Leanne Fiet, Chief Operating Officer, and Peter Sullivan, Chief Nursing Officer, serve at Piper Shores, a skilled nursing and assisted living facility in Scarborough, Maine. In 2025, the community earned an AHCA/NCAL Bronze National Quality Award.
The Quality Journey from Start to Now
For Leanne and Peter, the Bronze Quality Award reflected a project that grew out of the challenges of COVID-19 and their commitment to restoring engagement and quality of life.
Peter explained: “Really, the Bronze award process was sort of happenstance to something we were already starting. Following COVID-19 and the isolation it caused, we were looking at how we could get back to a more positive environment for our residents and dissuade some of the health disparities that occurred as a result of social distancing. We began by looking at dining, because food is central to the day - three meals a day plus activities. Dining became the easiest way to start reintroducing social engagement.”
Leanne added: “A lot of retraining was needed as many staff had only worked during COVID, so they didn’t know pre-COVID dining practices. We had to rebuild from the ground up, define everyone’s role in the process, and cross-train so dining and nursing could work together again. It took much longer than we expected, but eventually residents were back in the dining room, and it became inviting again.”
Valuing People
Leanne explained that at Piper Shores, valuing people means recognizing and engaging both residents and staff: “We take every opportunity to recognize our residents and our staff. But one story stands out, a resident we’ll call Mr. D. He had advanced dementia and was not ambulatory. He spent most of his days sitting outside his room with little interaction. One of our CNAs began reading his own books to him before bed. Soon he started reading them back to her, then to others, and eventually began moving around the Health Center in his wheelchair reading to anyone who would listen.”
“The staff then came up with the idea of hosting a book signing for him, and so they got a bunch of his original books and sent out an invite for the event. Residents and staff attended, and some residents even brought books of his they already owned to sign. And when he ran out of books, he signed slips of paper for people. He found new purpose, joy, and engagement and it all started with one staff member valuing his history and finding a way to connect.”
Customer-Focused Excellence
For Leanne and Peter, excellence means serving not only the resident, but also the family.
Leanne recalled: “One example was a resident transitioning from assisted living to the Health Center. Her daughter, who lived five hours away, was struggling with the move and small issues like a ginger ale being set on the table unopened became symbols to her of us not being attentive enough. For staff, it was simply assuming the resident could open it. But for the daughter, it meant we weren’t truly seeing her mom.”
Peter added: “It came down to aligning expectations. The staff thought they were respecting family visits by not interrupting to assist the resident with certain tasks, while the daughter felt we weren’t providing enough care. By opening that ginger ale, by checking in, by customizing our approach, we showed responsiveness. Those small changes built trust, and over time the relationship with that family became strong.”
Societal Contribution
Beyond their campus, Piper Shores actively contributes to the broader community:
Peter noted: “We have a program with local high school students who come and volunteer as part of their curriculum. They spend weeks on campus and build connections with our residents.”
Leanne added: “Our independent living residents volunteer throughout the community helping to deliver mail, tend to flowers, and organize drives like collecting school supplies for children in need. Our assisted living residents also have their own support project where they put together care boxes for people who are homeless or displaced. And every fall, we participate in the Alzheimer’s Walk with staff, residents, and families. These efforts connect us to the wider community and give our residents a way to contribute beyond Piper Shores.”
Looking Forward
As Piper Shores looks toward Silver, Leanne and Peter are considering projects tied to clinical data, especially around dementia care:
Leanne explained: “Eighty percent of our skilled nursing residents are living with dementia, and we’ve made tremendous progress in developing specialized programming and education.”
Peter added: “I start with people, what they want, and what they need. Then we design systems to support that, and the data follows. Moving forward, our goal is to continue shifting toward a more social, relationship-based model of care. We want residents to feel like whole people who are seen, heard, and valued.”
Final Advice
Leanne and Peter encourage providers beginning their quality journey to focus on small, meaningful steps.
Leanne added: “Look at what you’re already doing to make life better for residents, then pick one thing to focus on. Give yourself time. Real change takes longer than you expect, but it’s worth it.”
Peter shared: “Don’t get discouraged. Every change you make moves you closer but it’s not a sprint to the finish line. It’s about sustaining meaningful change. Remember to celebrate the wins along the way.”