San Juan Capistrano, CA, June 22, 2005 — Silverado Senior Living is celebrating its Founder, President and CEO. Silverado executives looked on and cheered at a black tie ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, California on Thursday June 16th while Ernst & Young presented Loren Shook its Orange County Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Selected from companies in Orange County and the state of Arizona, they were judged by innovation, perseverance, and sustainability, Shook and Silverado were seen to have these qualities, in large measure.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award honors those whose ingenuity and hard work have created and sustained successful business ventures. These businesses have some impressive averages, such as Sales ($285 million), and Growth (20%.) Each year culminates with a National Entrepreneur Award gala in Palm Springs, CA, attended by some 1,500 people. The awards have grown since their inception in 1986 from one program, to over 30 programs in the US, and participation of 35 countries throughout the world.
When asked how it was that his company is consistently so strong, Mr. Shook modestly replied that his company is only as good as the associates who make it up, and “We are blessed to have a company full of great associates, supported by a solid culture and united behind a clear vision to give all people with memory impairing illnesses ‘Life.’” But there’s more to the story than that. Built upon a lifetime of healthcare experience, Loren Shook had a dream of bringing life to seniors with memory impairment in a way that hadn’t been attempted. Overcoming tremendous obstacles both financially and from experts in the healthcare field who said it couldn’t be done, through Loren’s passion, leadership and perseverance, 12 award-winning Assisted Living communities operate in the states of California, Texas and Utah today. Additional projects are underway, with its newest community opening in Plano, Texas in August of this year. California also enjoys Silverado Care Management, In-Home Care, and Hospice branches, (newly developed business lines for Silverado) which, for the first time, provide a full continuum of care in the treatment of those afflicted by dementia. Shook plans to extend this continuum into Texas and Utah in the near future. Utah has already begun Hospice services.
The recent program listed a few of those things uniquely Silverado. Included were the company philosophy of treatment without restraints, round-the-clock nurses, secure outdoor gardens with walking paths, and intergenerational activities. Another great tool in the Silverado system are the numerous pets, including those of individual residents, who spread their joy. “As a result of the company’s humanistic care techniques, almost 900 residents have regained their ability to walk, 680 residents can feed themselves again, and residents coming to them on psychotropic behavior-controlling drugs have had their dosages reduced on average by 40% companywide…[all of which] have resulted in maximizing the quality of life for residents, reduction in the number of fractures and falls, and ultimately, in residents living life with more dignity.”
Silverado Senior Living, Inc. is a nationally recognized leader in providing specialized care for those with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, vascular and other memory impairment diseases. Silverado offers a full continuum of services, providing care from earliest onset through end of life. Silverado currently operates 12 communities (1,021 beds) in California, Utah and Texas; providing specialized long-term, short term and day care services. Silverado also provides Home Care/Care management and Hospice services in Orange, San Diego, LA and Ventura counties in California. Silverado has a number of research affiliations with leaders in the field of Alzheimer’s disease including the University of California, San Diego, UCLA, USC, University of Utah, UCI and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Silverado Senior Living, Inc. was founded in 1996. For more information about Silverado Senior Living see our website at www.silveradosenior.com.
