February 9, 2026 |

How AI Is Reshaping Senior Living Sales and Marketing

Leaders across senior living are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to sharpen sales strategies, refine marketing efforts, and better understand the needs of prospective residents and their families. These themes emerged during a recent iAdvance Senior Care webinar, “AI in Senior Living Sales and Marketing: Key Trends to Watch in 2026.”

The panelists included:

Cara Cassner, director of marketing at The Kendal Corporation
Jordan Mabry, enterprise account executive at Marchex
Michael Pittore, co-CEO of Agemark Senior Living
Ashley Gloystein-Klatt, vice president of marketing and communications at Agemark Senior Living

The conversation explored how AI is already being applied across the sector, where it’s delivering the most value today, and how its role is likely to expand in the years ahead.

AI’s Expanding Role in Resident Acquisition

AI has become increasingly embedded in senior living sales and marketing, moving teams beyond surface-level metrics and toward deeper insight into the customer journey. Rather than focusing solely on aggregate performance data, organizations are using AI to uncover the specific behaviors and touchpoints that influence prospect decisions.

Michael Pittore, co-CEO of Agemark Senior Living

At Agemark, predictive lead scoring helps sales teams allocate their time more effectively. “We know that we are bringing a lot more leads into the door than we used to historically,” Gloystein-Klatt explained. “However, one resource that we all have but can’t get more of is time.” By identifying which prospects are more serious, closer to making a decision, or in need of additional engagement, sales teams are able to focus their efforts where they matter most.

Large volumes of data are common in senior living, but making sense of that information has long been a challenge. Pittore pointed to AI’s growing ability to interpret complex datasets quickly and translate them into clear priorities. “AI is now able to read that and give you insights into what happened in the last week or the last 30 days, and here’s what you need to focus on today to change the course financially, potentially in sales or in staffing,” he explained. For sales and marketing teams, that speed and clarity can produce a meaningful return on investment.

Gaining Deeper Insight into the Family Journey

Jordan Mabry, enterprise account executive at Marchex

Understanding the customer journey is particularly critical in senior care, as decisions are often emotional and unfold over long periods of time. AI-powered tools are making it easier to analyze not just what happens during interactions, but how prospects and family members feel during those moments.

Call sentiment analysis plays a growing role in this process. By evaluating tone, emotion, and conversation quality, AI can help teams identify what’s working and what isn’t across inbound calls. “It really gives our clients a holistic understanding of how those conversations went,” Mabry explained.

Preparing staff to navigate these conversations is just as important. At Agemark, an AI training agent is being used to simulate a range of call scenarios. This allows team members to practice responding to different situations before engaging with real families. “I think that practice has really helped our people and will continue to help them get better at those conversations,” said Gloystein-Klatt. While technology supports the process, the goal remains to strengthen person-to-person connections during sensitive discussions.

Shifts in Marketing Metrics and Measurement

Cara Cassner, director of marketing at The Kendal Corporation

AI is also changing how marketing performance is evaluated. Traditional metrics such as call volume are being replaced by more nuanced indicators that focus on quality and intent. Campaigns can now be assessed based on which efforts generate the most qualified inquiries, rather than simply the most activity.

Call analysis has evolved as well. Instead of manually reviewing transcripts, teams can rely on AI-generated summaries that provide clear, concise takeaways from each interaction. This approach saves time while making insights easier to share and act on.

Additional areas influenced by AI include keyword detection, post-call surveys, and mystery shopping conducted through phone interactions, all of which contribute to a more complete understanding of marketing effectiveness.

Using AI to Differentiate Without Losing the Human Touch

When applied strategically, AI offers senior care operators new ways to stand out in a crowded market. Maintaining authenticity and brand identity remains essential, even as technology becomes more prevalent.

Concerns around content creation emerged as one area where balance is especially important. “I think of content creation of an example of a way that I think things can go off the rails,” Cassner explained. “If you’re anticipating getting better at that because you’re going to use AI, there are ways to, but not if you’re going to replace your own creativity and your own understanding of your organization and your brand voice. That’s not a job for AI.”

Ashley Gloystein-Klatt, vice president of marketing and communications at Agemark Senior Living

Across sales and marketing functions, AI tends to be most effective when operating behind the scenes. Gloystein-Klatt’s team may use AI to research topics that people are searching or to identify the best times to post on social media, but a human team member still does the writing and publishing.

Competitive analysis is another area where AI can deliver value. AI tools can scan online reviews to identify why competitors are resonating with audiences and whether key differentiators are being recognized.

At Agemark, this type of analysis helped uncover a gap between perception and reality. “We dug into it and realized it was a coding issue on our website that was not showing our activity calendar,” Gloystein-Klatt said. “And that’s something that helped us identify the problem so we could fix it, and we made sure that the true story was being told.”

Additional Trends in AI

As AI adoption continues to grow, topics such as ethics, data protection, and responsible implementation are becoming increasingly important. The discussion closed with practical guidance on how senior care organizations can begin, or expand, their use of AI while keeping people, trust, and transparency at the center of their strategies. AI is no longer a future concept in senior living sales and marketing. It is an active tool reshaping how teams operate today.

Watch the full webinar here »