[Originally published on PurpleFlag.org]
Purple Flag for Dementia Care™ announced today that six more communities have achieved Purple Flag accreditation. All six are Senior Living Residences (SLR) communities. Between now and January 2024, five flags will be raised in Massachusetts: Cornerstone at Canton, Methuen Village, Neville Place, Cornerstone at Milford and Armbrook Village; and one in New Hampshire, Cornerstone at Hampton, the state’s first.
The partnership between the two organizations has resulted in the accreditation of 11 communities in one year with three more projected by early 2024.
“We are truly grateful for Purple Flag and specifically for the vision of Christopher Carter and his colleagues who have taken on the monumental task to drive what memory support programs must be and raise the bar for an entire industry,” shared SLR President & CEO Tadd Clelland. “Through our partnership, we have the opportunity to be trendsetters with the first accredited communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Together, we are helping to ensure seniors and their families have dementia care options they can trust and believe in.”
Purple Flag for Dementia Care sets standards that assess a senior living organization’s ability to provide collaborative care in a safe, functional and respectful environment. The accreditation program was developed through a joint effort between the Institute for Senior Living (ISLE) and the Connecticut Assisted Living Association (CALA) to ensure residents receive excellent care and an improved quality of life.
As part of the evaluation process, each community must demonstrate adherence to 60 best practice standards and training outlined by Purple Flag for services provided to individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
SLR’s founders were instrumental in establishing the assisted living industry in Massachusetts and were the first organization in the state to fly a Purple Flag. Now, they are on the verge of achieving accreditation across all of their 14 communities that provide direct care to those living with memory loss.
“We’re positively ecstatic over how large and fast Purple Flag has grown thanks in large part to our relationship with Senior Living Residences,” said Christopher Carter, President of the Connecticut Assisted Living Association. “We’re excited to work with all of the newly accredited communities and the ones expected to achieve accreditation in the near future. We know this program is making a difference in the lives of seniors.”