America's Best Assisted Living and Alzheimer's Care Communities Named "Caring Stars of 2014"

Now in Third Year, Award Recognizes Senior Living Excellence From Consumer Ratings and Reviews on Caring.com

San Mateo, CA, Jan. 28, 2014 — As the Web's #1 source for senior care reviews, with more than 2 million monthly visitors seeking information and support and more consumer reviews than any other senior care site, Caring.com is pleased to announce the "Caring Stars of 2014" -- America's best assisted living and memory care communities according to consumer ratings and reviews. Recognized by the 2013 National Mature Media Awards, this innovative program is now in its third year and honoring more than 400 senior living communities in 38 states -- the top 1% of assisted living and memory care communities nationwide -- as Caring Stars of 2014. To see the complete list of winners, please visit www.caring.com/bestseniorliving.

"Congratulations to the Caring Stars communities for earning high praise from residents, families, and senior care experts on Caring.com thus achieving this award of service excellence," said Andy Cohen, cofounder and CEO of Caring.com. "In the senior living industry, online word of mouth has grown in importance. Families tell us that reviews are among the top considerations when they choose an assisted living or memory care community for a loved one, and we see communities with reviews getting significantly more online inquiries than those with no reviews."

In recent research conducted by Caring.com, 60% of family caregivers indicated that they used the Internet in researching senior care service providers, and two-thirds of family caregivers took to the Web after noticing signs of memory loss in a loved one. A combined 94% of family caregivers find online reviews to be trustworthy and helpful in their search for senior care providers. Only a small minority (6%) tends not to believe them. In fact, several studies have shown that consumers trust online reviews more than descriptions from business owners.

Originally launched in January 2012 as the first of its kind in the senior living industry, this year's Caring Stars award was determined from consumer ratings and reviews posted on Caring.com between December 1, 2012, and December 1, 2013. To qualify, the community had to have received all of the following:

• Three or more reviews during the time frame, at least one of which with the highest rating of five stars
• An average overall rating (across all reviews on their listing) equaling greater than 4 stars
• No unresolved negative reviews

To help Caring Stars communities stand out, a special badge is featured on their listing in Caring.com's Senior Care Directory and search results. The service excellence award is also mentioned in calls with consumers via Caring.com's free senior living referral helpline: (866) 824-8174.

Caring.com currently hosts about 50,000 senior care reviews, with about half for assisted living and Alzheimer's care communities. Each reviewer must have firsthand experience with the community's eldercare services, and all reviews are read by a Caring.com employee and considered against the Review Guidelines before being displayed on the site.

"While honoring the Caring Stars of 2014, we also extend thanks to the families, residents, and experts who continue to actively share their firsthand experiences in online reviews to help others," Cohen said. "The Caring Stars of 2014 are to be applauded for a job well done."

To learn more about the Caring Stars program and/or to find local senior living service providers, visit www.caring.com/bestseniorliving.

With millions of visitors to its flagship website, Caring.com, Caring is a leading senior living referral service and the nation’s top site for senior care reviews. Founded in 2007, Caring’s mission is to help as many seniors and their caregivers as possible through empathetic, expert guidance. Applying cutting-edge technology to this humane mission, Caring provides relevant senior care information and support, as well as comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States, including nearly 400,000 consumer reviews. Through a toll-free referral line at (800) 558-0653, Caring’s trusted, nationwide team of Family Advisors — who are among the most highly trained, highly skilled, and knowledgeable experts in senior care — helps seniors and their families research and connect to the most appropriate services and support for their specific situations. For more information about our organization and our free services for seniors and their families, please visit http://www.caring.com/about and join with Caring on Facebook.