Oakland Senior Living Community Re-Accredited for Dementia Care and Skilled Nursing

Piedmont Gardens is the First East Bay Retirement Community to Obtain Special Recognition for Innovate Memory Care and Skilled Nursing Care

OAKLAND, Calif. – Piedmont Gardens, an Oakland senior living community, recently received a five-year accreditation from CARF-CCAC (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and Continuing Care Accreditation Commission). CARF-CCAC is an international recognition that identifies excellence in the high quality of services of a senior living organization. Piedmont Gardens is the only community in the East Bay area to obtain special recognition for dementia care for memory support and person-centered long-term care for skilled nursing. The community also received accreditation for the entire continuing care retirement community.

“Only 12 percent of continuing care retirement communities in the country are CARF-CCAC accredited and even fewer strive for accreditation for memory support or person-centered/skilled nursing care,” said Dave Ferguson, CEO and president of American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW), which owns and manages Piedmont Gardens. “In total, all 11 of our ABHOW communities were accredited in 2014, including Piedmont Gardens.”

Achieving accreditation requires an internal examination of the program and business, and the community must commit to providing quality improvements, focusing on the needs of each resident, and monitoring the results of the service. The accreditation process involves a team of professionals who evaluate the community based on its finances, policies, procedures and practices.

“The high standards CARF-CCAC sets make the results event more impressive,” said Kay Kallander, ABHOW senior vice president for strategic planning. “Piedmont Gardens had scores in the upper 90 percent, making it one of the highest-scoring communities in the country.”

About Piedmont Gardens

Piedmont Gardens is located at 110 41st Street in Oakland, Calif. The nonprofit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) promotes a lifestyle of activity, security and convenience. Piedmont Gardens creates a quality environment for residents in a setting that is responsive to their desire for an independent lifestyle and supplemental care as may be required during their lifetime. Piedmont Gardens is the first community in Oakland to receive CARF-CCAC special program recognition in three distinct areas, including continuing care retirement community, person-centered long-term care for skilled nursing, and dementia care for memory support. For more information, call 1-866-631-7943 or visit PiedmontGardens.com.

 

About ABHOW

Piedmont Gardens is managed by ABHOW, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. ABHOW is a nonsectarian corporation, serving older adults through quality retirement housing since 1949. ABHOW seeks to enhance the well-being and security of seniors through the provision of housing, health care and supportive services, and was a pioneer in the development of CCRCs. For more information about ABHOW, visit ABHOW.com.

Piedmont Gardens Names Charlene Wolf Program Manager for The Grove

OAKLAND, Calif. – Piedmont Gardens recently named Charlene Wolf program manager for the senior living community’s memory support residences, The Grove. Wolf brings more than 30 years of experience working with older adults, and has had a lifelong passion for serving those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Her personal background and experience will build upon the success of a variety of memory support programs offered to residents at The Grove.

“Charlene is an asset to the team and a true example of someone who understands our philosophy at The Grove,” said Kevin Smith, executive director at Piedmont Gardens.  “While she’s leading the team, there are a number of unique programs and services she’ll help oversee, including The Best Friends Approach.”

The Best Friends™  Approach focuses on building relationships with residents based on individual life stories and experiences, and provides a therapeutic environment, creative activities, and well-trained professionals who help residents feel safe, secure and valued. All team members working at The Grove will be a ‘best friend’ with residents.

They’re responsible for learning about the residents’ lives from their families, and interacting with them to increase positivity, prevent isolation and continue socialization. The Grove also offers a variety of programs and activities that benefit residents living with memory loss, including art and music therapy, improvisation classes and drum circles.

“Caregivers at The Grove are trained to encourage and facilitate a number of physical, spiritual, intellectual and social activities, based on the needs and capabilities of each resident,” said Smith. “Our culture at Piedmont Gardens is focused on personalized care, and we’re proud to be able to offer these kinds of programs and services for older adults and their families in the Oakland area.”

Piedmont Gardens Names Kevin H. Smith as New Executive Director

OAKLAND, Calif. –  LeadingAge California member Piedmont Gardens recently announced Kevin H. Smith as its new executive director. In his position, Smith will oversee day-to-day operations of the continuing care retirement community, including residential living, dining, health services and life enrichment programs.

“Piedmont Gardens is a well-known senior living community in the Oakland area, and I’m proud to be part of a professional team that is so excited and sincere about senior living,” said Smith. “My background is in management for large hotels, and I hope to provide the same respect and way of living for our residents as we did for our guests.”

Smith has more than 20 years of leadership experience overseeing the success of large hotels in the New York area, including the New Yorker Hotel and the Cassa Hotel and Residences, both in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Prior to joining the executive team at Piedmont Gardens, he worked as the general manager for the Cassa Hotel under the Viceroy Hotel Group in New York.

“Kevin is a great asset to the Piedmont Gardens team and possesses the kind of leadership skills we hope to find in our executive associates,” said Jeff Glaze, senior vice president and chief operations manager at ABHOW. “He is passionate about spending quality time and interacting with residents and associates to get to know each and every one of them on a personal level.”

Smith is a graduate of Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill., where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology. He also holds a Master of Science degree in management and systems from New York University in New York, N.Y.