Rick Dover is the general manager of Family Pride Corporation, a family owned and operated company that designs, builds, renovates and manages assisted living facilities for senior adults at affordable rates.

Interviewing Experts: Thank you, Rick Dover, for taking the time to speak with us today.

Rick Dover: It’s my pleasure. I’m always eager to talk about Family Pride Corporation and the services we provide.

Interviewing Experts: How did you first become interested in providing senior adult housing?

Rick Dover: My grandfather, Richard Emerson, needed more care than we could provide at home. We researched assisted living facilities, but couldn’t find the perfect fit for him.

Interviewing Experts: Why is that?

Rick Dover: Large chains usually don’t focus on residents’ individual preferences, so our loved ones’ desires are often sacrificed to a daily regimen for the sake of expediency. We didn’t want that style of care for my grandfather.

Interviewing Experts: So you decided to build it yourself?

Rick Dover: Yes. He’s my grandfather. We wanted the best for him and that was the only way we could get everything on our wish list.

Interviewing Experts: What spurred you to expand the operation?

Rick Dover: When we saw how happy my grandfather was in his new home, we realized that was what everyone wanted for their loved ones. We decided to offer others that choice.

Interviewing Experts: What exactly do your facilities offer that you can’t find elsewhere?

Rick Dover: Maybe it’s the difference between a house and a home. A house is shelter, a place where people live, but a home is a place they love to be. We like to think of our residents as family and our centers as home.

Interviewing Experts: Can you elaborate on that?

Rick Dover: We create personalized care plans that take into account the different personalities and desires of our residents. We offer comfort and support and leave our residents’ dignity intact.

Interviewing Experts: What are seniors and their families looking for in senior living housing?

Rick Dover: Studies show that seniors want homes that are easy to manage, less expensive to operate, constructed with safety in mind, and affordable. We design our facilities with all of that in mind and then add the little extras that make it special.

Interviewing Experts: What do you do about seniors who need help but don’t want to admit it?

Rick Dover: A family can’t force a loved one to accept help or move into an assisted living facility; however, they can provide them with information and reassurance. We suggest families ask others for help. Often a senior adult will listen to his or her doctor or another impartial party in these situations.

Interviewing Experts: You offer other options for seniors besides assisted living, correct?

Rick Dover: Our centers offer different communities for independent living, assisted living and dementia care.

Interviewing Experts: What is the difference between independent and assisted living?

Rick Dover: Residents can choose the level of care they want. Each program is designed around the individual resident’s wants and needs. As those needs change, the level of care is adjusted accordingly.

Interviewing Experts: It sounds like Family Pride Corporation covers a wide range of options.

Rick Dover: We think those choices are what make us unique. Senior adults have different needs, and we help them and their families with the transition through the various stages of aging.

Interviewing Experts: What do you mean by “various stages” of aging?

Rick Dover: Aging is just another phase of a person’s life. Senior living and assisted living isn’t a bad thing. More often than not it’s an exciting adventure of meeting new friends and building more memories.

Interviewing Experts: It almost sounds like a holiday.

Rick Dover: Some of our residents say they feel like it’s like a vacation when they move into our independent living homes.

Interviewing Experts: Why is that?

Rick Dover: Many are downsizing from large homes that require a lot of work and expense.

Interviewing Experts: So it’s a vacation from worry?

Rick Dover: That and more.

Interviewing Experts: Are there ever regrets?

Rick Dover: This isn’t a rash decision. It is a well thought-out life plan. The only regret I’ve ever heard was that they didn’t reach the decision earlier.

Interviewing Experts: What about cost?

Rick Dover: Our residents pay one monthly payment. There are no hidden costs and no deposits or buy-in fees.

Rick Dover and Family Pride Corporation renovate, design, build, manage and maintain award-winning residential environments. Their senior living centers provide the very best service to residents at affordable rates.