2010 ALFA Best of the Best Award Winners

It may be no coincidence that all of the senior living companies  earning ALFA 2010 Best of the Best Awards share and embrace a corporate  culture that values and supports entrepreneurial big ideas.  Each of the 33 winners—a record number for the fifth annual awards program—was  willing to take a risk and tackle obstacles in new and innovative ways.  This year, more than half of all the winning best practices are in the resident services  category, and nearly a third relate to human resources. Many of the rest have a strong  human resources or resident services component.  “What’s striking about many of this year’s winners is how multidimensional they  are. They tie employee morale to resident satisfaction, or a commitment to resident  wellness with a culture of wellness for employees,” says Richard Grimes, ALFA’s  president and CEO. “These companies understand how making improvements in one  area can lead to benefits in others as well.” Other take-away trends from the 2010 Best of the Best winners include:

 
• Providers are stepping in to help seniors bridge gaps in the health-care system. Witness programs that help residents obtain veterans’ benefits, connect shut-ins with local services, offer specialized caregiving to seniors with chronic diseases, and improve communications with doctors and hospitals.   
 
• Providers view a healthy, happy workforce as being in their best interest. Multiple companies found creative ways to educate and motivate employees, using terms like “ownership” and “accountability” in the same sentence as “competitive fun” and  “eye-opening experience.” 
  
  
• Providers are focusing on mission to remain competitive. One company spent its entire print advertising budget on polishing resident programs;  another managed to demonstrate its commitment to its mission in new ways during a budget crisis. 
 
• Resident wellness is key to reducing move-outs. Water aerobics for residents with Alzheimer’s, a wellness program just for diabetics, fulfilling lifelong wishes for residents, and regular bus runs to the local YMCA have all led to positive, measurable outcomes.   
  

The Companies Honored With ALFA 2010 Best of the Best Awards Are:

• American Way
• Bell Senior Living
• Benchmark Assisted Living
• BMA Management
• Brightview Senior Living
• Brookdale Senior Living (4 awards)
• Carlton Senior Living
• Castle Country Assisted Living
• Country Meadows Retirement Communities
• Emeritus Senior Living (3 awards)
• Five Star Senior Living (3 awards)
• Hoffman SummerWood Community
• Horizon Bay Retirement Communities (2 awards)
• Integral Senior Living
• Legacy Retirement Communities
• MBK Senior Living
• Senior Living Communities
• Silverado Senior Living (2 awards)
• Sunrise Senior Living
• Terrace Communities
• The Orchards at Bartley Assisted Living
• United Methodist Homes - Middlewoods of Farmington and Crosby Commons
• Vintage Senior Living
  
  

Read about each of  the ALFA 2010 Best of the Best Award winners.

Past Best of the Best Award Winners

• 2009 Best of the Best Winners
  
• 2008 Best of the Best Winners 
• 2007 Best of the Best Winners 

Questions?

Contact Amanda Shapiro, Director of Meeting Management, at 703.562.1189.

Contact the ALFA staff with questions/comments related to the Best of the Best Awards using our Online Contact Form.