Quality First at The Friendly Home

One definition of the word quality is “having a high degree of excellence”. At The Friendly Home, quality defined in this way has always been our goal: the quality of the care and services we provide, enhancing the quality of life for our Members, attracting and retaining quality staff. Quality is the foundation on which The Friendly Home is built. We believe that we have indeed achieved a high degree of excellence in all of these areas. At the same time, we recognize there are always opportunities to improve, to do things better or differently, to incorporate new ideas. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, The Friendly Home’s commitment to achieving quality is constant and unwavering.

For over 15 years, a formal Quality Assessment & Assurance (QAA) program has been in place at The Friendly Home to coordinate and ensure the ongoing review of processes and services to enhance Members’ care, treatment and quality of life. To further expand upon our existing quality practices, The Friendly Home has pledged to support and be a part of Quality First, an initiative led by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) in collaboration with other aging services organizations. In 2005, The Friendly Home signed the Quality First Covenant, joining thousands of aging-services providers nationwide in a commitment to continuous quality improvement.

Quality First is a philosophy of quality and a framework designed to help organizations like ours continue to achieve excellence and earn public trust. The core of Quality First is the following 10 Elements of Quality:

• Commitment
• Governance & Accountability
• Leading-Edge Care & Services
• Community Involvement
• Continuous Quality Improvement
• Human Resources Development
• Consumer-Friendly Information
• Consumer Participation
• Research Findings & Education
• Public Trust & Consumer Confidence

“The Friendly Home has always worked to offer healthy, affordable and ethical aging services in our community. A comprehensive and very effective quality program has been in place here for many years. In fact, many of our quality initiatives and programs fit nicely into the ten Quality First elements. We are proud to be part of this national initiative and will continue providing quality care that people can trust.” Bill Kouwe, Friendly Home Chief Operating Officer