

A recent article from McKnight’s Senior Living paints a clear picture: clinical leaders across the country are grappling with higher acuity residents, tighter margins, and an urgent need to modernize their approach to care. The consensus? Communities need new tools, new models, and real data — not just to survive, but to deliver safer, more sustainable care.

Let’s take a look at what the article reveals, and how OneStep helps communities shift from reactive to truly proactive fall prevention, even when no one is watching.

The Challenge: Rising Acuity, Limited Staff, and Outdated Models

According to survey data shared in the article, 65% of clinical leaders say hiring and retaining staff is their top challenge. Another 57% cite staff quality as a key concern. Meanwhile, nearly half report that their residents have higher care needs than ever before.

This creates a perfect storm:

• More residents are at higher risk for falls, chronic conditions, and hospitalization.
• Fewer staff are available to monitor those risks or intervene early.
• And the traditional model of scheduled rounds and reactive care simply can’t keep up.

Even more concerning? Many communities lack the tools or infrastructure to spot problems before they escalate. Without real-time data or consistent monitoring, early warning signs — like subtle changes in gait, prolonged sedentary periods, or mobility decline — often go unnoticed.

By the time someone falls, the risk has been building for days or weeks. And the damage — both physical and financial — is done.

The Opportunity: Value-Based Care, AI, and Predictive Prevention

The article notes that forward-thinking communities are starting to embrace new models: value-based care, predictive analytics, and even AI-powered tools that help detect risk before an incident occurs.

This shift is already showing results:

• Some senior living communities have seen falls with injury drop by up to 55%
• Others reported 30% fewer falls overall, along with reductions in hospitalization and medication burden

The key insight here? Proactive care works. But only if it’s supported by real-world data, continuous monitoring, and actionable insights — not just checklists and paperwork.

However, the survey results may not be showing a complete picture. In September 2025, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a striking finding: 43% of U.S. nursing homes failed to report resident falls that resulted in major injury. These underreported events weren’t just minor oversights, they were serious injuries that should have been documented, reported, and addressed through formal channels like CMS’s Minimum Data Set (MDS). You can find the full OIG report here.

That’s where OneStep comes in.

OneStep: Proactive Fall Prevention Even When No One Is Watching

OneStep uses the power of the smartphone to bring clinical-grade gait analysis and fall risk detection into everyday life.

Here’s how it works:

• Residents simply carry a phone in their pocket — no wearables, no calibration, no clinic visit required.
• OneStep captures and analyzes how they move in real time: stride length, balance, variability, turning ability, and more.
• Subtle changes? Detected automatically. Elevated fall risk? Flagged proactively.
• Staff get clear alerts and prioritized insights, so they know exactly which residents need attention, and why.

The result? You can catch decline before it turns into disaster. Prevent more falls. And protect your residents, and your bottom line, without burning out your staff.

Real results. Real impact.

Across our senior living partners, OneStep has helped deliver:

• 25% fewer falls
• 34 minutes saved per clinician per week
• 6x ROI through smarter referrals and revenue capture

And because assessments can be done by anyone, from a PTA to an activity aide,  it empowers every team member to contribute to better outcomes.

Designed for Today’s Senior Living Realities

Let’s face it: most communities don’t have spare staff, budgets, or bandwidth. That’s why OneStep is built to make care simpler, not more complicated.

• Automated fall risk assessments can be done on intake, quarterly screenings, or even wellness fairs — no stopwatches required.
• Continuous passive monitoring helps spot subtle risk trends between check-ins.
• Objective data supports referrals, therapy plans, audits, and even reimbursement.
• Real-time alerts help staff focus on the right residents, at the right time — no guesswork.

It’s fall prevention that fits seamlessly into your workflow. And it delivers what senior living communities need most: better outcomes, with less friction.

Because the Time to Treat a Fall… Is Before It Happens

We believe that every step tells a story, about independence, well-being, and risk. When you can measure those steps, you can do something about them.

That’s why we built OneStep.

In a world where staffing will remain tight, resident needs will continue rising, and margins will be under pressure, proactive care isn’t optional -  it’s essential.

OneStep helps senior living communities get ahead of risk, engage residents and families, and deliver the kind of care that improves lives and business outcomes.

Because when no one is watching… your technology should be.

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