Piper Shores announced today that it has been awarded a Five-Year Term of Re-Accreditation by the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CARF–CCAC), the nation’s only accrediting body for continuing care retirement communities. In a state with more than 200 nursing, assisted, and retirement communities, Piper Shores remains the only retirement community in Maine to receive this designation. Piper Shores was originally accredited in 2009.
To earn this special accreditation, Piper Shores voluntarily put itself through a rigorous peer review process and demonstrated to a team of independent surveyors during a multi-day onsite visit that it is committed to meeting the highest conditions and standards for retirement communities.
In a letter to Piper Shores Administrator Peggy Farrington, CARF President Brian J. Boom noted, “This achievement is an indication of your organization’s dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served. Your organization should take pride in achieving accreditation.”
Farrington, who spearheaded the accreditation process, said the 10-month undertaking was significant for the organization and involved a variety of stakeholders and nine working groups, including senior leadership, department heads, board members, staff, and residents. “Accreditation is about pushing yourself to do better and exceeding the standards—it’s not about waiting for someone to tell you to fix things,” she said. “At Piper Shores, this is what we believe in. We hold ourselves to a high standard. We want to be better than good; we want to be great.”
Farrington added that while the retirement industry is highly regulated in Maine, Piper Shores’ leadership felt strongly that the organization, founded in 2001, had the potential to exceed state standards. The 27-page Accreditation Report names three areas of exemplary conformance, eleven areas of strength, and seven areas for improvement. The exemplary ranking highlights three outstanding areas of performance in the category of financial management — total excess margin ratio; a days cash on hand ratio; and a cash to debt ratio — where Piper achieved above the 75th percentile in comparison with other accredited continuing care communities around the country.
Among the areas of strength were Piper Shore’s person-centered approach to care; its workforce of leaders who demonstrate genuine commitment to the residents they serve; its meticulously maintained campus; its inclusive view of process improvement; its excellent ranking on state and federal surveys; and the high value placed on input from stakeholders.
“We are extremely proud of this Accreditation Award,” said Piper Shores CEO, Jim Adamowicz. “CARF utilizes a proven system of organizational review that is renown. The process is intensive, credible, and best in class. I am deeply impressed by the staff at Piper Shores for the attention they continually give to excellence and quality.”
About CCAC
The Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (CCAC) was founded in 1985 as the nation’s only accrediting body for continuing care retirement communities and similar organizations. In 2003, CCAC merged with CARF, a nonprofit accreditor founded in 1966 that serves a wide range of human service organizations. For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org.