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Newsweek, Statista recognize 250 CCRCs with release of first-ever rankings

Read our latest mention from Mcknights Senior Living.

From the article:

Newsweek and global market research and consumer data firm Statista this morning are recognizing 250 US continuing care retirement / life plan communities via the announcement of their first-ever “America’s Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities 2024” rankings.

Topping the list is Valle Verde, a HumanGood community in Santa Barbara, CA, with a score of 91.7% out of 100%. Close behind at No. 2 is Edgemere, located in Dallas, with a score of 91.66%. As of mid-June, Edgemere is owned by Bay 9 Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Lapis Advisers LP, and is managed by Long Hill at Edgemere LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Methodist Homes.

“This recognition is a testament to the strong, innovative culture created by our passionate HumanGood team members and residents in each of our communities,” HumanGood CEO John Cochrane told McKnight’s Senior Living. “It is an honor to be included in this ranking and share our mission to help inspire the best life for all of our residents, team members, families and friends.”

Newsweek published news of its plans for the rankings in August when it posted links to two surveys — one for residents and prospective residents and their friends and family members, and the other for CCRC workers and those whose jobs associated them with CCRCs — on its website. (Read more about the surveys here.) Data were collected through Sept. 26, and an analysis of the findings accounted for 90% of each CCRC’s score. The other 10% of the score was determined by whether a community was accredited by CARF International.

“Building on the interest in our nursing home ranking, Newsweek wants to help readers make informed choices with the important decision of selecting a CCRC,” Josh Smith, Newsweek’s director of rankings, told McKnight’s Senior Living in September. “We recognize the changing landscape of eldercare and aim to help consumers find the right facility for themselves or a loved one.”

That changing landscape of eldercare, according to Newsweek, involves a growing population of Americans aged 65 or more years and the expectation that “the request for retirement housing that offers various levels of care options will increase over the next decades.”

Newsweek and Statista expect their rankings to become an annual undertaking.

Data, according to the two companies, were collected about CCRCs in the 20 states that have the most communities: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas and Virginia.

The rankings, which include for-profit and not-for-profit communities, represent a fraction of the almost 2,000 CCRCs in the United States.

The top 10 CCRCs on the list, and their scores:

  • Valle Verde (HumanGood), Santa Barbara, CA (91.70%)
  • Edgemere, Dallas (91.6%)
  • Willow Valley Communities, Willow Street, PA (88.88%)
  • Friendship of Bloomington (Lifespace Communities), Bloomington, MN (87.92%)
  • River’s Edge (RiverSpring Living), Riverdale, NY (86.50%)
  • Freedom Pointe at the Villages (managed by Life Care Services), The Villages, FL (82.95%)
  • The Admiral at the Lake (currently a Kendal affiliate), Chicago (82.41%)
  • Moorings Park, Naples, FL (81.43%)
  • Landis Homes, Lititz, PA (80.99%)
  • The Hearthstone at Green Lake, Seattle (80.91%)

Several organizations with CCRCs ranked in the top 10 have additional communities in the rankings as well. Altogether, LCS has a total of 18 CCRCs on the list, HumanGood has seven, Lifespace Communities has six, and Kendal has five affiliates that are recognized. Additionally, No. 3 Willow Valley has a strategic alliance with Acts–Retirement Life Communities, which has two communities on the list.

Additional organizations with two or more ranked CCRCs:

  • Ohio Living (seven communities on the list),
  • Erickson Senior Living (six),
  • Front Porch (five),
  • Vi Living (five),
  • Brookdale Senior Living (four),
  • Otterbein SeniorLife (three),
  • Pinnacle Living (three),
  • PMMA (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America) (three),
  • Beaumont Commons (two),
  • Buckner Retirement Services (two),
  • Concordia Lutheran Ministries (two),
  • Country Meadows (two),
  • Lutheran Senior Services (two),
  • National Church Residences (two),
  • Presbyterian Senior Living (two) and
  • Sunrise Senior Living (two).

The full rankings and details about the methodology appear on the Newsweek website.

Rankings versus ratings

The new CCRC rankings differ from US News & World Report’s “Best Senior Living” lists of senior living communities. The US News effort, which was publicly announced in 2021 and first published in 2022, rates various types of communities — independent living, assisted living, memory care and CCRCs — as “best” if they meet certain criteria based on the results of consumer satisfaction surveys of residents and their families conducted at participating communities. The communities are not ranked.

By contrast, the Newsweek and Statista “America’s Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities” effort focuses on CCRCs, ranks them and includes feedback from the surveys, which were open to anyone choosing to participate who met certain criteria and were willing to provide demographic information and email addresses for data validation purposes.

Smith said that Newsweek did not contact providers directly about the “America’s Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities 2024” effort, although Statista said that the surveys were promoted on various social media channels.

The Newsweek / Statista program is one of a growing number of recognition programs designed to help senior living communities stand out from their competition as consumers search for options. In addition to the aforementioned US News program, for instance, Fortune’s “Best Workplaces for Aging Services” lists and J.D. Power’s Senior Living Satisfaction Study both were launched in 2018, NRC Health’s “Customer Approved” and “Employee Approved” awards began in 2019 (but have since been disbanded), and Caring.com’s “Caring Stars” program has been around since 2012.