Chapel Pointe's skilled nursing households in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, have officially earned The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care. The recognition affirms what our residents, families, and staff experience every day: care that begins with the person, not the routine.

Person-centered care has always been part of our mission: honoring every resident as a unique individual, created in God's image, with a life story, preferences, and a voice that deserve respect.

Administrator Tawnya Walter, NHA, sees the designation as outside confirmation that our household team is living that calling well. "I've always had a lot of confidence in our staff, processes, and care," she said. "However, during COVID, we had to revert to a more institutional model of care. While we've focused on person-centered care since then, the Designation of Excellence process gave us an opportunity to have a lot of conversations about, and review, all of our processes in light of person-centered care."

At a Glance: Person-Centered Care at Chapel Pointe

• National recognition: Chapel Pointe’s skilled nursing households earned The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care.

• Honoring residents’ lives: The process inspired new ways to remember and honor residents who have passed away.

• Amplifying resident voices: New approaches are helping more residents share their perspectives and contribute to community life.

• Supporting the staff: A new committee is focused on supporting the team members who bring person-centered care to life every day.

• A commitment beyond recognition: The designation reflects Chapel Pointe’s ongoing commitment to treating each resident as an individual, with dignity, purpose, and a voice in their care.

What This Designation Means for Long-Term Care

The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence recognizes communities that demonstrate a genuine commitment to person-centered care. It’s built on rigorous research and evaluation by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing (HIGN) at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, with funding from The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation.

Two staff champions led the process, gathering input from residents and from team members across every department. Together with the HIGN team, they reviewed the results and set goals for continued growth.

"It helped to have an outside perspective as we re-evaluated how we provide care," Walter said. “Ultimately, though, earning this Designation of Excellence isn’t possible without the consistent dedication of our front-line staff to provide care that honors each person’s individuality.”

Honoring the Lives of Those We Love

As part of the designation, each community selects areas for continued growth. Chapel Pointe chose to deepen its resident grief support, building on an idea that was already in the works.

When a resident passes away, our community typically remembers them by listing them in the newsletter and on the internal TV channel. Through the Designation of Excellence process, we’ve added a moment of silence after their passing during the mealtime prayer and a remembrance area in each household, personalized by residents and staff.

The remembrance areas extend the time a resident is remembered and help residents, families, and visitors in the household stay informed. Residents and visitors, alike, have welcomed them warmly, and they reflect our belief that every life deserves to be celebrated and grieved with care.

Giving Every Resident a Voice

Our second area of focus was Resident Council, one of the most direct ways residents help shape life in their community. Chapel Pointe desired to improve awareness of the Resident Council and attendance at meetings, and through a series of invitations and reminders, as well as hosting more frequent meetings, we’ve already seen attendance and engagement increase.

Caring for Those Who Care

The designation also sparked something beyond its formal requirements.

"When we did the surveys, especially the staff surveys, it helped us to identify areas for improvement," said Walter. “The designation process itself provided an internal pathway to determine how to strengthen those areas of focus."

Inspired by the staff self-assessment, Chapel Pointe launched a new Employee Empowerment Committee. Person-centered care depends on team members who feel heard, supported, and equipped, and this committee gives our staff a stronger voice in shaping their workplace.

Looking Ahead at Chapel Pointe

This designation is a milestone, not a finish line. Chapel Pointe plans to pursue this Designation of Excellence when it renews every three years as an opportunity to reflect on and strengthen the person-centered care that has long defined our community.

We are grateful to our residents for sharing their perspectives, to our staff champions and representatives for their time and honesty, and to every team member who brings compassion to our households each day. Together, we will keep growing in our ministry of honoring each person we serve.

About Chapel Pointe

Chapel Pointe at Carlisle is a nonprofit, faith-based continuing care retirement community in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The community offers independent living, personal care, memory support, and skilled nursing in a Christ-centered, family-like environment. To learn more about this award-winning community or to schedule a visit, contact us.