Power of Love
how Silverado’s unorthodox and innovative practices ensure
quality of life doesn’t end with a memory disability diagnosis
by loreN shook
The Silverado Story: A
Memory-Care Culture
Where Love is Greater
Than Fear,AJC Press,
is available at: www.
amazon.com or at: www.
SilveradoStory.com.
From early in my career, I believed people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other memory- impairing conditions could contribute to the
world, enjoy relationships with their loved ones,
and relish life—if they were offered a revolutionary new kind of care.
This was not just idle thinking. It was based on
my experience, starting as a young boy working
in psychiatric hospitals and senior care facilities.
When I heard current Silverado senior vice president and chief of culture Steve Winner in the early
1990s advocating similar ideas in a speech at a
national conference, I discovered a kindred spirit
for putting these theories to the test.
It wasn’t simple or without risk, because it
required creating a new kind of residential care
community that would serve only those with
memory-impairing diseases. Now, after nearly
15 years, and with the dramatically increasing
number of individuals and families confronting
dementia, we decided the time had come to put
our story and thoughts on paper.
tional love. We didn’t write The Silverado Story to
chronicle our organization’s start and evolution
but to inspire a call to action. We hope that in
showcasing how Silverado, its residents, families, and associates have shattered myths about
memory-impairment, we can inspire more people and the industry to join the cause of giving
life to those with dementia and replace fear of the
disease with love and concern for the wellbeing of
those living with it. In this way, we will increase
the collective effort to shape a better future for
the memory-impaired.
Loren shook is the
co-founder, president,
CEO, and chairman
of silverado senior
Living. All net proceeds
from the sale of The
Silverado Story will
benefit the Future
Senior Care Leaders
Fund, a scholarship
program for those
training for leadership
roles in serving the
memory-impaired,
administered by the
non-profit Silverado
Foundation. For more
information about
Silverado, visit www.
silveradosenior.com.
extraordinary Results
The Silverado Story: A Memory-Care Culture Where
Love is Greater than Fear is an account of how
Steve and I, along with founding partner Jim
Smith, established Silverado Senior Living and
created a new kind of senior care that focused
on nurturing the human spirit. We share how
we worked to pioneer innovative and unorthodox practices that have led to some extraordinary
results. By believing in people’s abilities rather
than their limitations, we have helped many individuals enjoy a more meaningful life, where they
are more engaged with the world and their loved
ones. We are proud that more than 3,500 people
who couldn’t walk when they came to Silverado
have begun to walk again. More than 2,500 unable to feed themselves have regained that ability.
From the beginning, we have heard the words
“no” and “impossible,” yet each day our caregivers and families witness the miracles that happen
when you treat people with dignity and uncondi-
changing Attitudes
This book shares our principles and practices,
and lays out our vision for how the world can
successfully cope in the future as more individuals are impacted by these issues. Quality of life
and engagement doesn’t have to end when Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other memory-eroding
diseases take hold.
As the numbers climb, care must be an integral focus along with the ongoing quest for a
cure. At the heart of our philosophy is that society
must approach this challenge with the principle
that “Love is Greater than Fear”—embracing the
memory-impaired and acting in their best interests through the spirit of love, rather than shunning them through fear of the disease. We need
to provide people opportunities for participation
in society rather than isolation. Children should
be included and welcomed in any environment
with the memory-impaired so they grow into
adults who are concerned about the issue. It is
our vision that changing societal attitudes toward
the memory-impaired will benefit everyone.
For families with a loved one dealing with
memory impairment, The Silverado Story provides
vital information and inspirational anecdotes. For
memory-care professionals, it educates and expands awareness for those who savor a poetic tale
of vision and hard work with a happy ending, The
Silverado Story provides that as well, though its
real ending is still in the making. ❏
