(The Big Picture: AI can help to address the talent shortage in senior living and long-term care by identifying candidates quickly, both active and passive, using analytics to determine best match, and by automating onboarding. AI can also help to retain your best talent by optimizing staffing needs, planning shifts and accommodating flexible schedules.)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a significant role in addressing staffing shortages in the senior living industry by identifying qualified candidates, enhancing candidate screening, and improving candidate matching, locating passive candidates, and improving the overall workplace and workflow so as to retain your best workers. Here are 8 examples of how AI is being used in senior care recruitment and retention.

-Candidate Screening

AI powered tools can analyze resumes and applications to identify candidates who meet specific requirements for roles such as a Nursing Home Administrator’s license and experience. AI powered tools can quickly sift through resumes helping senior living facilities identify suitable candidates more quickly and focusing on engaging with the most promising candidates.

-Predictive Analytics & Candidate Matching

AI tools can analyze data from various sources such as resumes, applications, online profiles to predict which candidates are most likely to be successful in specific roles, Candidate matching leads to better hires.

–Identifying Passive Candidates

AI can be a powerful tool in identifying passive candidates in the senior living industry. Passive candidates are those who are not actively searching for a job but who would be a great fit. AI can help HR and recruiters cast a wider net to find leaders who may not even realize they’re ready for their next career opportunity. AI tools can scan LinkedIn, Licensing Boards, Online conference speaker bios and Alumni networks.  Talent insight tools can show where passive talent is clustered geographically and emerging industry leaders in niche areas like assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, home health, etc.

-Automate Onboarding

AI driven chatbots and virtual assistants can guide new hires through the onboarding process reducing the workload on your HR staff.  AI systems can handle the following:

-Sending welcome emails and orientation schedules

-Collecting digital forms (W4, 1-9, direct deposit info)

-Assigning IT credentials & access rights

-Delivering e-learning modules and tracking progress

-Optimize Staffing

AI tools are transforming staffing optimization by analyzing historical data, occupancy trends, and resident care requirements This ensures that facilities always have the right number of staff members on duty. The factors looked at are staff-to-resident ratios, shift patterns and coverage gaps, incident reports tied to staffing levels, etc.  Here’s the best staffing software for 2025. 

-Shift Planning & Workforce Management

AI powered scheduling tools can create shift schedules that accommodate staff preferences while ensuring adequate coverage. These tools suggest the most efficient schedules based on demand, ensure compliance, offer shift swapping with real-time need, and this most important element – avoid overstaffing or burnout from excess overtime. In recent years, Directors of Nursing have experienced a high rate of burnout due to the pandemic, high stress level, large work load, and responsibilities.

-Telehealth Coupled with AI

While telehealth has been around for awhile, it becomes AI enabled when it incorporates features like triage bots, symptom checkers, ability to flag high-risk patients based on wearable device data, and point out past consultation patterns. During a telehealth session, AI can transcribe and summarize visit and suggest follow-up actions and coding. AI within telehealth is especially valuable for predicting resident fall risks, early infection detection and mental health screenings.

-Robotics Coupled with AI

To lessen the demands on human staff, advanced robotics coupled with AI can take away tasks such as moving or lifting residents, cleaning and disinfecting floors and surfaces, delivering medicine and meals and providing basic health checks.  Robots can also serve as personal assistants to demanding roles such as a Nursing Home Administrator, Assisted Living Administrator, Executive Director, Director of Nursing, etc. This boosts efficiency without breaking a sweat. However, keep in mind that technology should complement, not replace, the human touch in senior care.

–Summary of AI & Senior Care Talent Crunch

As senior living executive recruiters, we see firsthand how AI is giving senior care organizations a competitive edge when it comes to talent. AI helps to uncover the best candidates, find passive candidates, analyze leadership patterns, and provide personal outreach. AI can also help to attract talent and retain your current staff through the use of staffing optimization, shift planning, schedule flexibility, workforce management, and robotics. In addition, the use AI can save staff from tedious and repetitive tasks, physical strain and work overload. No doubt, AI is a valuable tool for helping to address the staffing shortages and talent crunch in our industry.

FAQs on How AI is Reshaping the Talent Crunch in Senior Care

How is AI helping to solve the staffing shortage in senior care? 

To help with the talent crunch in senior living and long-term care, AI tools can identify possible candidates through various sources, provide candidate matching, identify passive candidates through data mining, and optimize schedules to avoid burnout of your current staff and thereby, increasing retention rates.

How can AI find better candidates?

To help locate the best candidates, AI can analyze resumes, screen candidates, and match candidates based on skill sets and past performance.

What role does AI play in the onboarding process?

When onboarding new hires, AI can automate paperwork, deliver personalized onboarding content based on the role, schedule compliance training, track early engagement, and suggest timely check-ins.  This helps new hires to ramp-up quickly and stay longer

Will AI replace human recruiters, HR or hiring managers?

No. AI is a tool, not a replacement. AI takes away time-consuming and redundant tasks.

How does AI consider the talent needs of senior living roles?

To consider the unique talent needs in senior care, AI systems can be customized and tailored to check on clinical certifications, compliance history, previous or current experience in assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and hospice settings. It can also match leadership styles with the culture of the community.

For more information or an immediate talent need, contact Julie Rupenski at info@medbest.com / www.medbest.com/client/ or 727-526-1294.

ABOUT MEDBEST

MedBest is an award-winning national Executive Search Firm exclusive to the Senior Living / Long Term Care Industry. For more than two decades, we have connected senior living / long term care organizations with exceptional senior living executive talent for both permanent and interim roles. MedBest was named as a Top 20 Executive Search Firm in the US 2024 and Top 10 Interim Services Provider 2023! In addition, we were one of American’s top companies by Inc.5000 and a Tampa Fast 50 Company in 2021! MedBest is a member of the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) and American Staffing Association (ASA). Contact MedBest at info@medbest.com / 727-526-1294.