Silverado Senior Living Receives 2010 Best of the Best Award
Assisted Living Federation of America national award recognizes innovative best practices.
Alexandria, VA, April 15, 2010 —
Contact:
Marlene Hendrickson
703.914.9200 ext. 24 or mhendrickson@alfa.org
For immediate release – Alexandria, VA – The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) has awarded Silverado Senior Living, headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, California, its prestigious 2010 Best of the Best Award, a national recognition reserved for the nations most innovative and effective business practices in the senior living industry. The company is one of only 25 companies to receive a Best of the Best Award this year. All 2010 winners will be profiled in the May/June issue of ALFA’s flagship magazine, Assisted Living Executive.
“These innovations recognize companies that have put their imaginations to work to continually improve and streamline operations, enhance resident care and services, train and retain quality employees, and much more,” says ALFA President and CEO Richard P. Grimes. “Plus, the industry-wide benefit of the Best of the Best Awards is the program’s ability to multiply excellence as these and other companies in senior living adopt these best practices as their own.”
Silverado Senior Living was recognized for two separate innovative programs, each of which will be recognized within Assisted Living Executive magazine and during the Awards Program at the 2010 ALFA Conference & Expo:
- Silverado’s “Right Stuff” recruiting practices were implemented to de-centralize the hiring process and put the tools for making smart hires directly into the hands of executive directors and supervisors companywide. The new process is faster and more efficient and encompasses a multi-pronged approach, using commercially available hiring tools backed by Silverado-centric HR training for managers. Supervisors seeking to fill a position can tap Silverado’s overall pool of job applicants. Once they find an applicant they wish to interview, supervisors have been trained to use behavior-based interview approaches as well as health care-focused assessment tools to screen hires more effectively. “You have to have buy-in from the top, but more importantly, it’s how you go about training,” says Mark Nease, senior director of human resources. Nease reports a reduction in terminations and budget savings due to reduced turnover.
- Silverado’s “LOVE > fear” operating philosophy is intended to help employees and managers stop and think about their personal mood and motivation before making decisions. The goal is to offer a cultural boost for a workforce that has the daily challenge of working with residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The “LOVE > fear” campaign acknowledges that fear is natural when a problem surfaces, but reassures associates that Silverado supports and encourages them to choose to do the right thing, i.e., consciously make decisions with integrity and sensitivity. Silverado developed a thorough training program for all full-time associates to explain the philosophy and demonstrate how it applies in nine real-life scenarios.
For details about each winning strategy, see the cover story of Assisted Living Executive’s May/June 2010 issue, or contact Marlene Hendrickson (mhendrickson@alfa.org). The ALFA 2010 Best of the Best Award winners will also be recognized at the ALFA 2010 Conference & Expo, May 25-27, in Phoenix.
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About the Assisted Living Federation of America: Founded in 1990, the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) is the only national association exclusively dedicated to professionally operated senior living communities. ALFA’s member-driven programs promote business and operational excellence through national conferences, research, publications, and executive networks. ALFA works to influence public policy by advocating for informed choice, quality care, and accessibility for all Americans seeking assistance with long-term care. Visit www.alfa.org for more information.
About Assisted Living Executive magazine: ALFA’s flagship publication, Assisted Living Executive reaches more than 20,000 c-level and senior executives. Published six times per year, the magazine focuses on best practices and strategic solutions that advance operational excellence for senior living companies. Assisted Living Executive is an ALFA membership benefit and also available by subscription. Go to www.alfa.org/ALE for details. Visit the magazine’s digital edition at www.alfapublications.org.
