Local Senior Living Community Achieves High Honor For Resident Care, Service

July 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Harrogate, a Life Care retirement community in Ocean County, has been presented the Harrison Award for providing excellent resident care and service by Life Care Services (LCS), a consulting partner of Harrogate, which serves over 28,000 seniors annually. Harrogate was selected out of 100 other retirement communities across the country for this top honor.

The Harrison Award was established in 2010 to honor LCS employee Mary Harrison, who worked for the company for over 30 years, and was instrumental in designing and implementing most of the organization’s current health care programs and policies. The award is given to only a select few retirement communities each year that excel at resident care, shown through deficiency-free annual reviews. Harrogate was also given the award in 2010 and 2011.

“At Harrogate, we strive to create a family-friendly environment for our residents at all levels of care, and this recent recognition shows that our care philosophy is effective. Residents are as excited as we are about this honor, and take real pride in it too,” said Clyde Sutton, associate executive director at Harrogate. “It’s also an acknowledgement of all the consistent hard work our team demonstrates each and every day. It’s our experienced and quality team members who truly set us apart from other health services programs in the country.”

Rose Ann Woronkewycz, director of nursing services at Harrogate, believes that the extra steps they take with residents are what matters most. At the end of each shift, the nursing staff gathers to discuss residents’ needs, family requests and any issues from that shift. According to Woronkewycz, these meetings help put the residents’ needs at the front of everyone’s minds, and keeps communication open with staff, residents and family members.

“We do our best to create a home environment around the health center,” Woronkewycz said. “Everything in our health center matches its equivalent from the independent living side, including décor, flatware and linens. You wouldn’t recognize that it’s a health center, which is why our residents have an easier time adjusting. It already feels like home.”

In addition to the hard work and dedication put in at the community’s health center, Harrogate also participates in two collaborative groups for skilled nursing communities, one local and one national. Both groups allow Harrogate leadership to compare their health care offerings to other communities, and make changes based on what would help residents flourish the most.

About Harrogate

Harrogate provides seniors with a unique lifestyle experience and a variety of residential options, including beautifully remodeled apartment homes. Harrogate also features in-home care and skilled nursing and rehab on its campus. Residents enjoy a wide range of services and amenities, such as gourmet dining, concierge services and a full activities calendar. More information about Harrogate is available by calling (732) 905-7070 or by visiting HarrogateLifecare.org (http://www.harrogatelifecare.org/).