What looked to be a challenging future for the then-Rowley Masonic Community (RMC) in Perry has become shining bright for the Eden Acres Campus of the Perry Lutheran Homes, recently designated a five-star facility by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Perry Lutheran Homes acquired the assets of RMC in November 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and rebranded the senior living community as the Perry Lutheran Homes’ Eden Acres Campus.
“I’m incredibly proud of our Perry Lutheran Homes’ team for this high achievement of excellence,” said Melissa Gannon, COO and administrator of the Perry Lutheran Homes. “It takes every single department and team member to achieve this significant accomplishment.”
Gannon said the CMS designation is a testament to the Perry Lutheran Homes’ commitment to quality of care.
“The CMS five-star quality and overall rating means that our services meet or exceed rigorous state and federal standards, which is a great comfort to our residents’ families,” she said. “Not only do we strive for excellence in safety and quality, but we also work to put the needs of our residents first, helping them engage in life and to live and thrive with meaning and purpose here at our Christian Caring Community.”
Gannon explained that the CMS created the five-star quality rating system in order to help consumers compare and ask questions about nursing homes. To receive a five-out-of-five-star rating requires excellent outcomes on state surveys conducted by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals with CMS oversight, she said, as well as demonstrated action and correction for any other issues that might arise in between annual surveys.
During inspections, state surveyors arrive unannounced in order to conduct extensive, on-site surveys. The surveyors interview staff, residents, and residents’ family members over several days, observe care and procedures and check records. The inspectors then use their findings to judge a community’s performance on safety measures, quality of care, medication management, hygiene, cleanliness, confidentiality, resident rights, food service and more.
“This CMS five-star rating is something for the entire community of Perry to be proud and excited about,” said the Rev. Max Phillips, CEO of Perry Lutheran Homes. “It speaks to our community’s ability to meet the needs of and serve our aging population with excellence, care and compassion. Shop local and live local is how we look at it. You don’t have to go outside the community to receive high-quality senior care. We’ve got it all right here in Perry.”
The Perry Lutheran Homes is locally owned and managed. The Christian Caring Community has served Perry and surrounding communities for more than 65 years, offering innovative, personalized, Christ-centered living and care at three campuses in Perry: the Spring Valley Campus, King’s Gardens Campus and Eden Acres Campus. Services include independent and assisted living, award-winning memory care, in-home care, respite care, skilled nursing care, rehabilitative therapy, intermediate and long-term care, end-of-life care and meals on wheels. Learn more at the Perry Lutheran Homes website.
Mollie A. Clark is the director of marketing at the Perry Lutheran Homes.
