By Joanne Kaldy
You know you have a great community, but you need to make sure others know it too. When you have excellent online feedback from residents and their family members, it helps spread the word. And it builds confidence for prospective residents and their families that they too would love to be a part of your community. Each review contributes to this reputation. Helping your community stand out as a star and be easily recognized as among the best our industry has to offer.
Standing Out from the Crowd
Caring Stars, a program of Senior Living Foresight partner, Caring.com, helps seniors and their families find top-rated senior living communities and in-home care agencies throughout the U.S. The program recognizes senior living communities for the service excellence that distinguishes them from the competition and shows in the ratings their customers publish about them on Caring.com. This industry-leading honor also helps generate positive buzz and boosts staff morale, which has never been more important or more powerful than it is today.
And, the 2021 Stars Are . . .
This month, Caring.com released its 10th Caring Stars list recognizing the Caring Stars for 2021. This ‘best of the best’ list includes 156 senior living communities across 37 states; 50 of which are “Caring Super Stars” after earning the award for 2021 and two or more additional years.
The high standards to become a Caring Star make this a very exclusive and prestigious group. To be considered and recognized, senior living communities must meet all of the following criteria:
- Have an overall average rating of 4.5 stars or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) by October 15, 2020
- Have 10 or more consumer reviews published on their Caring.com listing by October 15, 2020
- Have 3 or more reviews on their listing dated between October 15, 2019 – October 15, 2020, including at least one that was posted during 2020 and at least one that had a 5-star rating
- Have responded to any/all negative (1-star or 2-star) reviews on their listing.
A Designation Consumers Can Rely On
In determining the 2021 Caring Star winners, Caring.com also conducted a reviews-integrity audit and took other quality-assurance measures. Including screening finalist communities using licensing and inspection reports on state agency websites (where applicable and data publicly available).
“With more than a decade of senior care expertise, we know that seniors and their families have a range of questions, concerns, and pressing needs when researching senior living communities,” said Caring.com’s CEO Jim Rosenthal. “Our high-integrity consumer reviews program and the Caring Stars annual guide are among the ways we provide relevant information and empathetic guidance.”
He added, “This important information saves seniors and their families time, relieves feelings of stress, and instills confidence in decision-making — particularly if the need is urgent.”
The Brightness of Caring Stars Attracts Attention
Caring.com’s referral network data shows that the Caring Stars annual list, first created in 2012 as the first of its kind in our industry, helps seniors and their families quickly and easily identify senior living communities best poised to meet their needs. For 2019 and 2020, for example, the top-rated Caring Stars communities on average attracted twice as many new resident inquiries and three times as many move-ins as Caring.com community partners without the award!
At the same time, particularly with the industry currently facing unprecedented challenges, the importance of boosting families’ and prospects’ confidence about a community and staff’s morale and pride in their work can’t be underestimated. Being a Caring Stars community tells everyone a story of service, excellence, caring, and commitment.
For more information about Caring Stars, please contact [email protected] or (650) 762-8190. If you are interested in being considered as a Caring Star for 2022, it’s not too early to get started on your journey. Here’s how senior living communities get consumer reviews on Caring.com.
