Senior Lifestyle

Chicago-Rooted Senior Living, Built on Four Decades of Hospitality

Senior Lifestyle is a privately held senior living owner, operator, and developer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Co-founded in 1985 by Bill Kaplan and James B. Klutznick, the company has grown into one of the longer-tenured private operators in the industry, managing communities across independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and income-restricted affordable housing. Senior Lifestyle serves seniors across a range of budgets, from luxury to mid-market to affordable housing, and organizes its resident experience around five branded Signature Experiences pillars covering empowerment, enjoyment, exploration, enrichment, and career growth for team members. Visit the official Senior Lifestyle website, or explore Senior Lifestyle communities on Senior Care Finder to compare current listings.

Company at a Glance

•        Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois

•        Founded: 1985, by Bill Kaplan and James B. Klutznick

•        Current leadership: Jon DeLuca, President and Chief Executive Officer (since 2011); Bill Kaplan, Co-Founder and Chairman

•        Portfolio size: Approximately 88 communities, per Senior Care Finder's directory as of August 2026

•        States served: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, per Senior Care Finder's current directory

•        Care and lifestyle options: Independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and long-term care, adult day services, Life Plan Community/CCRC living, respite care, and income-restricted affordable housing, with services varying by community

•        Official website: seniorlifestyle.com

Senior Living and Care Options

Senior Lifestyle's portfolio spans a broad continuum of care, though not every community offers every service:

•        Independent living

•        Assisted living

•        Memory care

•        Skilled nursing and long-term care

•        Adult day services

•        Life Plan Community/CCRC living

•        Respite care

•        Income-restricted affordable housing

Memory care is delivered through Embrace, the company's dedicated memory care program, which the company updated in 2025 to add music therapy for late-stage dementia residents and to require all memory care directors to become certified dementia practitioners. Senior Lifestyle also develops and manages income-restricted affordable housing for seniors, an effort tracing to Seniors Suites Chicago Corporation, which Bill Kaplan launched in 1993 in partnership with the City of Chicago and which today serves residents across more than twenty locations in the Chicago area. Families should confirm current care levels and availability directly on the Senior Care Finder listing for the specific community they are considering.

What Makes Senior Lifestyle Different?

Four Decades of Continuity in Ownership and Leadership

Unlike many operators that have changed hands through private equity ownership cycles, Senior Lifestyle has remained privately held since its 1985 founding. Co-founder Bill Kaplan continues to serve as Chairman, and several senior executives, including Vice Chairman Jerrold Frumm and Executive Vice President and COO Justin Robins, have been with the company for two to four decades. Jon DeLuca has served as President and CEO since 2011, giving the company a long-tenured leadership team relative to industry norms.

A Structured Framework for the Resident and Employee Experience

Senior Lifestyle organizes its culture around five branded Signature Experiences: Empower, Enjoy, Explore, Enhance, and Excel. These pillars are intended to guide programming choices, dining, wellness initiatives, and employee development consistently across the portfolio, rather than leaving those decisions purely to individual community managers.

A Long-Standing, Documented Alzheimer's Association Partnership

Senior Lifestyle has been a partner of the Alzheimer's Association since 2015, participating annually in The Longest Day fundraising initiative. The company reports that this partnership has raised more than $600,000 to support Alzheimer's research, family support, and care advancement, a sustained philanthropic commitment rather than a one-time sponsorship.

Affordable Housing as a Core Business Line, Not an Afterthought

Many operators treat affordable senior housing as a small side program. Senior Lifestyle has operated it as a distinct division since 1993, when Bill Kaplan partnered directly with the City of Chicago's Mayor's Office to launch Seniors Suites Chicago Corporation. That division continues to serve income-qualified seniors across the Chicago area today.

Evolving Clinical Standards in Memory Care

According to independent reporting from Senior Housing News, Senior Lifestyle undertook a deliberate review of its Embrace memory care program in 2025 in response to rising resident acuity, adding music therapy for late-stage dementia residents and requiring memory care directors to hold certified dementia practitioner credentials. This is presented as an evolving clinical practice rather than a static, one-time program launch.

Signature Programs and Services

Embrace Memory Care

Embrace is Senior Lifestyle's dedicated memory care program, offered at select communities across the portfolio. The program is built around structured daily routines, staff trained specifically in dementia care, and secured community settings. As of 2025, the company requires memory care directors to be certified dementia practitioners and has added music therapy specifically for residents in late-stage dementia. Availability of Embrace varies by community; families should confirm with a specific location whether it offers this program. Learn more on the Embrace Memory Care page.

Signature Experiences: Empower, Enjoy, Explore, Enhance, Excel

Senior Lifestyle's Signature Experiences framework groups its programming philosophy into five themes covering resident independence and wellness (Empower), social and recreational programming (Enjoy), travel and outings (Explore), health and dining enhancements (Enhance), and staff training and career growth (Excel). How each pillar shows up day-to-day differs by community and by the level of care offered.

Life at a Senior Lifestyle Community

Life at a Senior Lifestyle community may include chef-prepared, restaurant-style dining with rotating menus; a calendar of social, wellness, and educational programming; scheduled transportation for errands and outings; and housekeeping and maintenance support. Independent living residents typically manage most day-to-day tasks with lighter support, while assisted living and memory care residents receive more structured personal care and supervision. Because amenities, staffing ratios, dining programs, and pricing structures vary by community and by ownership history (some communities are owned by Senior Lifestyle, others are managed by Senior Lifestyle on behalf of a separate owner), families should evaluate the specific community they are considering directly, rather than assuming every location offers an identical experience. Questions worth asking during a visit include staff-to-resident ratios by shift, how care plans are reassessed as needs change, and whether a specific memory care or skilled nursing program is available on-site or only at a sister community.

What Residents and Families Say

Public reviews across individual Senior Lifestyle communities show a mixed and location-dependent pattern rather than a single portfolio-wide reputation. Recurring positive themes include staff warmth and attentiveness, a strong sense of community and resident engagement, and satisfaction with dining and activity programming at higher-performing locations. Recurring concerns at some communities center on staffing consistency, responsiveness during leadership transitions, and variability in maintenance turnaround. As with most multi-community operators, individual community leadership and staffing tenure appear to be a stronger predictor of family satisfaction than the parent brand itself. Senior Lifestyle's Trina Anderson, Divisional Director of Memory Care, was named a 2025 Memory Care Innovation Award winner by Senior Housing News, an independently judged industry recognition tied to resident-facing care quality. Senior Care Finder does not currently show a reliable single portfolio-wide star rating for Senior Lifestyle; families should review ratings, review counts, and recent comments for the specific community they are considering rather than relying on a company-wide impression.

Leadership

Jon DeLuca, President and Chief Executive Officer. DeLuca has served as President and CEO since January 2011. He joined Senior Lifestyle from Horizon Bay Retirement Living and has been recognized in industry leadership profiles for his tenure guiding the company's growth. Read his leadership profile.

Bill Kaplan, Co-Founder and Chairman. Kaplan co-founded Senior Lifestyle in 1985 with James B. Klutznick and has remained active with the company for 40 years, including a period serving as CEO. He also launched the company's affordable housing division, Seniors Suites Chicago Corporation, in 1993. See his leadership profile.

For the complete and most current executive team, visit Senior Lifestyle's official leadership directory.

Recent News, Growth, and Recognition

Senior Lifestyle Launches Its Largest Brand Campaign to Date

In June 2026, Senior Lifestyle launched "Love Every Moment," described by the company as its largest marketing campaign to date, featuring a new television commercial filmed at Evergreen Retirement Community in Cincinnati. The campaign centers on everyday moments in the community, including family visits, shared meals, and resident conversations, as a response to industry-wide concerns about AI-generated and overly polished senior living marketing. Source: independent coverage from McKnight's Senior Living (June 16, 2026).

Trina Anderson Named a 2025 Memory Care Innovation Award Winner

Trina Anderson, Senior Lifestyle's Divisional Director of Memory Care, was named a 2025 Memory Care Innovation Award winner by Senior Housing News, a peer-nominated industry recognition honoring leaders shaping the future of cognitive care. Source: independent coverage from Senior Housing News (October 31, 2025).

Senior Lifestyle Updates Its Embrace Memory Care Program

In August 2025, Senior Lifestyle described a deliberate overhaul of its Embrace memory care program in response to rising resident acuity, including new music therapy programming for late-stage dementia residents and a requirement that all memory care directors hold certified dementia practitioner credentials. Source: independent coverage from Senior Housing News (August 18, 2025).

Bob Gawronski Elected to Lead the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition

Bob Gawronski, Senior Lifestyle's Vice President of Development, was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Affordable Assisted Living Coalition (AALC), an industry advocacy group focused on expanding access to affordable senior housing. Source: independent coverage from McKnight's Senior Living (February 24, 2026).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Senior Lifestyle? Senior Lifestyle is a privately held senior living company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1985, that owns, operates, and develops senior living communities across the country.

Where is Senior Lifestyle headquartered? Senior Lifestyle is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Who owns Senior Lifestyle? Senior Lifestyle is a privately held company co-founded in 1985 by Bill Kaplan, who remains Chairman, and James B. Klutznick.

How many communities does Senior Lifestyle operate? Senior Care Finder's directory lists approximately 88 communities across 13 states as of August 2026.

Where are Senior Lifestyle communities located? Senior Lifestyle communities are located across California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, per Senior Care Finder's current directory.

What care options does Senior Lifestyle offer? Depending on the community, Senior Lifestyle offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, adult day services, Life Plan Community/CCRC living, respite care, and income-restricted affordable housing.

Does Senior Lifestyle offer memory care? Yes, through its Embrace memory care program, available at select communities. Availability varies by location.

Does every Senior Lifestyle community offer the same services? No. Services, care levels, amenities, and programs vary by community. Families should confirm details directly with the specific community they are considering.

What do reviews say about Senior Lifestyle? Feedback varies by community. Recurring positive themes include staff warmth and community engagement, while some communities show concerns about staffing consistency. There is no single reliable portfolio-wide rating; check the specific community's recent reviews.

How much do Senior Lifestyle communities cost? Pricing varies significantly by community, location, and level of care. Contact the specific community through Senior Care Finder for current pricing.

How can families find a Senior Lifestyle community? Families can browse current Senior Lifestyle listings on Senior Care Finder or use the company's own community locator.

How can someone schedule a tour? Families can request information or schedule a tour directly through the individual community's Senior Care Finder listing.

Does Senior Lifestyle manage communities on behalf of other owners? Yes. In addition to communities it owns, Senior Lifestyle provides third-party management services for communities owned by other parties.

Explore Senior Lifestyle Communities

Ready to compare individual Senior Lifestyle communities? Explore Senior Lifestyle communities on Senior Care Finder to see current listings near you. Services, pricing, ratings, availability, amenities, leadership, and day-to-day experience vary by location, so it's worth reviewing the specific community you're considering, and scheduling a visit, before making a decision.

Senior Lifestyle is a paid Senior Care Finder partner. Partner status does not replace the need for families to independently evaluate individual communities, services, pricing, licensing information, and recent reviews.

Company information, leadership details, programs, recognition, and news were reviewed using publicly available sources. Information last reviewed August 2026.