Contra Costa Senior Living Facility Among 'Communities That Shine'

WALNUT CREEK, CA — One of the country's top-notch senior living facilities is right here in the East Bay.

The Kensington at Walnut Creek, a Kisco senior living community, recently earned the prestigious "Communities That Shine" award from LifeLoop, a comprehensive software platform for senior living owners, staff, residents and their families.

The Kensington was one of 12 facilities in the United States to receive the honor for 2023. Specifically, The Kensington was recognized for "Brilliance in Family Engagement."

The Kensington at Walnut Creek uses LifeLoop to engage family members in the ongoing care of their loved ones. LifeLoop enables community staff to see which residents attended activities, and it helps family members because they can view what activities their mom or dad are attending or not attending, and they can help in motivating and encouraging them to participate.

The Kensington At Walnut Creek has seen a 25 percent increase in resident engagement since implementing LifeLoop and a 75 percent overall resident satisfaction rate with the LifeLoop solution.

"We have access to LifeLoop on our phones, which makes it easily accessible for staff and families," said Kayla Pierce, Art of Living Well director for Kensington Walnut Creek. "It’s also great for communication with certain audiences, i.e., sending out flyers in mass to family members to invite them to special events and messaging with residents in the chat feature. I could go on and on with the benefits...it is easy to use and very user friendly."

The "Communities That Shine" recognition celebrates each community’s commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for seniors while streamlining operations for staff through LifeLoop's technology.

Another Bay Area senior living community, The Watermark At Napa Valley, was the only other California award winner.

Here is the full list of "Communities That Shine" award winners for 2023.

1. Astral at Auburn – Auburn, Indiana: for "Brilliance in Fostering Connections"
2. Mount Alverna Village – Parma, Ohio for "Brilliance in Purposeful Engagement"
3. New Cassel Retirement Center – Omaha, Nebraska for "Brilliance in Resident Wellness"
4. New Perspective | Roseville – Roseville, Minnesota for "Brilliance in Resident Empowerment"
5. Opportunities, Inc. – Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin for "Brilliance in Transforming Program Delivery"
6. Presbyterian SeniorCare Network - Longwood at Oakmont – Verona, Pennsylvania for "Brilliance in Resident Engagement"
7. Sitter and Barfoot Veterans Care Center – Richmond, Virgina for "Brilliance in Person-Centered Care"
8. Pine Grove Crossing Assisted Living & Memory Care – Parker, Colorado "Brilliance in Community Connections"
9. The Heritage Memory Life Community – Syracuse, New York for "Brilliance in Resident Experience"
10. The Kensington at Walnut Creek – Walnut Creek, California for "Brilliance in Family Engagement"
11. The Pearl at Jamestown – Baton Rouge, Louisiana for "Brilliance in Engagement Innovation"
12. The Watermark at Napa Valley – Napa, California for "Brilliance in Staff Efficiency"

"At LifeLoop, our mission is to make senior living exceptional for everyone, and this year's community winners embody that mission tenfold," said Paula Sobb, chief customer officer at LifeLoop. "The communities that shine the brightest understand that creating a world where seniors live with purpose, passion, and joy, is paramount."

Each of the winners and their success stories will be featured in a new publicly available webinar series called "Flourishing Communities." The series kicks off at noon Central Time on Wednesday, Feb. 28 highlighting LifeLoop's first winner, The Watermark at Napa Valley.