WAKEFIELD, RI – Elderwood of Scallop Shell at Wakefield has achieved the Silver Commitment to Quality Award from the American Health Care Association. The National Quality Award program is a progressive process designed to encourage continuous quality improvement and provide a pathway for providers of long-term and post-acute care services to journey towards performance excellence. The Silver Award is the second of three distinctions possible through the AHCA National Quality Award Program, based on criteria adopted from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. To earn the award, residences must demonstrate their commitment to improving quality of care for residents and patients in long-term and post-acute care settings. Members at the Silver Award level develop and demonstrate effective approaches that help improve performance and quality outcomes. The award is judged by a board of highly trained examiners from inside and outside the long-term care profession. Elderwood of Scallop Shell at Wakefield is one of 191 long-term care facilities nationwide and the only facility in Rhode Island to earn a 2017 Silver Quality Award. The award will be formally presented during the AHCA Annual Convention in October. "The AHCA Silver Quality Award is a prestigious recognition within the long-term care profession," said Elderwood co-CEO Dr....

PHOTO PROVIDED Mercy Care Board of Directors presented Volunteers with the “Doors of Mercy,” a photo collage project developed by elders and volunteers depicting elders opening their doors to their Mercy Care Friends. PROGRAM: Seeks to comfort lonely elders, promote communities friendly for the aging LAKE PLACID — The Board of Directors of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks recently marked the 10th anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy’s renewed mission to enhance life for local senior citizens. Mercy Care works to relieve the isolation and loneliness of elders, empower communities to become more aging-friendly and raise awareness about the challenges and aspirations of older adults. At a free event at the Crowne Plaza Resort Golf House Restaurant in Lake Placid, board members expressed their gratitude to volunteers, donors, partner organizations, government officials and community leaders for encouraging and supporting Mercy Care.   AWARDS PRESENTED Mercy Care Anniversary Event Chair Susan Sweeney, a board member, and Board President Jerry Hayes presented four awards: • The Tender Courage Award, given to Sister Patricia Vetrano, president of the Sisters of Mercy of the Mid-Atlantic Community, and Dr. Paul Reiss, president of the Board of Mercy Uihlein Health Foundation in 2007. They led the way 10 years ago in establishing Mercy Care. • The Community Empowerment Award, presented...

Elderwood is making a push to build its memory care business with dedicated units and a new philosophy at all sites. The Buffalo company hired Sandra Burrows as director of memory care, responsible for training staff at 13 locations and designing specialty units to supplement five Seasons memory care units now in operation. An expansion of the Grand Island unit is under way. Burrows brings 30 years of experience to the job, including 13 years as an Alzheimer’s care and quality-of-life consultant. What does Elderwood’s memory care business look like today? They have laid a wonderful foundation with a well-trained staff and they have designed the space and the programs. We’re going to fine-tune that. The whole Seasons program is designed around what they have left, not what they have lost. It’s pretty easy to see what skills people have lost; it’s more tricky to find out what they have and how to use what they have left. That’s the enhancement part we’re continuing to grow. How much need do you see for this type of care? We have five units formulated as memory care units currently, but that’s going to continue to grow based on the tsunami of the aging population...

BUFFALO, NY – Williamsville resident Sandra Burrows, AC-BC, CDP, MSS, has been named Director of Memory Care at Elderwood. Ms. Burrows comes to the Western New York area from Vincent, Ohio, and brings 30 years of experience to the job. Ms. Burrows will oversee services to individuals with dementia-related disorders at Elderwood. Her goal is to make Elderwood one of the premier destinations for memory care in the nation. One of her greatest career accomplishments is designing and developing a 110-unit facility specific to the needs of dementia patients. The focus was on creating an individualized, safety focused atmosphere that still felt like home for patients with memory loss. "People with Alzheimer’s are sometimes treated for what they have lost. We’re bringing care back to the person and treating them with a focus on the here and now and on their personality, understanding that care is individual. It’s about valuing the person; getting back to seeing them for who they are." Ms. Burrows worked with Golden Clinical Services, previously Beverly Health Care, for 13 years, as an Alzheimer’s Care and Quality of Life Consultant. Her work included, not only the design and development of care spaces, but also focusing on training staff and...

BUFFALO, NY – Elderwood Administrative Services has moved its headquarters to 500 Seneca Street, Buffalo. The long-awaited move combines the majority of administrative services within 25,000 square feet of office space in the city’s Hydraulics District. The move to the city is a significant step for the organization. Elderwood staff and services have grown dramatically over the past few years. The move was spurred by a definite need for additional office space and a desire to combine administrative staff in one place to facilitate communication and collaboration. The offices for the Elderwood Health Plan managed long term care program, and all management and administrative services, totaling more than 100 employees, are all now headquartered at 500 Seneca. Elderwood’s Woodmark Pharmacy, Transportation Services, Development construction, maintenance and printing services will remain at the Wehrle Drive location. The mixed-use residential and office building was developed by Samuel Savarino with Frontier Group of Companies, who purchased the former F.N. Burt box making plant from New Era Cap in 2010. It is one of several buildings currently in development in the area, spurred by the success of the nearby Larkin complex. "We wanted to locate our headquarters to be closer to the market’s payors and hospital providers. We...