Originally published in McKnight’s Senior Living.
Nashoba Park is the first in the country to earn recognition under an expanded program for traditional assisted living communities that provide person-centered, therapeutic care for residents experiencing memory loss.
Nashoba Park Assisted Living, an Ayer, MA, Volunteers of America Massachusetts community managed by Senior Living Residences, is the first to receive the new Purple Flag Excellence in Dementia Care-Assisted Living flag.
“It is vital for individuals living with any form of cognitive impairment or memory loss — including mild to moderate dementia — to receive high quality, knowledgeable care,” Christopher Carer, CEO of the Purple Flag Excellence in Dementia Care program and president of the Connecticut Assisted Living Association, said in a statement. “Our new assisted living designation celebrates and acknowledges providers who demonstrate excellence in person-centred care even when a secure setting is not required.”
Nashoba Park joined 14 other SLR communities in flying the original Purple Flag for Dementia Care, which focused on memory care communities.
“It’s not uncommon for people to choose to live in a traditional assisted living community while experiencing symptoms of memory loss, whether it’s the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment,” Nashoba Park Executive Director Julie Bagdonas said in a statement. “Our many innovative programs, including a Brain Healthy dining program based on the well-researched Mediterranean Diet and lifelong learning opportunities, take a non-pharmacological approach to treating — and even delaying — the symptoms of memory loss.”
Originally developed to recognize and accredit settings with dedicated memory care units, the Purple Flag Excellence in Dementia Care program recently expanded into traditional assisted living, home care and hospice care settings. Carter previously told McKnight’s Senior Living that expanding to additional settings allows the program to recognize other provider types that also serve those living with dementia, cognitive decline and memory loss.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, 44% of assisted living residents have diagnosed dementia. And with the “explosion” of medical and nonmedical home care agencies, Carter said, an increased focus on memory care needs and training is “desperately needed.”
The program, which started in 2019 as a collaboration between the Institute for Senior Living Education and CALA, has more than 32 Purple Flags flying in three states: Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. That footprint is expanding into Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC, through a collaboration with LifeSpan Network, which recently became the Maryland affiliate of the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living.
Purple Flag accreditation requires communities and organizations to meet quality of life and standards. Communities each must meet 10 best practice program standards to become a Purple Flag Excellence in Dementia Care-accredited organization.