Agemark Senior Living recently honored communities and individuals for excellence achieved in 2023. Awards were presented on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at a ceremony held during the company’s corporate meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Evergreen Inn in Vancouver, Washington, was named Agemark’s Community of the Year among its assisted living and multiple service communities. It was the sixth time overall, as well as the third year in a row the community earned the award. Executive Director Kelly Higdon accepted the award on behalf of her team. CountryHouse in Cumberland, Maryland, was honored as the Community of the Year for memory care. Led by Executive Director Nicole King, the community offers exceptional memory care for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. It was the fifth win historically for CountryHouse in Cumberland, and the first since 2020. Community of the Year awards are based on exceeding standards for resident, family and staff satisfaction, occupancy, budget, and finances as well as other metrics.
Brandie Hesson-Bullard of CountryHouse in Kearney, Nebraska, was named the Director of the Year for a memory care community, while Jackie Hernandez of Astoria Senior Living and Memory Care in Oakdale, California, was the Director of the Year for Agemark’s assisted living or multiple service communities. Directors of the year earned their honors for a combination of resident, family and staff satisfaction, operational excellence, along with occupancy, budget, and financial achievement along with their demonstration and leadership of the company’s core values. It was the first time each has been honored in this capacity.
Several Agemark communities were recognized for earning the top scores company-wide for resident, family, and staff satisfaction. Two memory care communities were honored: CountryHouse in Council Bluffs, Iowa, recognized for the top score for staff satisfaction following the company’s staff survey, while CountryHouse in Grand Island, Nebraska, was honored as the top scorer in the company’s resident and family surveys. The Evergreen Inn of Vancouver, Washington, was recognized for having top scores for both family and staff satisfaction out of all of Agemark’s assisted living and multi-service communities.
CountryHouse in Elkhorn, Nebraska, was named the company’s Rising Star for 2023. This award is given to the community who made a tremendous turnaround from the previous year. CountryHouse in Elkhorn opened their doors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The community has made tremendous strides in satisfaction for both staff and residents, operations, and occupancy over the last year.
Alicia Summers, Vice President of Finance, was recognized as the company’s Impact Player for 2023. The Impact Player is recognized for organizational commitment and selfless action. Summers has been with Agemark since 2010, starting in a community bookkeeping and administrative assistant role before moving to the corporate level. She was promoted to Vice President of Finance in 2022.
Additionally, four individuals were named Agemark “HEROES” for 2023. The HERO award is Agemark’s highest individual honor and recognizes team members across the country who go above and beyond for residents, families, and their coworkers. These individuals were: Athena Diaz-Dulanto, HR Assistant (CountryHouse in Grand Island, Nebraska), Stephanie Perez, Director of Nursing (TreVista in Concord, California), Christina Toledo, Caregiver (The Evergreen Inn, Vancouver, Washington) and Julie Smith, Life Enrichment Coach (Holland Farms in Norwalk, Iowa).
