by I Advance Senior Care CARF accredits first independent living community
La Vida Del Mar, a Solana Beach, Calif., independent- and assisted-living community owned and operated by Senior Resource Group (SRG), has earned the nation’s first accreditation in independent living from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
“Most people would not go to a hospital that isn’t accredited or send children to colleges that aren’t accredited,” said Kayda Johnson, SRG’s chief operating officer. “Thus, moving into a community that is accredited certainly affords greater peace of mind [for residents and their families] that care and services have undergone intense scrutiny by an outside, third party.”
CARF's voluntary independent living standards became effective in July and were applied during a recent CARF survey at La Vida Del Mar. SRG and La Vida Del Mar demonstrated comprehensive conformance to approximately 1,000 standards of excellence established by CARF to achieve accreditation. The standards are specific to independent living, assisted living or memory care models and measure the effectiveness of management and communication, programs and activities, and interaction with outside agencies regarding additional services for residents.
By 2004, all of SRG's eligible assisted living communities were accredited by CARF. The organization awards accreditation at different levels depending on the outcome of its survey. Many of SRG’s communities, which offer varying levels of care and services, are approaching a fourth three-year accreditation renewal, comparable with a five-star rating in the hospitality industry.
I Advance Senior Care is the industry-leading source for practical, in-depth, business-building, and resident care information for owners, executives, administrators, and directors of nursing at assisted living communities, skilled nursing facilities, post-acute facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. The I Advance Senior Care editorial team and industry experts provide market analysis, strategic direction, policy commentary, clinical best-practices, business management, and technology breakthroughs.
I Advance Senior Care is part of the Institute for the Advancement of Senior Care and published by Plain-English Health Care.
Related Articles
Topics: Executive Leadership , Operations
