This article is sponsored by ECP. In this Voices interview, Senior Housing News connects with Carly Smith, Vice President of Product at ECP, to explore how the company is helping redefine care delivery through smarter, more connected technology. Smith shares how AI and data-driven tools are transforming the resident and staff experience, and why the future of senior living hinges on platforms designed for today’s workforce. She also discusses the growing role of predictive analytics, what true integration looks like in action, and how ECP is preparing operators for a new era of connected, outcome-driven care.
ECP supports more than 8,000 senior living communities, giving Smith a uniquely broad view of what operators and frontline teams need most as the industry continues to evolve.
What life and career experiences have most shaped your approach to your work today?
My grandpa had Alzheimer’s disease and spent his final years in a nursing home. I saw first-hand how difficult and devastating Alzheimer’s disease is, and the experience and impact it had on my dad left a lasting impression on me.
Fast-forward to college, I discovered that the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire had a highly accredited Health Care Administration program with a focus on long-term care administration. I began taking classes and working at a local assisted living and memory care community, and I knew instantly it was the path I wanted to pursue.
I completed a year-long administrative residency program at a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) where I had the opportunity to rotate through every department — from housekeeping to nursing — and really learn the ins and outs of senior living.
After college, I had the opportunity to work as an Assisted Living Administrator prior to joining ECP. These experiences have shaped how I approach my role as the VP of Product — the residents and people that care for them are at the center of every decision we make.
How is AI changing the care experience for residents and staff in senior living?
Assisted living is a fundamentally human endeavor. It’s people caring for other people in their most vulnerable moments. AI will never replace that human-to-human interaction, but we are starting to see AI add real value for senior living operators, staff, and residents.
At ECP, we’re using AI to enhance and automate everyday care workflows to make them smarter, safer, and more efficient. For example, if a user tries to add a duplicate medication to a resident’s MAR or pass a medication too soon after the last administration, ECP Intelligence will flag that risk in real time.
We’re also using AI to improve oversight and clinical outcomes through predictive AI. We have risk scorecards to evaluate resident risks of falls, end-of-length-of-stay, and other key incidents, allowing operators to be proactive rather than reactive.
We’re continuously adding new AI-enhanced features to our products, and we’re incredibly excited about the impact it will have on seniors and the people who care for them.
What does this new era of integrations mean for operators, and why is it so important right now?
For today’s operators, having integrated systems is table stakes — they will no longer tolerate disconnected software. When systems work well together it increases staff efficiency, decreases errors, improves continuity of care for residents, and gives operators a wholistic view into their data and operations.
A real, tangible example is disconnected clinical and billing systems. As residents age, their needs often increase and so does their level of care. With disconnected systems, teams rely on manual level of care change forms to communicate the update from clinical to billing teams.
Delays in communicating level of care changes can result in significant revenue leakage. Connected systems capture this change in real-time, with no risk of lost revenue. Our philosophy on integrations at ECP is to play nicely with others. We have a fully open integration strategy — integrating with forward-thinking partners and ensuring customers have full access to their data with multiple ways to securely integrate and share information.
How can data-driven care help communities make smarter, faster decisions day to day?
To make data-driven decisions, operators first need to get good data into their systems. This starts with having easy-to-use software that caregivers and other staff will actually use. With good data, communities can operate proactively rather than reactively. For example, if resident medications, incidents, diagnoses, and other contributing factors are accurately captured, the data can then be used to identify which residents are at-risk for falls, and necessary steps can be taken to prevent them before they occur.
Good data also drives key insights and analytics, giving operators visibility into the performance of their communities. They can set benchmarks and KPIs, monitor them, and actually take action. If one community is having significantly more falls than any other communities in a portfolio, it will be flagged and operators will know where to focus their time and attention to course-correct early and improve outcomes.
Why is it just as important to design technology for today’s workforce as it is to focus on the features themselves?
Today’s workforce is stretched thin, especially caregivers and other frontline staff. The tools they rely on must remove friction from their job, not add to it. If a system is clunky and difficult to navigate, they simply won’t use it regardless of what features or capabilities it offers.
Ease-of-use is a key focus while building and improving our products at ECP. Our goal is to make all critical workflows possible with three clicks or fewer. Easy-to-use software increases staff efficiency, improves resident care, and ensures accurate data collection. It also helps reduce staff turnover and speed up the onboarding process for new team members. People want to feel supported and empowered with tools that work and make their jobs easier.
What do you think the senior living landscape will be defined by in 2026?
AI actually making an impact for operators, for caregivers, and for residents. We’re seeing really cool technologies emerge in the senior living space — automation of everyday workflows, truly predictive risk scores, ambient listening, fall detection, and more. The impacts these technologies will have are profound, and we’re just starting to see them emerge.
With an already tight labor pool that’s likely to get even tighter, technology advancements are a real way for operators to continue delivering high-quality care in a more cost-effective way.
Imagine this scenario: a resident falls and experiences a significant injury. Their needs and level of care rises, demanding even more staff time and support. Their quality of life and length-of-stay decreases. Pre-AI technologies, this was commonplace. Today, that same resident can be proactively flagged as a high risk for falls. Teams will be alerted and can put a plan in place based on the real risk factors that are most likely to lead to the fall, preventing the incident from occurring in the first place. The resident is happier, healthier, and lives longer with less staff intervention.
And while I believe we’re really going to see AI start to transform the senior living landscape in 2026, it’s worth mentioning again that it will enhance but never replace the beating heart of assisted living — the people.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
To learn more about how ECP supports 8,000+ assisted living communities with clinical, CRM, and billing software, visit www.ecp123.com/shn.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].
