Senior living organizations operate at the intersection of healthcare, housing, hospitality, and human services, and Donna Hurley frequently highlights how this complexity creates an evolving risk landscape. A single overlooked exposure can ripple across operations, finances, and resident trust. Through years of examining insurance strategy and proactive risk planning, the focus has remained on using structured risk management as a stabilizing force in an industry facing heightened scrutiny, regulatory change, and growing operational pressures.
Rather than treating insurance as a back-end safeguard, many forward-thinking senior living organizations now view risk management as a strategic discipline, one that protects residents, staff, and long-term viability simultaneously.
The modern senior living environment looks very different from that of even a decade ago. Increased acuity levels, staffing shortages, technology integration, and regulatory oversight have reshaped how risk appears on a daily basis. Donna Hurley emphasizes that emerging liabilities rarely come from a single event; they often develop at the intersection of operational blind spots and delayed planning.
Claims related to falls, medication management, employment practices, cyber incidents, and third-party vendor exposure are becoming more complex. At the same time, insurance carriers are tightening underwriting standards, making it harder for organizations without strong risk controls to secure favorable coverage terms.
Insurance works best when it aligns with operational realities. Donna Hurley often points out that policies alone cannot compensate for weak internal controls or inconsistent procedures. Instead, insurance should be structured around a clear understanding of how a senior living organization functions day to day.
This includes evaluating coverage limits against realistic exposure scenarios, identifying gaps between policies, and ensuring leadership understands what is and is not covered. When insurance decisions are integrated into broader governance and operational planning, organizations gain clarity instead of relying on assumptions that may fail during a claim.
Reactive approaches to risk are among the most costly mistakes senior living organizations make. Donna Hurley highlights that proactive risk planning reduces both the frequency and severity of incidents, which directly impacts insurance performance over time.
Effective planning includes regular safety audits, staff training aligned with real-world scenarios, incident reporting systems that prioritize learning over blame, and clear escalation protocols. These practices not only reduce claims but also demonstrate to insurers that an organization takes risk seriously, often resulting in better pricing and long-term insurer partnerships.
Regulatory compliance remains one of the most persistent sources of liability. From state-level inspections to federal reporting requirements, small documentation errors can escalate into significant operational disruptions. Donna Hurley underscores the importance of aligning risk management with compliance teams rather than treating them as separate functions.
When compliance is embedded into daily operations and supported by risk planning, organizations reduce citation exposure and improve readiness for audits. This integration also helps leadership anticipate regulatory trends instead of reacting after standards shift.
Employment practices liability has become a central concern for senior living providers. Staffing shortages, burnout, and turnover increase the likelihood of wage disputes, discrimination claims, and safety incidents. Donna Hurley notes that insurance coverage must be paired with consistent human resource practices to remain effective.
Clear job descriptions, ongoing training, incident documentation, and leadership accountability all play a role in mitigating workforce risk. Organizations that ignore these factors often see rising claims that strain both insurance relationships and internal morale.
As senior living communities adopt digital health records, smart building systems, and online communication platforms, cyber exposure has become unavoidable. Donna Hurley explains that cyber insurance alone is insufficient without parallel investment in data security protocols and staff awareness.
Phishing attacks, ransomware, and data breaches can disrupt operations and erode resident trust overnight. Risk planning that includes regular system updates, access controls, and incident response planning is essential to ensure insurance coverage functions as intended when incidents occur.
One of the most overlooked aspects of risk management is culture. Donna Hurley emphasizes that leadership tone influences whether staff feel empowered to report issues early or hide problems until they escalate. A transparent, safety-focused culture supports both resident well-being and financial stability.
Organizations that normalize reporting, continuous improvement, and shared responsibility tend to experience fewer severe incidents and smoother insurance renewals. Over time, this cultural alignment becomes a competitive advantage in an increasingly regulated industry.
Insurance and risk planning are not static exercises. They require ongoing evaluation as communities grow, services expand, and resident needs change. Donna Hurley views risk management as an evolving partnership between leadership, insurers, and frontline teams.
By approaching insurance as a strategic asset and risk planning as a continuous process, senior living organizations position themselves to withstand emerging liabilities while maintaining focus on care quality and operational sustainability. In a sector built on trust and responsibility, that alignment is no longer optional it is foundational.
