As you browse senior living options, you’ll likely come across a number of places promoting their list of merits, which is usually posted prominently on their website alongside several badges. After all, who doesn’t want to live somewhere “award-winning”?
But are these distinctions truly differentiators? And do they really signify top-notch care? Certainly not all awards or recognitions are created equal, and consumers shouldn’t assume that accolades translate to great care across the board.
This article will take you beyond the badge to help answer the following question: Does that award on a senior living community website really matter? Below, we’ll cover the different ways that senior living organizations can win certain awards, what they mean and how they translate to quality of life in the community.
While some merits are rather self-explanatory (e.g., Health Care Top Workplaces or Dining Excellence Award), other titles are more ambiguous (e.g., Best of the Best or Choice Community Award), requiring consumers to dig a bit deeper to determine credibility.
Because not all senior living organizations offer the same services or care types, they can’t all be judged according to the same criteria, which is why so many award variations exist. For instance, a community that only offers memory support wouldn’t be considered for an award category such as Best Independent Living Community. Generally speaking, however, most community-focused awards will focus on factors such as:
Cleanliness
Dining options
Staff ratings
Care services
Overall resident satisfaction
Keep in mind that many awards are offered for individual contributors or leadership roles (e.g., directors, care staff) but don’t necessarily reflect the overall quality of the community itself. For example, a highly rated care staff doesn’t imply that all other needs — such as transportation or maintenance — are sufficiently met.
Branded methodology-driven rankings are perhaps the most common type of awards. These lists, composed of high-ranking communities, are intended to assist consumers in the decision-making process by assigning each senior living organization a score — or rank — within the overall ecosystem. Keep in mind, however, that many of the companies that generate these rankings also offer licensing opportunities, which are essentially paid features that can skew results.
Examples include benchmarking studies, such as JD Power U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study, which “examine family decision-makers and resident satisfaction with the nation's largest providers of independent living for seniors and their families.” These insights are then used to assess and ultimately boost customer satisfaction in the senior care industry.
Or consider Seniorly’s Best of Senior Living Awards, an annual recognition that “analyzes the customer and family reviews of senior living facilities to create a sentiment rating across six categories: cleanliness, dining services, staff ratings, value, care services and overall resident satisfaction.” According to its website, to qualify for the awards, communities must be in the top 5% of the brand’s consumer sentiment ratings, have no serious licensing violations for the last three years and have no evidence of negative media coverage for the last two years.
These types of commendations are based on online activity or engagement within specific senior living networks. In other words, the senior living organization must be active on the parent company’s site or app to qualify for this type of award. These are typically associated with national platforms that leverage local reviews, top-tier consumer ratings and safety records. For example, A Place For Mom’s Best of Senior Living Awards require the qualifying community to receive 10 or more reviews on its website. These results can be one-sided because only active members will be considered.
Official rating systems are another way to gauge community quality. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created the Five-Star Quality Rating System as a tool to help consumers select and compare skilled nursing care centers. However, according to the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) website, the system “has expanded beyond consumer use” to include nonconsumers, such as regulators, insurers, lenders and investors, who use it to “determine incentive payments, referral networks and financial loans.”
Such rating systems may also exist regionally within local departments of health or social services to include state-specific assisted living ratings.
Communities that cater to specific demographics or health conditions may also advertise specialty accreditations, certifications or recognitions to appeal to certain audiences or types of residents. Some examples include:
LifeLoop awards for technology-driven care and engagement
Across care types, communities are commonly recognized for “excellence in care,” which typically suggests fewer hospitalizations, reduced turnover and improved safety measures. While this commendation is praiseworthy and significant, it doesn’t encompass every aspect of life in the community. So, which award badges should you look out for when browsing senior living sites?
Considered the global authority in health care rankings and consumer advice, U.S. News & World Report analyzes hundreds of thousands of survey responses from thousands of senior living communities to generate its Best Senior Living ratings. The annual survey asks residents and their family members about their satisfaction with community safety, activities, staff, food, value and other aspects of community life.
The U.S. News Best Senior Living recognition is widely regarded as a robust methodology because the survey isn't performed selectively. To qualify for award consideration, a community must have a large and representative portion of their residents participate in the satisfaction survey.
Again, the AHCA/NCAL rating system can be helpful for gauging the overall quality of senior care organizations. Based on ratings for health inspections, data on quality measures and staffing, the system offers a “snapshot” of each location, used to help consumers compare health plans, hospitals, senior homes and home health agencies. CMS and other regulating bodies use the Five-Star Quality Rating System to evaluate senior care providers.
Regional newspapers or chambers of commerce typically grant local or hometown commendations (e.g., Best of Philly, Best of Mainline) to provide a comparison to other proximal communities. Such recognitions can be helpful for those who have narrowed down their choices to a select region.
As you can see, different awards use different criteria and tend to focus on different aspects of life in the community. The “best” communities will be transparent about their achievements and award methodology. How did they earn it? Who decides? Is the methodology described in detail? Disclosure of this information is key to understanding the true impact of the accolade.
In 2023, the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program performed a study examining the relationship between its award program and health care outcomes among a national sample of more than 120,000 assisted living residents. The results “suggest that industry-associated quality awards may reflect better outcomes among assisted living residents.” Although further research is needed to assess the specific mechanisms linking Quality Awards and outcomes, agencies that publish studies such as these help to prove a correlation between recognition and performance.
Also consider where community reviews are coming from — is feedback from the residents themselves or their families and loved ones? A variety of perspectives and opinions can help to provide a more holistic view of life in that community.
Any senior living community that says they’re the “best” should have the credentials to back that statement up. Those shiny badges you see on senior living sites aren’t all created equal, and just because a senior living organization has won an award doesn’t necessarily make it qualified to serve you or your loved one.
Understanding the criteria and different ways for communities to earn these awards helps you make the most informed decision and ensure the one you choose has your best interests in mind. For many seniors, a Life Plan Community (sometimes known as a continuing care retirement community or CCRC) offers the dynamic, award-winning care and support necessary for aging adults to thrive, no matter how they decide to spend their next act.