St. Andrews Village Assisted Living resident Alan Tindal likes living in the middle of the woods, yet being only five minutes from downtown Boothbay Harbor.

Tindal also likes being able to get a ride into town on the Village bus when he needs one and the small size of the Village — small enough that he can greet everyone he meets by first name.

But the best thing about the Village, he said, may be the staff.

“The staff is very, very good. It is remarkably good. There is a warm feeling ... a personal relationship,” said Tindal.

Residents who enjoy living at St. Andrews Village enough to recommend it to others are the reason Assisted Living at the Village has earned an Excellence in Action Award from the National Research Corporation for the 2013-2014 period.

The award recognizes senior living and long-term care facilities that have satisfaction scores in the top 10 percent of similar facilities, according to the National Research Corporation, as measured by the number of respondents who replied “excellent” when asked how they would describe their facility to others.

St. Andrews Village Executive Director Wendy Roberts said the award means a lot to the staff because it is based on the feelings of residents and their families.

The National Research Corporation performs more third-party survey than any other patient satisfaction measurement firm. Responses are compared to thousands of answers in National Research’s database of surveys from facilities across the nation.

The Village participates in the survey process because it provides a means of comparing the Village to peers across the nation. As part of the process, the National Research Corporation also offers suggestions for ways the Village can improve.

All MaineHealth facilities measure satisfaction of patients or residents.

“We strive constantly to maintain the highest level of care and services for our residents. These surveys are one of the tools we use to assess how well we’re doing,” said Roberts.