4 LeadingAge MN Members Receive Award of Merit for Performance Excellence in Aging Services

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Jodi Boyne

LeadingAge Minnesota has honored four aging services providers with Awards of Merit for Performance Excellence in Aging Services. The providers are: Martin Luther Care Center in Bloomington; St. Crispin Living Center in Red Wing; Madonna Living Community in Rochester; and The Good Shepherd Community in Sauk Rapids.  

“Quality improvement in aging services is a continuous process, bettering our best each day to provide exceptional care and services to Minnesotans.” said Gayle Kvenvold, President and CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota. “We congratulate Martin Luther Care Center, St. Crispin Living Center, Madonna Living Community and The Good Shepherd Community for their demonstrated commitment to quality and excellence in all that they do. By completing this intensive program, these exceptional providers and their dedicated caregiving staff are delivering care and services of higher quality and higher value to help Minnesotan’s age well.” 

Performance Excellence in Aging Services was created by LeadingAge Minnesota in 2017 to help aging services providers innovate and improve the quality services and supports they provide to older adults. The continuous learning and development program is centered on the values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which focuses on seven core areas of achievement and improvement demonstrated by high performing organizations:

• Leadership: How management leads the organization and how the organization leads the community
• Strategy: How the organization establishes and plans to implement strategic directions
• Customers: How the organization builds and maintains strong, lasting relationships with customers
• Measurement: How the organization uses data to support key processes and manage performance
• Workforce: How the organization empowers and involves its workforce
• Operations: How the organization designs, manages and improves key processes
• Results: How the organization performs in terms of customer satisfaction, operational efficiencies, governance and social responsibility. 

To achieve the Award of Merit, an aging services provider must complete an in-depth organizational self-assessment that supports them in identifying, prioritizing and addressing improvement opportunities in their organization. Providers then must demonstrate that they have effective systems in place that will enable them to better serve older adults, empower staff teams, and achieve and sustain quality efforts more effectively. 

“In our mission to transform and enhance the experience of aging, we must be able to meet the needs and preferences of our state’s aging population — the fastest growing population in our state. LeadingAge Minnesota is committed to helping aging services providers reach ever higher in the quality of the care and supportive services they provide,” Kvenvold said. “Our 2019 Award of Merit recipients have made an extraordinary commitment to the excellence in caregiving that consumers deserve, and families expect.” 

For more information on Performance Excellence in Aging Services, see Path to Continuous Quality.