SpiriTrust Lutheran® Life Plan Communities have been recognized by U.S. News & World report on its 2022-2023 “Best Senior Living” listings for consumers.
U.S. News awards the designation of Best Senior Living only to those communities that satisfy U.S. News’s objective statistical assessment of each senior living community’s performance from consumer satisfaction surveys administered between March 2021 and February 2022, reflecting the viewpoints of more than 200,000 current residents and family members of residents living in thousands of senior living communities nationwide.
Four SpiriTrust Lutheran Communities earned the “Best” status by achieving the highest possible rating.
- The Village at Kelly Drive (York, PA) – Best Independent Living
- The Village at Sprenkle Drive (York, PA) – Best Assisted Living
- The Village at Utz Terrace (Hanover, PA) – Best Assisted Living*
- The Village at Luther Ridge (Chambersburg, PA) – Best Independent Living & Best Assisted Living*
“All of us at SpiriTrust Lutheran are honored to receive this recognition from U.S News & World Report,” said Melissa Williams, CASP, CMP, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at SpiriTrust Lutheran. “We understand that what families and residents desire most in a senior living community is confidence … in the quality of care and quality of life they will receive by making a move. Our team takes great strides in building upon our tradition of excellence, and this distinction is testimony to not only them and the hard work they put forth, but also the trust they’ve earned from families and the residents alike.”
The inaugural U.S. News Best Senior Living ratings and profiles offer comprehensive information and exclusive analysis of consumer satisfaction data evaluating such factors as community & activity, food & dining, caregiving, and management & staff for nearly 2,500 communities in the continental U.S. and Hawaii. For more than 30 years, U.S. News has served the American public as an unbiased arbiter of quality across a variety of important choices. Whether picking a college, selecting a hospital or moving to a nursing home, consumers go to U.S. News to research and make consequential life decisions.
“Until now, families have had limited information when comparing providers of independent living, assisted living, memory care or continuing care,” said Ben Harder, managing editor and chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “The Best Senior Living ratings fill this informational gap with comprehensive and transparent data to help older consumers and their families identify high-quality senior living communities that meet their needs and preferences.”
For more information behind the data analyzed in the U.S. News ratings for Senior Living, please refer to the methodology.
For more about SpiriTrust Lutheran’s Life Plan Communities who received the Best Senior Communities distinction, visit:
- The Village at Kelly Drive
- The Village at Sprenkle Drive
- The Village at Utz Terrace
- The Village at Luther Ridge
SpiriTrust Lutheran’s two other Life Plan Communities were recognized by U.S. News & World Report on its 2021-2022 Best Nursing Homes list.
- The Village at Gettysburg – Best Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care & Short-Term Rehab
- The Village at Shrewsbury – Best Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care & Short-Term Rehab
Read more about SpiriTrust Lutheran and the Best Nursing Homes designations on our blog.
*Understanding the difference between Assisted Living and Personal Care.
Within the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Senior Living Communities,” “Assisted Living” is used to represent both assisted living and personal care licensures. While The Village at Sprenkle Drive truly offers Assisted Living, The Village at Utz Terrace and The Village at Luther Ridge offer Personal Care.
Prior to 2011, assisted living and personal care were essentially synonymous, interchangeable terms. Some communities called themselves assisting living, but if asked to show their provider license, they would have presented a Personal Care Home certificate. Their offerings would have included support with personal care, meals, housekeeping and transportation. Unfortunately, under the Personal Care licensure, care services were limited to maintaining general health. If an individual required a higher level of nursing care, they would have needed to transition to skilled care, and the cost might have exceeded 2-3x more than personal care.
Today, assisted living and personal care are licensed differently in Pennsylvania. The differentiation first started in 2007 when PA Senate Bill 704 was signed, and then enacted in January 2011 by the Intra-Governmental Council on Long-Term Care. This bill established an assisted living licensure (as a separate form of long-term care in the state of PA). Essentially, assisted living was created to bridge the gap between personal care and skilled nursing so that residents could age in place for a longer period of time before needing to move into a nursing facility, as well as lower the cost care for residents needing advanced care, but not yet skilled care.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
