Share Your Good Work With Consumers

Updated: July 24, 2007

With so many options, consumers and their families are often confused and overwhelmed when choosing care and services to meet their needs. Your facility can help guide consumers in your area by distributing and discussing AAHSA's Consumers' Guide to Quality Aging Services. The guide features a set of questions designed to help consumers learn how different providers are managed, what values drive their work and how they meet an individual's needs and preferences.

Here are a few simple ways that you can use the Consumers' Guide to Quality Aging Services to demonstrate the quality of your services and care and earn the public's trust:

• Give the Guide to older adults and their loved ones who tour your facility and address some of the topics from the Guide during tours.



• Include answers to the questions from the Guide in your newsletter, on your Web site and/or post them on bulletin boards in your facility.



• Discuss the Guide with residents and family members at resident/family council meetings.



• Distribute the Guide through local organizations, such as fraternal and civic organizations, libraries and senior centers, to aid the public in making choices about quality aging services and care.



• Issue a press release to small and mid–sized newspapers in your area about the availability of the Guide from your organization.



• Mention in your advertising that the Guide is available from your organization.



• Include the Guide in materials distributed to policymakers about your facility when they visit your facility or during meetings at their office.



• Discuss the Guide and answers to the questions with your staff and board members.



• Feature your use of the Guide in your annual report.

Please review the Consumers' Guide to Quality Aging Services. For more information about Quality First, please contact Maggie Flowers, Quality First Services Manager, at or (202) 508–9421.