Earlier this month, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) presented the recipients of the 2026 Silver Achievement in Quality Award. CarDon is proud to announce that two of our communities — Aspen Trace and Copper Trace — received this honor. This is a special time for this recognition, as 2026 marks the Quality Award Program’s 30-year anniversary.
Since 1996, more than 8,000 medical providers across the country have participated in this rigorous program to not only earn recognition but to strengthen their operations, improve outcomes and enhance the lives of residents and staff.
As Aspen Trace Executive Director Emily Carnes said, these results are “not achieved through just one initiative.”
Some of the community’s recent efforts include “strengthening quality improvement processes, using data to drive informed decision-making, fostering collaboration across departments, investing in staff education and leadership development, and maintaining a strong focus on resident-centered care.”
Copper Trace Executive Director Nancy Pollock also credits CarDon’s “culture of family” for helping its communities stand out with their level of staff morale and resident care.
“Everyone is treated like family here at Copper Trace,” she said. “Through our Caring Hearts program, members of our management team are assigned residents to visit on a weekly basis, checking on them just as a family member would visit a loved one. This keeps everyone up to date and brings us closer to residents and their families.”
The architectural layout of the community adds to its close-knit nature as well.
“Even though we have a larger building, it’s divided into four separate neighborhoods that give it a small-town feel,” Pollock said. “Each neighborhood has its own entrance, dining room, activity area and lounge for residents and their families.”
Both Aspen Trace and Copper Trace are going for Gold Achievement next.
As Carnes said, “This national recognition validates the work our teams put in behind the scenes and demonstrates that our commitment to continuous improvement is producing meaningful results for those we serve. We will remain focused on building sustainable systems that improve both resident care and the overall CarDon senior living experience for residents, families and staff.”