EPOCH Senior Living, a Northeastern senior healthcare organization, has recently partnered with Purple Flag for Dementia Care™ to implement systemwide accreditation across all 12 of its communities offering memory care. Purple Flag is an accreditation program developed to recognize excellence and drive continuous improvement in the quality of services provided to residents in Assisted Living and Long-Term Care communities, Home Care Agencies and other settings with an emphasis on individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.

Purple Flag’s platform recognizes organizations that go above and beyond every day–– those communities that truly see residents for who they are and through care, support, and programming aim to enhance their cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. The program’s aim is to equip providers with the tools needed to stay ahead of the curve in providing high-quality care by using effective, data-driven performance advancement methodologies.

In doing so, Purple Flag-accredited communities are setting the gold standard for memory care. The first three EPOCH Senior Living communities to complete their evaluations and achieve Purple Flag Accreditation are Waterstone on HighRidge, Bridges by EPOCH at Trumbull and Bridges by EPOCH at Norwalk – with their symbolic flag-raising ceremonies having been held throughout June.

Waterstone on High Ridge.jpegAll three of the Connecticut communities underwent a rigorous audit to demonstrate best practices in care programs alongside conformance with the requirements of 60 practice standards across ten content areas.

“EPOCH is leading the way in the world of memory care by adopting the high-quality standards set by Purple Flag Accreditation systemwide. We believe this to be a clear indicator of EPOCH’s passion and commitment to providing the best care possible for their residents,” said Christopher Carter, President of the Connecticut Assisted Living Association (CALA) and Purple Flag Governance Committee member. “We hope that more organizations implementing widespread standards for improvement like Purple Flag will inspire positive change throughout the country, motivating an overall trend supporting higher quality care for those with dementia and all who reside in senior living.”

Bridges by EPOCH at Norwalk.pngThe Purple Flag for Dementia Care™ Accreditation standards, which include a quality framework and specific required elements for care programs, are considered essential and valuable in making a difference in the care of a person with dementia.

“We’re proud to have Waterstone on High Ridge, Bridges by EPOCH Trumbull and Bridges by EPOCH Norwalk fly the Purple Flag at their communities,” said Carter. “They have taken the first steps to encourage a new level of quality for EPOCH and all its memory care programs. They have truly showcased outstanding leadership in both memory care and the field of senior living overall.”