As those living with dementia transition into the mid-late stages of the disease, priorities should ideally be centred on providing the person affected with the greatest level of comfort, connection and person-focused care possible, in order to maximise their well-being.
For many, especially in Western cultures, care homes can help in providing a better quality of life for the person living with dementia, as well as carers and other family members.
In December 2022, Silverado Senior Living became the first organisation to be awarded with ADI Accreditation for their Dementia Care Training Programme. By receiving ADI Accreditation, the programme has been determined to meet the ADI standards of quality care.
In this piece from Sue Moroney, RN, Senior Director of Clinical Education Silverado, Sue writes about the journey of becoming the first ADI Accredited care home provider.
The need for person-centred care
Silverado’s purpose aligns with ADI’s vision to ‘improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their families throughout the world and to ensure that people with dementia receive high quality, person-centered care, provided by appropriately trained professionals’.
Silverado Senior Living was founded in October 1996 by Loren Shook, co-founder and President/CEO and Steve Winner, co-founder, and Chief of Culture Emeritus to change the world in how dementia care was provided. Both Loren and Steve were saddened by the way people with dementia were treated and the lack of person-centered care provided by facilities.
They knew that by providing those living with dementia a purpose, independence and dignity, would change the way dementia care was provided.
Silverado recognises that a dementia diagnosis does not mean the end of a purposeful life.
Presently, Silverado has 27 communities specialising in serving those with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementias. The purpose of Silverado is to provide compassionate, person-centered care to those with Alzheimer’s and other memory impairing diseases.
Recognising ADI as the gold standard worldwide in best practices for dementia care, we knew it was important to receive ADI Accreditation.
Journey to accreditation
The ADI Accreditation process was arduous, requiring a comprehensive report and evaluation of our existing educational and training programs. Once these were reviewed and approved, over the course of 7 months, the ADI Global Review Panel (GRP) visited two of our communities in Southern California.
During this visit, they met with our Leadership and Executive teams, as well as the associates who are currently providing care and utilising the education they had received. But most importantly, they spent time talking with the many residents who are living at Silverado about their experience.
Amalia Fonk-Utomo, Head of Accreditation, said: “One thing that I recognised during the visit is that the Silverado team are very passionate about their work and that’s the most important thing in this field.”
David Troxel, member of ADI’s panel for accreditation, praised Silverado for its work to achieve accreditation, saying: “Silverado team members embrace the importance of therapeutic, engaging and purposeful activities led by a well-trained caring staff.”
Following the visit, ADI made some recommendations which were incorporated into our training program. Once those changes were made and incorporated, we received our ADI Accreditation during a virtual ceremony in December 2022.
Cathy Krewer, member of the GRP, said: “It was a pleasure to witness Silverado’s training programs in action. Compassion and person centered care delivery were evident during our onsite observations.”
Loren Shook of Silverado said: “Our goal is to change the world of dementia care by providing excellent training materials which focus on person-centered care. As a part of the ADI Accreditation family, we look forward to continuing improving the lives of people with dementia and their loved ones, in the months and years to come.”
