Heritage Homes wins Amerinet Healthcare Achievement Award

Marketing April 23, 2015

Heritage Homes, a senior independent living, assisted living and memory care facility in Watertown, Wis. has been recognized as an Amerinet Healthcare Achievement Award winner in the category Community Impact and Innovation. Amerinet, a leading national healthcare solutions organization, recognizes its members for their outstanding and innovative contributions to their residents, community and business partners in reducing healthcare costs, improving healthcare quality and serving the community.

“In today’s challenging healthcare environment, providers must continuously find creative ways to improve operations, while at the same time, maintaining high levels of quality care and keeping an eye on the bottom line,” said Todd Ebert, Amerinet president and CEO. “Our awards program is an opportunity for Amerinet to recognize our members for their success in taking on and meeting these challenges in new and innovative ways.”

Heritage Homes’ winning project describes the success of the Watertown Dementia Awareness Coalition (WDAC), which was a Heritage Homes initiative.  The goal of the coalition, made up of committed organizations and community members, is to provide education to Watertown businesses to make Watertown one of the first cities in the country which is dementia-friendly.

A dementia-friendly community is one that shows a high level of public awareness and understanding so people with dementia and their care partners feel comfortable to seek help and feel supported by their community. Such communities are more inclusive of people with memory loss and cognitive impairments, and improve their ability to remain independent and have choice and control over their lives. 

As a result, the city of Watertown has garnered national recognition as being a leader in promoting dementia-friendly businesses.  Community members can recognize a dementia-friendly business by the Purple Angel decal.  The Purple Angel stands for Hope, Protection, Inspiration and Universal Teamwork. Since its launch in the United Kingdom several years ago, The Purple Angel logo has been adopted and shared by thousands of people who care about dementia related illness and want to help raise awareness. 

“We are honored to be recognized by Amerinet for the work we have done regarding dementia in Watertown,” said Jan Zimmerman, Heritage Homes Assisted Living Administrator/Director of Nursing and WDAC President. “We are dedicated to making improvements to benefit our residents, staff and the community and appreciate the national recognition of our efforts.”

Two representatives from Heritage Homes will attend the awards ceremony during the 2015 Amerinet Member Conference, May 17-20 in Orlando, Fla. The winning project will be featured in a professional banner session and included in a best practices compendium.

About Heritage Homes

Heritage Homes offers independent living, assisted living and memory care and is located at 700 Welsh Road in Watertown, Wis.  For more information, contact Zimmerman at (920) 567-2001. Learn more at www.MyHeritageHomes.org and “Like” us on Facebook.