After working 21 years working in the long-term care industry, Todd Walter was ready for a change—not just for himself, but for the elders he cared for.
Walter struck upon the business model of providing comprehensive care for a small group of elderly adults within a residential setting. He purchased a four bedroom, 2,800-square foot home on Zimmer Road in Williamston, invested $28,000 in renovations and updates, and created his long-envisioned labor of love.
Walter opened
Crosaires in October 2012 with the goal of providing what he calls an "aging in community residence" for the elderly. The concept, he says, is to provide an assisted living community where caregivers become care partners who share in the responsibility of providing a balanced, fulfilling life for elders.
Elders living at Crosaires receive 24-hour medical care and supervision, and are allowed the freedom to experience life through the community where they live. Residents and staff regularly participate in events and activities in and near Williamston, and community groups are frequent visitors to the home.
"Our sole emphasis is on the elder," says Walter. "Everyone else—from the team who works here to families and the medical world—are serving as their supporters."
Within a year, Crosaires transformed the home's 800-square foot garage into two additional private residences with a private bathroom. Two more elders moved in in October 2013, and Waters added two staff as well. Crosaires currently employs nine staff and is home to six unrelated individuals age 77 to 94
"We're serving people during a particular phase of their life," says Walter. " A high majority of what we do here is based on the interests, desires and hobbies of the people who live and work here. What we're doing is part of a culture-change movement that can change how people view getting older."
Source: Todd Walter, Founder and Owner, Crosaires
Writer: Ann Kammerer, Development News Editor
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