I am Gina Stavredes, the owner of Elsie’s Place family care home. I graduated from the physical therapy program at the University of Alabama - Birmingham in 1989. Arriving in North Carolina thirty years ago, I worked at a nursing home and immediately fell in love with this population. These were the people I wanted to be around and help.

During this time my grandmother Elsie had developed frontal temporal dementia, an early-onset illness somewhat similar to Alzheimer’s that affects personality, behavior, language skills and much more. Despite their love for her, my parents found Elsie to be a handful over a seven year period. Needing to keep up with their own jobs, they tried in-home care with sitters, a church-run community, adult day care and finally a large care home. That final option lasted exactly one day. Elsie was expelled from the assisted living facility for pushing her roommate, out of fear and frustration. Clearly another solution was necessary. My mother was at a loss for what to do.

One day, I am convinced, God intervened. A woman approached my mother at work after noticing her crying. She told my mother that she took care of three residents, all of them bedridden, in a private care home that she maintained. Although Elsie was not bedridden, the woman said to bring her over for a look. Soon she moved in and within seven days my grandmother was a different person. Suddenly she was happy again, singing to herself and others, helping staff clean her room, tucking in fellow patients at night. It was clear that what she needed most was a genuine sense of purpose.

After witnessing this I knew what I needed to do. I stopped working at the nursing home, started researching every type of dementia and began looking for a house in which to open a dedicated Alzheimer’s care home. I opened Elsie’s Place 21 years ago, having found the ideal house in a beautiful wooded setting in north Raleigh. The women I have had over these years were each amazing in their own way, and I have learned and grown from the experience of knowing and loving each one of them.

What Alzheimer’s patients need is actually simple.

• They need to be loved as they are and treated on their own terms.
• They need encouragement from a knowledgeable and friendly staff.
• They need nutritious food prepared from scratch with every meal.
• They need – and this is crucial – the respect and dignity they deserve.
• They need laughter.

Elsie’s Place is dedicated to meeting these needs and continuing to care for patients suffering Alzheimer’s, a disease that is all too frequently misunderstood, its victims marginalized and in some cases all but abandoned by their families. I like to think of Elsie’s as an extension of their home, giving them the chance to live out the rest of their lives surrounded by care and compassion in a relaxing, intimate and safe environment.

If your loved one is suffering from Alzheimer’s, please visit us. We specialize in Alzheimer’s and have done so for 21 years. We welcome the opportunity to talk to you about how we can help you through a time of life that can still be rich and meaningful.