30A - A Place to Stay & Vacay

Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach has achieved a prestigious milestone in the senior care sector, earning recognition as a “Best Memory Care Community” by U.S. News & World Report for the 2025-26 nationwide senior living survey. This acknowledgment places the community among the elite providers of memory care services in the country, highlighting their commitment to excellence in Assisted Living environments. The award represents the result of extensive consumer experience surveys that evaluated resident satisfaction across multiple dimensions of care.

The recognition comes at a time when quality Senior Living options are increasingly important for families navigating care decisions for loved ones. Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach distinguished itself not only by receiving the overall “Best Memory Care Community” designation but also by earning multiple high-performing emblems in specific categories, including Activities and Enrichment, Caregiving, Food and Dining, Management and Staff, and the important “Feels Like Home” category. This recognition validates the community’s holistic approach to Memory Care services that prioritize both clinical excellence and quality of life.

The rigorous evaluation process behind this award involved analyzing data from nearly 450,000 consumer experience surveys across more than 3,800 senior living communities nationwide. To achieve the “Best Senior Living” designation, Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach had to earn a specific final weighted score through the independent methodology developed by U.S. News’ health data analytics team. This systematic approach ensures that only communities truly excelling at providing highly satisfactory services and ensuring residents feel safe and well-cared for receive this distinction.

For 2025, U.S. News and World Report introduced an additional tier of recognition with High-Performing Emblems, awarded to communities whose trust scores ranked in the top 25 percent nationwide. Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach’s Assisted Living and Memory Care services achieved these emblems across multiple categories, demonstrating consistent excellence throughout their care offerings. The community also received notably high ratings in safety and value, two factors of particular importance to families seeking Memory Care and Senior Living options in today’s market.

Marc Vorkapich, principal and chief executive officer of Watercrest Senior Living Group, expressed pride in this achievement, noting, “For three years, Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach has achieved the honor and distinction of the best in senior living by U.S. News and World Report, one of the nation’s most esteemed organizations. To be named Best Memory Care Community, and to be amongst the nation’s top tier providers in services offered, is truly a testament to the world-class care and exceptional experiences provided to our seniors at Watercrest Santa Rosa Beach.”

The Assisted Living and Memory Care facility in Santa Rosa Beach boasts distinctive architectural elements that contribute to its award-winning environment. Conveniently located at 205 West Hewett Road along the Emerald Coast, the community features a stunning promenade, fireplace, signature water wall, multiple dining options, and Florida-style outdoor living spaces. Perhaps most notably, Watercrest’s Market Street Residence showcases an innovatively designed ‘outdoor’ streetscape with numerous programming touches—a highlight and crucial element of their sensory memory care offerings that helps set them apart in the Senior Living landscape of Santa Rosa Beach.

Watercrest Senior Living Group has established itself as a leader in the senior care industry, founded with the mission to honor mothers and fathers by becoming a beacon for quality in senior living. The organization has built its reputation by exceeding standards of care, service, and associate training. Their communities are recognized not only for luxury aesthetics and exceptional amenities but particularly for their innovative memory care programming that delivers unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

As an eight-time certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of Assisted Living and Memory Care communities across the country, with particular attention to developing servant leaders within their organization. Their consistent recognition by U.S. News & World Report underscores their commitment to excellence in Santa Rosa Beach and beyond. The award’s credibility is further enhanced by U.S. News & World Report’s standing as the global leader in quality rankings, with a 90-year history of providing independent reporting and consumer guidance since its founding in 1933.