“….you would expect a little bit more from the heart, treating people with respect and dignity.”
From offering services tailored to individual needs to creating an environment of trust and caring, not-for-profit aging-services organizations strive to provide older Americans with the quality of life they deserve. These organizations have a long tradition of community service and concern, and these values drive the delivery of care and services. They are committed to providing older adults with an atmosphere of fellowship and caring; meeting the social, physical, and spiritual needs of the individual; and helping older persons preserve dignity and independence. In short, not-for-profit aging-service providers put people before profits.
Understanding the Not-for-Profit Difference
Not-for-profit aging-services providers are not unique by coincidence. In fact, these organizations were founded and are managed to ensure older adults continually receive quality of care that they can trust.
Mission: Not-for-profit providers meet the needs of older adults because they adapt to the changing aging-services landscape while remaining committed to their missions.
Governance: Community-based volunteers, not corporate investors, govern not-for-profit organizations. These individuals commit to ensuring that an organization remains true to its mission, responds to local needs and serves as an effective steward of its resources.
Quality: Not-for-profit aging-services organizations consistently use their resources to provide more hands-on care and develop new and creative ways to meet the needs of the people they serve and their families. These approaches help aging-services providers set the standard for quality in the field.
Resources: Not-for-profit organizations reinvest all resources into their missions. Resources are used not to benefit stockholders or increase company value, but to increase staffing, improve facilities, enhance services, and most importantly, ensure consumer and staff satisfaction.
Services: Not-for-profit organizations are committed to innovation and continuous quality improvement. These organizations tailor their housing, healthcare and community services to meet individual needs, not profit goals.
Ethics: Not-for-profit aging-services providers have a moral responsibility as caregivers, employers and members of the community. More specifically, the AAHSA mission, vision and ideals suggest that its members have at least a tri-fold responsibility: to provide high-quality service to those in need; meaningful work for staff, board members and volunteers; and an ethical workplace for employees.
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and our non-profit, mission driven members are committed to providing healthy, affordable, ethical aging services.
To learn more about the not-for-profit difference, read Aging Services: The Not-for-Profit Difference.