History and Accomplishments

Frequently a health care crisis or death of a spouse prompts the move to assisted living. Either situation, along with the move itself, can create a difficult emotional period for a new resident. Since assisted living is a new housing option for this generation, many people do not have intuitive knowledge or understanding about the array of services and options available in assisted living. Compounding the confusion is the fact that many states do not use the term 'assisted living' and instead use over 26 different designations including residential care, personal care, and adult care homes.

The Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living (CCAL) recognized that consumers of the rapidly growing assisted living industry were often frail and vulnerable, and in 1995 established a national education and advocacy organization to provide support to ensure: quality care; resident rights and protections; affordable options for individuals with low incomes; availability of information and resources to assist consumers and their loved ones make informed decisions. CCAL incorporated in 1996 and received its 501 (c) 3 status from the Internal Revenue Service in 1997.

Accomplishments

• Hosted first open meetings around the DC metropolitan area to provide opportunities for assisted living stakeholders to come together and discuss areas of interest including affordability, quality of care, research, oversight, and public policy -1995 – 1998
• A hallmark of CCAL since its inception is building alliances and bringing together the stakeholders of assisted living to dialogue together and advance quality and affordability. CCAL has uniquely reached out to the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Direct Care Alliance (a national advocacy organization for the direct care workforce in long term care), the National Ombudsman Resource Center, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, and the disability community to name a few.
  
• Presented the only consumer-based conference – What Do Consumers Want in Assisted Living? and published a conference report - 1996
  
• Initiated a national consumer telephone Helpline - 1998 – current
• Published a quarterly newsletter on consumer-focused issues in assisted living - 1997 – 2002
  
• Worked with print media on assisted living stories to bring light to consumer issues and needs including the Boston, Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Business Week, Consumer Reports, Kiplinger’s, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, TIME, US News and World Report, Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Oregonian, Newsweek, The Dallas News, Washington Post Magazine, Baron’s Magazine, Richmond Times Dispatch, The Charlotte Observer, Knight Ridder, UPI, AP and over 120 others - 1997 – current
• Worked to forward progress of affordability in assisted living. Collaborated with Enterprise Senior Ventures, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, AARP and others - 1997 – 1999
• Established and coordinated an annual conference and awards program for caregivers [formal and informal] of individuals with dementia – Best Practices in Dementia Care - 1998 – 2000
• Published a consumer booklet – Choosing An Assisted Living Facility: Considerations for Making the Right Choice – that SmartMoney magazine rated #1. This booket was downloadable for free from CCAL’s website - 1998 – 2001
  
• Established a website to provide information and support to assisted living consumers - 1998 – current
• Participated in panel discussions and conference presentations including AARP, the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists; the National Association of Long Term Care Ombudsman, the Assisted Living Federation of America, the National Guardianship Association; and the National Council on Aging. Since 1996 CCAL has participated in over 100 panels and presentations
• Member of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations’ Professional and Technical Advisory Committee - 1999 – current
• Provided two consumer witnesses for a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on assisted living - April 1999
• CCAL has been a guest of broadcast media including the CBS Early Show, CNBC, Reuters TV, Iowa Public TV, Diane Rehm Show, Wisconsin Public Radio and others - 1999 – current
• Convened a ‘Taskforce on Assisted Living Accreditation’ to study the merits and effect of assisted living accreditation and issued a report - 1999 – 2000
• CCAL provided testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging - April 2001 and April 2002
• Co-facilitated an initiative of over 50 national organizations to develop guidelines for assisted living at the behest of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging - 2001 – 2003
• Published the 2nd Edition of CCAL’s highly acclaimed consumer booklet with support from MetLife’s Mature Market Institute - 2002
• Published Assisted Living in Your Community - 2003
• Released the first national consumer education video – Choosing Assisted Living…What You Need To Know – through a co-hosted video premiere with the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging at the National Press Club - December 2003, won National Mature Media’s Silver Award - 2004
• CCAL helped to create the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL), a new, non-profit collaborative of 11 national organizations, including AARP, the Alzheimer's Association, Assisted Living Federation of America, and the National Cooperative Bank whose mission is to promote excellence in assisted living, provide a national clearinghouse of resource materials, and to bring together the diverse stakeholders of assisted living to continue fostering effective, quality practices, policy and research. CCAL serves on the CEAL Board of Directors.