ALEXANDRIA, Va. – April 5, 2011 -- The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) today announced the recipients of its ALFA 2011 Hero Awards. Five extraordinary senior living professionals have been selected from a pool of nearly 650 nominations.  Each year, the ALFA Hero Awards recognize individuals who are ideal representatives of the hundreds of thousands of people serving in the senior living field.

“Nominated by residents, family members, supervisors, and colleagues, the ALFA 2011 Heroes, and all of those who were nominated, embrace the core principles of resident-centered senior living by encouraging independence, preserving dignity, offering choice and advancing quality of life for the seniors they serve,” said Richard P. Grimes, president and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America. “The ALFA Heroes represent the highest levels of excellence, caring and dedication in the senior living business, and mirror all the hard-working people choosing to serve seniors.”

Nominations were reviewed based on a nominator’s articulation of a person going above and beyond their job assignments to champion quality of life for the residents they serve.    The five award recipients were announced and honored today during the ALFA Hero Awards Luncheon at the ALFA 2011 Conference & Expo in Orlando.  Each hero’s story was shared in special videos now available online at www.alfa.org/heroes.   Additionally, each is being profiled in upcoming issues of ALFA’s magazine, Assisted Living Executive.

The ALFA 2011 Heroes of Senior Living are:

 
• Toni Flowers of Brandywine Assisted Living at Senior Suites
    A Brandywine Senior Living community in East Norriton, Pennsylvania

 
• Hervinder Dogra of Vintage Simi Hills
    A Vintage Senior Living community in Simi Hills, California

 
• Sharon Stiles of Sterling House of Shelby
    A Brookdale Senior Living community in Shelby, North Carolina

 
• Maribeth Shearer of Emeritus at Spicewood Springs
    An Emeritus Senior Living community in Austin, Texas

 
• Deb Ericksen of Heritage Woods of Centralia
    A BMA Management community in Centralia, Illinois

The rigorous awards competition also named a group of ALFA 2011 Champions of Senior Living.

“The dedication and passion of all the big-hearted people who choose to serve seniors is a reason why resident-centered senior living is the fastest-growing long-term services and support option in the United States,’’ said Grimes. “The high-quality, resident-focused care provided by these outstanding individuals and their communities is what our nation’s seniors need and deserve.”

About the Assisted Living Federation of America
The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) is the largest national association exclusively dedicated to professionally-managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the seniors and families they serve.  Since 1990, ALFA has advocated for choice, accessibility, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all seniors.  ALFA’s programs promote business and operational excellence through education, research, publications, professional networking and online tools designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurialism in the field of senior living.  Visit ALFA’s Web site at www.alfa.org.

Contact:

Jamison Gosselin 
SVP of Marketing and Communications
703-562-1185
JGosselin@ALFA.org

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