The International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) and NuStep, LLC have recognized the top senior living communities in North America as the “Best in Wellness” with the ICAA NuStep Beacon Award. The top five performers also earned the prestigious Pinnacle Award for “exceptional, above-and-beyond performance.“
This year, ICAA and NuStep have expanded the Pinnacle Award to include the top five winners in two additional categories: community centers (senior centers, parks & recreation facilities, adult day services) and wellness CEOs. Meadowood is proud to have made the Pinnacle Award list recognizing our commitment to a culture of wellness. Keep reading to learn more about the award and our involvement with ICAA.
Pinnacle Award Recognizes Continuous Culture Of Wellness
The ICAA NuStep Beacon and Pinnacle Awards recognize senior living communities, community centers, and CEOs that foster an environment that embraces wellness as a way of life for all who live and work there. Using the dimensions of wellness as a foundation, these organizations and leaders partner with residents, members and staff to intentionally create relevant, meaningful opportunities that empower individuals to live better longer.
Meadowood has been involved with ICAA for several years as a member, but has only been considered for Beacon and Pinnacle in recent years. The community was recognized with the Beacon Award in 2021, so to achieve the Pinnacle Award the very next year is very exciting.
“This recognition really motivates and propels us forward by giving us validation that we’re on the right track,” said Becky Anhorn, Director of Fitness and Wellness at Meadowood. “The most important thing to us is the experience of the people who are living here, that we’re meeting their needs and providing enough variety in our wellness programming to support as many residents as we can. To have an organization like ICAA recognize us out of more than 750 submissions is incredibly heartening.”
ICAA considers submissions from senior living communities from across the entirety of North America. Meadowood is accompanied on the list by some of the most impressive communities in the world, located in scenic areas like beaches and mountains. Our community’s inclusion in this list is a major honor and shows our commitment to wellness is truly unique.
Application Criteria
To give you an idea of what kind of communities qualify to submit for the Beacon and Pinnacle Awards, here are a few of the criteria ICAA and NuStep look for:
- Wellness is a focus in mission, vision, or core values
- Dedicated wellness program centered on the dimensions of wellness
- Training for wellness staff and support for their professional development
- Acknowledging the value of wellness in your marketing materials
- Encouraging residents to offer ideas, and help create & drive wellness programming
- Interdisciplinary teams/supportive services to help residents reach their pinnacle of wellness
- Measuring outcomes of wellness programs
- Monitoring resident and staff satisfaction with culture of wellness; process for addressing that feedback
- Spaces specifically dedicated to wellness activities
- Funds earmarked specifically for supporting a wellness culture
This year, ICAA and NuStep requested photos that demonstrate a culture of wellness throughout the community. Meadowood highlighted the following:
- Golf course
- Croquet court
- Wiffle ball team
- Our past recognition of the Beacon Award
- Our theater program
- A few of our veteran residents who got to take a flight in an open cockpit biplane in the skies of Bucks County through the Dream Flights program
- A photo of our Senior Prom Homecoming King and Queen
What’s Next For Meadowell
This year, Meadowood is focused on making more community connections.
“We want to continue building our connections in the wider community,” said Anhorn. “We want to make sure we’re not just waiting for organizations to reach out to us, but also actively reaching out and getting the Meadowell name out there. Our residents have a real interest in getting more involved in the outer community, especially making intergenerational connections and doing some cooperative volunteering. We’re driven by the needs of the residents and there’s a lot of interest in that area right now.”
Stay tuned — we are thrilled to embark on this new year of Meadowell and can’t wait to share all the exciting activities we have planned! If you’re interested in experiencing a community with an exceptional dedication to all dimensions of wellness, request a brochure or schedule a tour in-person to see it for yourself!