Every senior living community is trying to stand apart from the other communities in their area. How do you know for sure that what is being advertised is for real? Harbour’s Edge, for example, is proud to have been awarded a 5-star Medicare rating. But what does that mean, exactly? How can a 5-star rating help you determine whether a community is right for you?
We can help you better understand what a 5-star rating means and how it can help guide you toward a senior living community that will effectively provide for your needs.
What is the Medicare rating system?
If you are exploring your options for a senior living community, it can be challenging to differentiate one from the other, especially in terms of quality. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a Five-Star Quality Rating System to help make the decision-making process easier for older adults and their families and caregivers. The system assigns every community an overall rating using a scale between 1 and 5 stars, with a 5-star rating representing above-average quality and a 1-star rating representing below-average quality.
In addition to the overall rating, the CMS also provides separate ratings for three categories: Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures.
- Health Inspections is based on a community’s three most recent health inspections and investigations due to complaints.
- Staffing is calculated based on the number of hours of care provided on average to each resident each by a community’s nursing staff.
- Quality Measures is a determination of how well the community’s staff is caring for the physical and clinical needs of their residents.
Benefits of a CCRC
Measuring the quality of a community starts with the level of care they provide for their residents. The goal of any senior living community should be to provide for the needs of their residents and enable them to live as independently as possible. Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), otherwise known as Life Care communities, are built around this concept of providing for the health and well-being of residents both now and in the future.
Right now, services and amenities may be the most important aspect of an independent living community for you. You want to be able to participate in a variety of social, cultural and recreational activities, and know that you have salon and spa services, a library and even a performing arts center available to you and all under one roof.
But further down the road, your health may change your priorities. Before that day comes, the best you can do is make sure you’ll have access to the care you need, when you need it. That is the benefit that a CCRC offers. Peace of mind knowing you’ll be taken care of.
Harbour’s Edge Health Center
As a Life Care community backed by a 5-star rating, Harbour’s Edge is one of the few senior living communities in the state of Florida that boasts a top rating from the CMS. Take a tour of our health center and it won’t take you long to understand why. In addition to the private rooms and deluxe private suites, the warm and inviting atmosphere of the health center also provides residents with access to a wide range of amenities and chef-prepared meals.
Harbour’s Edge offers residents skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, both of which are staffed by a dedicated team that develops a care plan customized to each individual.
Healthcare professionals you can trust
Residents who require skilled nursing at Harbour’s Edge take comfort knowing they are in the well-trained care of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants. Our skilled nursing wing is also home to on-site physicians specializing in internal medicine, gerontology, podiatry, dentistry, optometry and neurology.
Medicare-approved rehabilitation care at Harbour’s Edge includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Our community also partners with Rehab Care™, a premier provider of rehabilitation services, to ensure your therapist meets the highest standards.
The care you need and the quality of care you deserve are both at Harbour’s Edge.
If you are interested in learning more about our 5-star health services, let’s chat! Please fill out the form below or give us a call at 561-272-7979.
