Paul Finerty, Owner

My career in senior living began at the age of 14 when I gave up my paper route to work at Bay Village as a busboy in their dining room. Later, I attended USF in Tampa and Wayne St. Univ. in Detroit where I studied business and liberal arts.

 

In 1988, my mother approached me with the idea of building an ALF. In 1992, I completed LPN school and worked at several nursing homes and ALFs prior to our opening in 1996. These experiences inspired me to create a new concept which became the vision for Ashton Place.

 

Our plan was to create an environment where people could comfortably and safely age in place in a homelike setting without needing to transfer to an institutional nursing home when their needs increased. To do this correctly, we had to be more medically sophisticated than the average ALF i.e. ownership with a medical background. It's also helpful that we are a smaller facility of 42 residents which is more homelike with individualized care in contrast to our big corporate brethren with their 100 plus residents. Also, our building design needed to be very specific to accommodate a wide range of needs. 

 

Most ALFs are still built using a hotel design as a blueprint. This is characterized by long hallways, geometric floor plans, underutilized common areas with many resident room doors being closed. Ours is quite the opposite. At Ashton Place, most hallways are short, our floor plan is irregular, common areas are heavily used and most people leave their room doors open; like a home. 

 

By providing interesting spaces, we give people reasons to leave their rooms. When they are out of their rooms and around people and activity, they are happier, healthier and more secure. This also enables staff to respond more quickly to their needs.

 

To successfully be in business for 21 years is an accomplishment but to have ventured so far from the beaten path to create something so fresh, new, needed and appreciated is the real source of satisfaction.