AAHSA Quality First's 10 Elements of Quality Extended Version

Updated: October 3, 2005

The AAHSA Quality First 10 Elements of Quality are the framework that AAHSA members are using to achieve excellence and earn public trust.

1. Commitment — A pledge by aging services providers across the continuum of aging services to maintain and promote ethical practices and the highest standards of quality.

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Quality First is a public commitment by aging services providers across the continuum to maintain and promote the highest standards of quality and ethics in the provision of aging services. The Quality First Covenant is in keeping with AAHSA's vision of achieving healthy, affordable, and ethical aging services. This commitment demonstrates a willingness to openly address issues and concerns in our field; focus public attention on quality and quality improvement; and work together to advance Quality First.


2. Governance and Accountability — Achieving and maintaining high standards of management and governance to improve quality consistent with our mission and values.

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The governance accountability element of Quality First is designed to enable aging services providers to achieve and maintain excellence in management and governance. It calls for the establishment of structural mechanisms by which providers can enhance their leadership skills and refine quality improvement, corporate compliance, risk management and integrated strategic planning efforts.


3. Leading-Edge Care and Services — Implementing models and practices that are based on evidence of success, represent the tradition of personal service and are adaptable to a changing society.

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Bridging research, policy and practice by further developing and sharing "what we know" will positively affect the quality of aging services, via the identification and dissemination of proven quality practices. To this end, it is essential that aging services providers play an active role in: developing and refining innovative models and/or practices to improve quality; evaluating and measuring the extent to which such models and/or practices actually impact quality; identifying the reasons they work and how they may differ from other practices; and sharing such valuable information with peer provider organizations and other stakeholders in the aging services field.


4. Community Involvement — Engaging in community citizenship and service — social accountability, volunteer involvement and relationship building.

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Quality First is a commitment to positive community citizenship and service. It stresses social accountability, volunteer involvement, and relationship building with the community at-large: associates, consumers, professionals and businesses. Social accountability describes the commitment made by our members to providing community benefits above and beyond their services to residents or clients. Nonprofit organizations are unique in their commitment to social accountability programs and generally enjoy stronger relationships with their communities as a result. Organizations that are proactive in their social accountability efforts are better positioned to secure their tax-exempt status, build endowments, attract volunteers, and gain support for advocacy efforts. All of these elements enhance an organization's ability to provide quality care to older people and positive working conditions for employees. They reinforce the commitment to serving and being an integral part of communities.


5. Continuous Quality Improvement — Using CQI methods to enhance existing programs, improve effectiveness and foster a collaborative work environment.

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Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is an approach that actively involves staff at all levels of an organization in understanding problems and the processes of work that underlie them. This includes collecting and analyzing data on those processes, generating and testing hypotheses about the causes of problems, and designing, testing, implementing, and evaluating solutions. This approach goes beyond ensuring that minimum standards are met to focus on how an organization can continually do better at meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of its customers. CQI focuses on systems-level change, rather than finding fault or placing blame on individuals. Systematic improvements in service quality result from identifying and implementing the processes that support the delivery of the highest quality of service by all individuals throughout an organization.


6. Human Resources Development — Providing training, competitive wages and benefits, and a supportive workplace environment.

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Human resources development (HRD) describes the approach many organizations use to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals. The ability to attract, retain, and develop both front line and management staff, along with the ability to foster and maintain a healthy workplace culture, are core elements of an effective HRD program. Quality First includes a commitment to investing in staff by offering training, competitive wages and benefits, and a supportive workplace environment. It is also a commitment to maximizing support for volunteers.


7. Consumer-Friendly Information — Providing accessible and understandable information for older adults, families and caregivers.

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Information about aging services should be accessible and consumer-friendly. The information you provide residents/clients and prospective residents/clients should be written in language the consumer could understand and contain complete details about the organization's services, policies, amenities and rates so that the consumer can make informed choices.


8. Consumer Participation — Engaging residents/clients, family members and other consumers in care and services.

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Quality First seeks to create an informed and engaged consumer network of residents/clients, family members, older people and consumers-at-large. Including consumers and consumer advocacy groups in the way we provide services is a critical component of how the public perceives "quality."


9. Research Findings and Education — Using and sharing the latest research findings to improve care and services for older adults.

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Quality First calls on each aging services organization to make an ongoing commitment to educating all its key stakeholders (including the board, management/staff, consumers, the larger community, policy makers, etc.) on current research findings and proven care/service methods. Quality First also stresses the importance of "giving back" to the field via reciprocal peer sharing—creating mutual opportunities for aging services professionals and organizations to learn and grow from each other. Quality in aging services can be fostered through internal and external shared learning and utilization of research findings that provide key information, strategies and methods for organizations to employ to achieve excellence in each of Quality First's 10 Elements of Quality.


10. Public Trust and Consumer Confidence — Committing to a policy of outreach, openness and authenticity to increase public understanding of quality aging services and earn the trust of the people we serve and their families — as well as the media, the public and policymakers.

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Quality First is a commitment to a policy of outreach and openness by aging services organizations. This policy is designed to gain public understanding of aging services and to earn the trust of the media, the public, and policymakers, as well as the people we serve and their families.


More information about AAHSA Quality First can be found on the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging web site, www.aahsa.org/qualityfirst.