This article is sponsored by CareScout. As the senior care landscape continues to evolve, providers are navigating a perfect storm of economic pressures, shifting consumer expectations, and fragmented care delivery. At the center of these changes is a growing need for collaboration, personalization, and greater transparency—especially when it comes to how care is understood, delivered, and funded. In this Voices interview, Senior Housing News sits down with Samir Shah, President and CEO of CareScout Services, to explore the macroeconomic forces reshaping long-term care, the need for a more connected and person-centered approach, and how CareScout is building a new ecosystem to improve access and outcomes for aging Americans. Shah also shares his personal journey into this work and what a win-win-win model looks like for residents, families, and providers alike.
Senior Housing News: What life and career experiences have most shaped your approach to your work today?
Samir Shah: From a life standpoint, I think many of us are part of what’s called the sandwich generation. I’ve got two kids—16 and 14—and at the same time, my parents and in-laws are aging. One of my in-laws has passed. One of my parents has had both a heart attack and a stroke. So I’ve experienced firsthand the challenges of navigating aging care. And I’m fortunate because we’re part of a network that has access to resources and can afford the care that’s needed. Even with that, it was exhausting and overwhelming to navigate the black box of care placement and care coordination.
I kept asking myself: how do we help the very people who helped us get where we are? I grew up in India, where family units are more cohesive and aging parents often live with their children. When I moved to the U.S. at 16, it struck me as odd that the most advanced country in the world struggles to help people age with dignity, confidence, and grace.
Professionally, I spent most of my career in banking and capital markets, as well as some time in consulting at McKinsey. I watched industries undergo massive transformation just by focusing on the consumer with respect to improving products, services, and ecosystems by learning from others. That’s the lens I’ve brought to this space. How do we apply what works in other industries to health care? How do we give families more peace of mind and make sons and daughters feel more in control as they care for aging loved ones?
Over the last two years, we’ve built something that feels new, unique, and truly different from the other options out there. And that’s what drives me every day.
What macroeconomic trends are currently shaping the senior care and long-term care landscape today?
I talk a lot about the confluence of factors that make this issue not just important, but urgent. From a demand perspective, 70 million Americans are over 65, and 10,000 more turn 65 every day. By 2030, the number of Americans over 80 will double. People are living longer, with more chronic conditions and more complex care needs. So it’s not just that more people need care—it’s that the care they need is more intensive.
At the same time, we’re seeing a sharp decline in care supply. People are leaving the aging care workforce, and with wages often comparable to what you’d earn at a Chipotle or Starbucks, providers are competing with fast casual restaurants to fill critical roles. Add to that the impact of restrictive immigration policies, which are pulling even more people out of the care ecosystem.
So demand is rising, supply is shrinking, and as a result, the cost of care is soaring. Compounding all of this is a lack of savings and transparency. Most people have no idea what care will cost them long term. And when they try to get help, they’re met with a fragmented, opaque system that feels like a black box. You can’t just rely on Google reviews in this environment, especially when there’s a news story about fraud or abuse in elder care every other week.
We can’t build the future of aging care on this foundation. The demand-supply mismatch, cost escalation, and erosion of trust make it clear that something has to change. For us, this isn’t just a market opportunity, it’s a social imperative. It’s a chance to build something that can truly alter the future of both CareScout and our parent company, Genworth, while positively impacting the lives of people across the country.
Why do you believe a new approach is needed for long-term care today?
I look at it through two lenses: long-term care funding and long-term care navigation.
On the funding side, a lot of companies have pulled back from this space. The number of products and solutions available has dropped significantly over the last 10 to 15 years. In fact, there’s maybe a tenth of the players today compared to what existed a decade ago. That’s left consumers with fewer choices and less flexibility. We’re now launching new solutions that reflect where the industry has been and what customers want today—stability, choice, flexibility, and a great experience.
We want people to have the ability to buy long-term care insurance that protects their future without sacrificing independence or the ability to make decisions about their care later in life.
On the navigation side, the system has long forced people into trade-offs: do I want quality, affordability, or service? If you want high-quality care, it’s often expensive. If you’re on a budget, you may have to compromise on quality. And while service that truly reflects empathy, compassion, trust, and personalization does exist, it’s often the exception rather than the norm.
We’re building a model where people don’t have to choose. On both the funding and navigation fronts, we’re creating solutions that offer high-quality care at preferred prices, backed by personalized service delivered when and how people need it most.
What do successful collaborative models in senior living look like, and how can they benefit all stakeholders?
We’re building solutions for 70 million people across 50 states, and we know we can’t do it alone. That’s why we’ve sought out mission-driven partners who share our goal of delivering high-quality care to a rapidly aging population. Starting with home care, we built the CareScout Quality Network—a group of providers who commit to credentialing standards, preferred pricing, and quality service delivery when working with CareScout clients.
This creates what we call a win-win-win model. Consumers benefit by getting access to high-quality providers at discounted rates, all backed by CareScout’s personalized service. Providers, in turn, receive a steady flow of educated consumers. These aren’t cold leads, they’re individuals who’ve been guided through the process and understand the provider’s offerings. Providers also earn a quality badge, which you can think of like a Michelin star, signaling their commitment to excellence and helping them stand out in crowded local markets.
Beyond that, we equip providers with tools and training: how to attract and retain staff, deliver personalized care, and keep families engaged. We also share market insights about how care costs are shifting across zip codes and regions to help them grow stronger businesses.
And the third win? Policymakers. States like Florida and Arizona are taking note. When consumers access better care at discounted prices, and high-quality providers are elevated while bad actors are filtered out, everyone wins. This public-private partnership approach offers real value to regulators who want to improve care delivery in their communities.
As we grow CareScout, we’re keeping that win-win-win mindset front and center, ensuring consumers, providers, and policymakers all benefit from a better long-term care ecosystem.
How are you prioritizing quality and person-centered care within your organization or partnerships? What’s driving this win-win-win strategy?
Look, quality is at the center of everything we do. Going back to my firsthand experience with how hard it is for aging loved ones to find the right care, we built CareScout to change that. Every provider that joins the CareScout Quality Network gets asked the same question every son or daughter wants to ask but often doesn’t know how: “Can I trust you to take care of my family?” Most families don’t know what to ask, and even when they do, providers aren’t always obligated to answer. That’s where we step in.
CareScout gathers deep information, asks the tough questions, and delivers those insights to families so they can make informed, confident decisions. We started with home care because 70% of people want to age in place, but we know that won’t always be possible. That’s why we’re expanding into senior living next, using the same quality-first approach to evaluate and elevate those communities.
What gives me hope is that there are so many good actors out there—providers who want to deliver excellent care, work within a family’s budget, and support dignity through aging. Our job is to find them, support them, and connect them with families who need them.
If we do this right, we solve a massive social challenge. Consumers get better choices, providers get the recognition they deserve, policymakers see public-private alignment, and we build something meaningful at scale for CareScout and Genworth. That’s the essence of our win-win-win model.
How is CareScout building a new ecosystem of services and solutions to help people better understand, find, and fund quality aging care?
The simplest way I’d put it is, we want CareScout to become the Amazon of aging care. Just like Amazon connects consumers and providers across countless products, we want to connect individuals and organizations with aging care solutions that are high-quality, affordable, and easy to access.
When people need insurance, CareScout should be the go-to. We’re creating products that are stable, flexible, and built on years of industry learning—products that help people protect their future and maintain independence. When families need help understanding what type of care a loved one needs, CareScout offers wellness tools, care plans, and monitoring support to guide them.
From there, we want to connect people with trusted providers at preferred rates, plus tools that make home care easier, like transportation, food services, home safety modifications, and more. On one side, we’ll continue to grow our network of providers. On the other, we’ll expand access through insurers, families, individuals, and even government partners like the VA. Our goal is to build a single platform that helps people fund care, understand their needs, and confidently find the right support as they age.
In 2026, the senior living industry will be defined by…
…delivering human-centric solutions in new and innovative ways.
This is our moment. Other industries have already gone through major transformations and there’s so much we can learn from them. Think about how travel evolved from relying on agents to self-serve digital platforms that do everything seamlessly. Senior living has the same opportunity.
Instead of fragmented, one-off services, the future lies in integrated platforms that meet people where they are. Solutions must feel human at their core, while also building digital trust and accessibility. That’s the balance we’re striving for—bringing together personalization, technology, and compassion to support the aging journey in a way that’s never been done before.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
CareScout helps older adults and their families navigate the aging journey and find quality care. Inspired by a mission to simplify and dignify the aging experience, we’re building an integrated ecosystem of care and funding solutions. To learn more about CareScout, visit www.CareScout.com.
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 sales@wtwhmedia.com.
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