COLUMBUS — The Ohio Department of Aging has announced the results of the 2015 Long-Term Care Resident Satisfaction Survey.

The survey is one of several tools available on the department’s website to help individuals and families select a nursing home or residential care facility. Survey results are also made available to facility operators to help them identify areas for continuous quality improvement.

LanePark Sidney received the highest local rating, 98.57, among residential care facilities, also known as assisted living facilities. Versailles Health Care Center (VHCC) was ranked highest among nursing facilities with a score of 93.63.

Those scores put LanePark in 11th place among 635 facilities in the listing. VHCC is at No. 59 among 960 nursing homes.

Other local assisted living facility ratings were 93.61 for Dorothy Love Retirement Community in Sidney, which put it at No. 241, and 93.4 for Elmwood Assisted Living in New Bremen, No. 260.

“We’re excited about our ranking, no doubt about it,” said John Noffsinger, Alcore Senior Management president and LanePark Sidney acting executive director. “I couldn’t be more proud of the caregivers. They’re the backbone of what we do. They’re the winners here.”

Other area nursing homes were rated as follows: Dorothy Love Retirement Community, 92.08, No. 112; Heritage Center for Rehabilitation and Specialty Care in Minster, 88.73, No. 364; the Pavilion in Sidney, 87.22, No. 502; Sidney Care Center, 86.54, No. 565; Fair Haven Shelby County Home, 83.8, No. 753.

The statewide average score for nursing facility resident satisfaction was 87 out of 100; the average for residential care facilities was 91.7.

“Making sure Ohioans have access to quality, person-centered long-term services and supports has been a priority of this administration, and the Long-Term Care Resident Satisfaction Survey is one tool Ohio has used for over a decade to help providers focus on what matters most to their consumers,” said Bonnie K. Burman, director of the department, in a release. “Thanks to the extensive information now available about quality care, consumers and their families are increasingly expecting excellence in the care they or their loved ones receive.”

“One of the primary purposes of the Long-Term Care Resident Satisfaction Survey has always been to help facility owners and operators understand what goes into providing the highest quality care,” added Beverley Laubert, the state long-term care ombudsman. “Using data from this and similar surveys, Ohio has developed several quality improvement projects to help facilities develop processes, policies, services and activities that enhance the resident experience.”

More than 31,000 residents in 960 nursing homes, and 16,000 residents in 635 residential care facilities, participated in the survey through in-person interviews. Surveyors asked family members their opinions on activities, administration, admission, choices, direct care and nursing, laundry, meals and dining, social services, therapy and general satisfaction. Each facility has received a report with its overall and specific question scores, as well as suggestions to improve customer satisfaction in the future, according to the release.

“We understand that those numbers can come and go,” Noffsinger said. “Our goal is to break down the scores and improve them to bring even more satisfaction to our residents. The magic behind it is really not magical. All the leaders at Alcore Senior are servant leaders. Caregives who come in to work here know they’re here by invitation. They’re here to serve. They provide it every day.”

Representatives of other local facilities did not respond to requests for comment.