By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor, Facility Market

The Joint Commission has launched an Assisted Living Community (ALC) accreditation program. The program will help assisted living organizations deliver consistent and reliable care for residents. 

More than 30,000 ALCs in the United States serve more than 800,000 residents. With growth in recent years, ALCs have been increasingly shifting from a mostly hospitality-based environment to a more healthcare-focused setting by offering services for medication management, skilled nursing and dementia care. This shift has highlighted the need for national, consensus-based standards and accreditation. 

The Joint Commission’s ALC accreditation standards were developed with consideration of scientific evidence and best practices, as well as state regulations and Life Safety Codes. Experts in the field of geriatrics, dementia care, rehabilitation, infection control and senior housing were engaged in a collaborative effort to design standards that align with quality care delivery and safe practices. 

The standards address the environment, staffing, emergency management, dementia care, medication management, provision of care and services, process improvement and more. In addition to an extensive internal review of the standards by subject matter experts, feedback and expert guidance were received from learning visits, a Technical Advisory Panel (TAP), Standards Review Panel/TAP field review, public field review, and pilot testing.