FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Evanston, IL (March 10, 2015) – Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging has awarded six organizations with Promising Practices Awards. The Awards highlight organizations that are moving away from conventional practices by developing and implementing new and innovative approaches in aging well, long-term care, and senior living communities. This year generated applications from 20 states, a record high for the award.
“We are pleased to announce this year’s winners of our annual Promising Practices Awards,” said Sara McVey, Vice President, Mather LifeWays. “These six organizations were among 30 finalists taken to the selection committee and were chosen based on their practice’s innovation, the outcomes presented, and the replicability of the practice.”
The goal of Promising Practices is to learn “what is working” and “how it is working” from those who have experienced success in these areas: culture change, safety/risk management, wellness, technology, workforce development, community-based services, and resident/customer experiences.
Winners:
Central Baptist Village in Norridge, Illinois, for creating an end-of-life experience that honors and comforts residents and their families. They accomplished this by systematically adopting a new philosophy toward end-of-life, and by creating the Chrysalis Room.
Jefferson’s Ferry Lifecare Retirement Community in South Setauket, New York, for their Embraceable You campaign. The campaign is a systematic program with guidelines that increases hugging and touching among staff and residents.
Jewish Association on Aging (JAA) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for Pennsylvania’s first-ever Nighttime Memory Care Program. JAA provides adult day services, but determined there was a need for overnight respite care as well. By designing a Nighttime Memory Care Program, JAA offers family caregivers overnight respite as they provide specialized care to this population.
Wadsworth Soprema Center and Café in Wadsworth, Ohio, for the Soprema Senior Center and Café. Based on Mather LifeWays award-winning Café Plus concept, this center offers a blend of traditional programming for older adults, paired with new life enrichment and wellness opportunities for community members of all ages.
Honorable Mentions:
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan in Southfield, Michigan, for Rivertown Neighborhood. Planning is underway to create the only living campus for older adults of its kind, which will include an array of services and areas including 80 units of affordable assisted living, an adjacent, accessible Community Park, and much more.
Sarasota Bay Club of Sarasota, Florida, for the Bay Club Kids Intergenerational Reading & Art Program. This program teamed older adult volunteers with seven- and eight-year-old girls who needed mentoring help. Having an opportunity to volunteer in their own home fulfilled the residents’ need, and having access to the support and encouragement of mentors fulfilled the children’s need.
A full complimentary report on the 2014 Promising Practices winners and honorable mentions, “Innovation at Work” is available for download at http://www.matherinstitute.com/innovation-at-work/ Nominations will open in July for the 2015 Promising Practices Awards, with a submission deadline in September 2015.
About Mather LifeWays Mather LifeWays is a 70+-year-old unique, nondenominational not-for-profit organization that enhances the lives of older adults by creating Ways to Age WellSM. Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging is its research and education area of service and is a global resource for information about wellness, successful aging service innovations, and educational programming. Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging has been recognized nationally for best practices and commitment to quality in the senior living industry; the Institute’s most recent recognition was the LeadingAge 2014 Excellence in Research and Education Award. For more information, visit www.matherlifewaysinstituteonaging.com.