Seniors For Living

Issuing report cards marked by A’s and C+’s may not be exactly the way it gets done, but the Health Care Association of New Jersey Foundation recently announced a new pilot program to “grade the quality” of the state’s 215 assisted living communities. The goal of Advanced Standing, the voluntary four-year pilot program, is to grant a designation “which verifies that an assisted living facility has satisfied all state licensing regulations,” per this New Jersey Newsroom article.

Announced last week by Mary E. O’Dowd, the state Health & Human Services Commissioner, Advanced Standing will collect quality data and expand oversight in assisted living, besides offering more information to consumers searching for care for a loved one.

Assisted living in New Jersey is currently licensed by the Health Department and will continue to be; according to the article, the Advanced Standing designation gives providers a chance to be recognized for quality care that goes above and beyond regulatory requirements.

Other states and even the federal government (Medicare’s Nursing Home Compare/Five-Star Quality Rating) have introduced similar programs, and while they may be helpful in pushing providers to do their best, they should not be the only standard by which a family measures whether that particular assisted living is right for their loved one.