“Each on of the award recipients has proven its dedication to improving lives through quality care, and it is a privilege to honor them with this year’s award,” said Governor Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “We congratulate Southridge Village Retirement Center on this achievement.”

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldridge Performance Excellence Program. The program assists providers of long term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance excellence goals.

The program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Facilities begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where they develop an organizational profile with essential performance elements such as vision and mission statements and an assessment of customers’ expectations. Bronze applicants must demonstrate their ability to implement a performance improvement system. A team of trained Examiners reviews each Bronze application to determine if the facility has met the demands of the criteria. As a recipient of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality award, Southridge Village Retirement Center may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the criteria required for the Silver – Achievement in Quality award.

“The commitment these facilities have made to quality care does not stop with this benchmark award,” says Chick Stepahin, Chair, AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers. “The journey to quality care requires dedication, and Southridge Village Retirement Center has risen to the challenge.”

The awards are sponsored by AHCA/NCAL Associates Business Member My InnerView, a Web-based applied research and quality-management company that supports leaders across the entire assisted living, senior housing and skilled nursing profession with tools to measure, benchmark and improve performance. The award will be presented to Southridge Village Retirement Center during AHCA/NCAL’s 63 Annual Convention and Exposition, October 7-10, 2012 in Tampa, FL.

VA Aid & Attendance Benefits:

The Aid & Attendance (A & A) is a benefit that may be available for veterans and/or surviving spouses, who are atleast 65 years old, to assist with the coast of long term care. It is a non-service connected disability benefit, meaning the disability does not have to be a result of service. In order to qualify, you must meet Service, Disability, Income, and Asset requirements as defined by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs and outlined as:

Service Requirements

• Was discharged from a branch of the United States Armed Forces under conditions that were not dishonorable, and
• Served at least one day (did not have to be served in combat) during the following wartime periods and had 90 days of continuous military service
• World War I: April 6, 1917 -November 11, 1918
•  World War II: December 7, 1941- December 31, 1946 
• Korean War: June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955 
• Vietnam War: August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975 
• Persian Gulf War: August 2, 1990 – date set by Presidential Proclamation or law

Disability Requirement:

• You require the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting yourself from the hazards of daily environment, OR
• You are bedridden, in that your disability(ies) require that you remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment OR
• You are a patient in a nursing home (assisted living) due to mental or physical incapacity, OR
• You are blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less

Income and Asset Requirements:

Income and net worth (the value of your assets) also affect eligibility. VA pensions are a need-based benefit, and a large net worth or high income might affect your eligibility. All personal goods are exempt from the net worth. These goods include the home you live in, a vehicle used for the care of the claiment, and household goods and personal effects such as clothes, jewelry and furniture. Unfortunately, that is no asset or income limit set by law, and the determination of eligibility can be made at the discretion of a VA caseworker.

Maximum Monthly Pension Rates 2010

Two Veterans Married to Each Other             $2,540

Veteran with Spouse/Dependent                   $1,949

Single Veteran                                                        $1,644

Surviving Spouse                                                   $1,056

Contact the facility for more information.

Heber Springs: Janet Loftis, Administrator (501)362-7023

Conway: Ashley Blankenship, Administrator (501)327-3030

Cabot: Liz Blankenship, Administrator (501)362-7023

A recent article published in Business Week named Conway as the fastest growing city in Arkansas.  Here’s an excerpt from the article…

Fastest-growing city in Arkansas: Conway

Number of households: 24,392
Pct. Chg: +5% since 2008 (+33% since 2000)
Average household income: $84,354 (+70% since 2000)
Why: The scenic lakes, parks, and colleges helped attract home buyers to Conway, northwest of Little Rock. Major employers include Acxiom Corp., the University of Central Arkansas, and Conway Regional Medical Center, according to Conway’s chamber of commerce.