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BHI executive outlines Barrington of Carmel services, wait list and staffing concerns
Summary
BHI Senior Living’s president described the Barrington of Carmel’s continuum of care, rising demand and staffing and affordability pressures; the nonprofit operator said it keeps a benevolent‑care promise and is exploring expansion.
John Datillo, president and CEO of BHI Senior Living, told the Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Senior Living on July 23 that BHI’s Barrington of Carmel provides a full continuum of senior services — independent living, assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing and rehab — and that the community continues to face rising demand and workforce challenges.
Datillo said Barrington occupies about 19.5 acres, contains 267 units and currently serves about 280 residents; BHI employs roughly 120 staff there plus about 50 contracted employees. He said the organization holds a “benevolent care promise” to continue resident care if someone exhausts resources through no fault of their own and that the provider earned a deficiency‑free state life safety survey and the top Medicare rating.
Speaking to commissioners, Datillo described national population trends that increase demand for senior housing — notably the large baby‑boomer cohort — and said BHI currently maintains an application wait list of about 80 people for its Carmel area communities. He cited local demographics, saying there are tens of thousands of older adults in the broader Carmel area with incomes typically aligned to BHI’s market.
Commissioners asked about affordability and what BHI is doing to limit cost increases. Datillo said the nonprofit monitors budgets and that BHI’s certified home health agency can sometimes deliver care in residents’ existing residences or delay higher‑acuity moves by coordinating Medicare‑covered services. He described preventive programming as one tool to reduce lifetime care costs but acknowledged that “all levels of care are extremely expensive.”
Commission members also raised workforce issues. Datillo said frontline staff such as certified nursing assistants typically travel from outside Carmel and surrounding zip codes and that staffing remains a constraint; he noted that increased wages and the tight labor market affect operating costs.
Datillo said BHI is exploring an expansion at the Barrington to add apartments and dining venues and expressed interest in potential additional urban‑style independent living buildings that could provide priority access to Barrington’s continuum of care. He offered to share market study data with the commission on follow‑up.
