I’ll admit, this has been one of the most joyful yet challenging times of my life. I left what was comfortable in order to build my own business in Cotter House Central Ohio. I knew I wanted to do something different with my life and it was important to me to challenge myself to be the best that I can be. Cotter House Central Ohio has given me that opportunity and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
As I’ve gone through this process, I’ve realized some things about myself and my mission that I want to stand out from the crowd, not in an ego way but in a way that challenges the norm and helps to raise the bar in our industry. As a new business owner, there is a lot of information out there about how to make a business that works. I’ve spoken with many other businesses and listened to their ideas and done my best to learn from their examples and philosophies. But over time, I’ve also realized that this is not a business to me. It’s far more than that. I want Cotter House Central Ohio to be bigger than the walls that surround it. It may be prudent in a business sense to worry more about getting people in the door and making sure we hit our bottom line. But our mission requires more from us than to just caring for those inside of our home, but also to care for the community around us.
I believe that our community outreach is as important as the care we provide if we really want to make a difference. We want to care so much that our buildings cannot contain it. We want to be out in the community, educating people about cognitive health, helping people understand how they can care for themselves, and truly be a resource for the community that surrounds us and lead the way to better brain health for Central Ohio.
This is why we have teamed up with the Griswold Center in Worthington and look forward to team with other important community entities to do events that do more than just promote Cotter House Central Ohio, but try to educate all ages and especially seniors and their families on how to best avoid ever needing our care. I have been honored to bring free cognitive assessments for early detection of dementia to Central Ohio and be involved in a variety of local events health and wellness.
When I look at the statistics about Alzheimer’s and Dementia, I’m startled. One in three seniors will pass away with some form of Dementia. About 5.7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s today and that number is only increasing. Our home has 96 beds. That’s not nearly enough room to make the kind of impact that I want to make on the world. But the answer isn’t to have more beds and more space. The answer, for me and Cotter House Central Ohio, is to keep educating the community. To share our knowledge and promote the kinds of healthy living habits that will help us lower the number of people affected by this horrible disease.
This is how we become more than a business. By reaching out into our community and showing our Love to as many people as we can…
We will continue to have special community events focused on healthy living. This blog is a collection of things that we are doing in our care, but also is a resource for anyone to help a loved one going through the effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. It is a resource to help you live the long life that you deserve.
From the title of this blog to the building of our business, LOVE is an important word for Us. We believe that is where care starts, not with research, not with a pill, it starts with Love. Love is not something that grows when you keep it inside, love can only grow when it is shown and given to others. If we truly want to be the most inspiring dementia care on earth, it starts and ends with LOVE. Love for our residents, love for their family members, love for each other. This is how we become more than a business. We might not be able to change the world, but by reaching out into our community and showing our Love and sharing our story to as many people as we can, we can surely make an impact on Central Ohio and who knows, possibly more. Whatever it takes to make this community stronger and healthier, we are here to do.