NEW YORK, NY—The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) recently awarded its “Excellence in Care Dementia Program of Distinction” status to the nation’s first two dementia care settings that have successfully achieved AFA’s nationwide standard of excellence for facilities that provide care to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or related illnesses. Both settings are located in New York City.
   The 80th Street Residence was the first to earn this distinction. The 80th Street Residence is an assisted living residence in Manhattan’s Upper East Side that specializes in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Soon afterward, Ozanam Hall, a skilled geriatric and short-term rehabilitation facility in Bayside, achieved the status for its dementia care settings.
   “This is an enormous distinction for these facilities, and we applaud their dedication to provide the best in care for this deserving population. We hope they serve as role models and challenge other organizations across America to proactively aspire to achieve this gold standard,” said Eric J. Hall, chief executive officer of AFA, a national non-profit organization based in New York.
    Excellence in Care is believed to be the first national program involving comprehensive standards and on-site evaluation for dementia care settings, such as assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, continuum of care residential communities, adult day and adult day healthcare care programs. 
    The voluntary standards are part of the AFA’s mission to raise the bar for dementia care in the United States. They reflect what AFA believes to be essential components of any quality dementia-care program.   The program includes an evaluation of a setting’s physical environment, safety procedures, program activities, staff-client interaction, and training of staff and families, as well as working toward continual performance improvement.
    Clare P. Shanley, executive director of The 80th Street Residence, called the status “Very gratifying. As the only facility in New York City dedicated to memory care, it is fitting that we set the standard for the industry.”
  “The AFA program is important both to the industry and to our facility. It made us examine how our care program fits together and how we could build a better team to keep growing and exceeding our own expectations,” Shanley said.
    She noted that the status is important in other respects. “It highlights the importance of the professional caregivers’ job…they’re the unsung heroes,” she said. “In addition, this status will help families distinguish premiere facilities and give them the comfort of knowing that they’ve chosen the best for their loved ones.”
   AFA introduced the national initiative last November, after designing the comprehensive program with input from the Avila Institute of Gerontology, an AFA member organization based in Germantown, NY, as well as other AFA member organizations, national organizations and industry experts.
    Since [date], AFA has trained about 40 Excellence in Care specialists in various regions to conduct on-site evaluations, consult on adjustments to comply with the standards, and assist facilities on an ongoing basis to continually improve performance and best practices.
   Currently, other facilities in several states are in various stages of the Excellence in Care process.