The Quality in Assisted Living Collaborative (QALC) has taken an important step toward strengthening resident safety and operational readiness in assisted living communities with the release of proposed Emergency Preparedness Guidelines. Now open for a 45-day public comment period, this draft is not only a framework for improvement—it’s an invitation. By engaging a broad base of providers, policymakers, regulators, and advocates, QALC aims to ensure these guidelines reflect both the evolving landscape of senior living and the diverse operational realities of providers across the country.
As the industry continues to navigate increasing risks—from natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks to infrastructure disruptions—these guidelines aim to provide a consistent, practical, and adaptable approach to planning and response. And while they’re grounded in research and best practices, the QALC recognizes that collaboration is key. That’s why this open comment period is essential: your input will help refine and strengthen the final product, ensuring it is actionable, relevant, and impactful across various types of assisted living settings.
A Collaborative Effort Advancing the Industry
The QALC is a national coalition of leading organizations committed to advancing quality and accountability in assisted living. Members include Argentum, the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), LeadingAge, the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), and the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA)—each bringing deep experience, diverse perspectives, and a shared commitment to resident well-being.
This effort builds on the foundation these organizations have already laid through ongoing work in regulatory collaboration, workforce development, and care quality. The proposed emergency preparedness guidelines represent one of the QALC’s most tangible steps toward unifying approaches to readiness while respecting state-level regulatory variation and community-specific needs.
“For this next phase of the development process, it’s critical for all stakeholders—especially providers—to provide their feedback to help ensure these final guidelines meet the needs of our communities and the residents we serve,” said James Balda, President and CEO of Argentum.
A Practical, Flexible Framework for Preparedness
Rather than dictating a one-size-fits-all model, the proposed guidelines are designed to serve as a flexible resource that providers can use to assess and enhance their current emergency plans. The framework addresses key elements of preparedness planning, including leadership, communication, training, and coordination.
Communities are encouraged to designate a clear emergency preparedness lead—someone who can oversee planning, ensure drills are conducted, and act as a liaison with local emergency management. From there, the development of a written, comprehensive emergency preparedness plan becomes essential, incorporating insights into the unique vulnerabilities and resources of each community.
Staff training is another pillar of the guidelines. In times of crisis, preparedness depends not just on protocols, but on people. Ensuring that team members know how to act, communicate, and support residents during an emergency is paramount. The guidelines recommend regular training and practice drills, along with internal communication plans and coordination protocols with outside agencies and first responders.
While comprehensive in scope, the guidelines are intentionally adaptable to accommodate the vast diversity of community structures, resident populations, and state regulations that define assisted living across the country. This flexibility ensures they remain relevant and practical across the varied landscape of assisted living in the U.S.
“These draft guidelines are intended to be a resource, a helpful guide—not a one-size-fits-all solution—to support providers as they work within their unique state regulations and requirements,” said LaShuan Bethea, Executive Director of NCAL. “We encourage all stakeholders to provide thoughtful feedback for consideration.”
Why Emergency Preparedness Matters Now More Than Ever
In senior living, emergencies aren’t a matter of if—they’re a matter of when. Recent years have underscored the importance of preparation as communities confronted pandemics, hurricanes, wildfires, utility outages, and more. The stakes are high: older adults often face greater risks during emergencies, and communities must be ready to respond swiftly, communicate effectively, and recover with minimal disruption to resident well-being. The QALC’s development of these guidelines reflects a clear understanding of that responsibility—and a proactive approach to meeting it.
“The work of the QALC related to emergency preparedness guidelines will prove helpful to owners and operators as well as policymakers working to ensure that assisted living settings are well-positioned to ensure the safety and well-being of those who reside in these settings across the country,” said David Schless, President and CEO of ASHA.
This effort also affirms the industry’s commitment to partnership. With providers, associations, and regulators working together to shape a common standard, the result will be smarter planning, stronger coordination, and ultimately, safer outcomes.
“We urge aging services stakeholders nationwide, including nonprofit providers, to weigh in now as these emergency preparedness guidelines for assisted living communities are being developed,” said Katie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge. “Broad participation in this initiative will help to ensure a smart and high-quality outcome. Older adults deserve nothing less.”
Preferred Resource for Regulatory Updates
In addition to providing support directly to assisted living communities, the Emergency Preparedness Guidelines will also serve as a preferred resource for state regulatory updates.
The QALC guidelines will serve as a vetted resource that will help to ensure that regulatory updates are appropriate for assisted living. By emphasizing well-established protocols that are widely adopted across the assisted living sector, the guidelines will support adoption of regulations that require little or no additional burden on providers.
“In general, assisted living providers already have effective emergency planning protocols in place, so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” said John Schulte, VP of Quality Improvement for Argentum. “By documenting what providers are already doing and focusing on what works, our sector can help level-set future regulatory updates in a way that works for the residents and families we serve, providers, and other stakeholders. It’s much better to promote a regulatory position that works than to do nothing and hope someone else looks out for the best interests of assisted living stakeholders.”
For its part, NARA has kept state regulators apprised of QALC’s progress. This support helps to ensure that future regulatory updates are made in consideration of protocols that work for assisted living.
“Fundamental to the assisted living sector’s success is increasing the capacity of each assisted living community to prepare, respond and recover in the event of a natural and man-made disaster,” said Alfred C. Johnson, Past NARA Board President. “Through a collaborative partnership, QALC has developed a comprehensive set of emergency preparedness standards that have been designed specifically for the assisted living sector. These standards can be used to guide the development, or revision, of assisted living regulations or assisted living provider policies and procedures. We are now extending this collaborative partnership to all assisted living stakeholders. Your review of the draft standards will offer critical insight into this important topic.”
Add Your Voice Before August 31
This is a unique opportunity for stakeholders across senior living to help build a more resilient future. Whether you’re an executive director, an operations leader, a nurse, an emergency planner, a policymaker, or an advocate, your perspective matters. By participating in the comment period, you help ensure the guidelines are not only sound on paper, but also workable in practice.
The full proposed guidelines and comment form are available now. Review them and share your feedback by August 31, 2025.
A Call to Action for the Industry
At Argentum, we believe that proactive planning, continuous improvement, and broad collaboration are essential to advancing quality in senior living. The QALC’s proposed emergency preparedness guidelines represent a step forward in all three of these areas.
But their ultimate value will depend on the input they receive now—while there is still time to make a difference. Help us create a safer, more prepared future for assisted living communities across the country. Review the guidelines. Share your expertise. Be part of the solution.
