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75 Herrell Rd. Villa Rica, Ga. 30180

A Place to Call Home

Local Business Owner Gary Tallent Helps Senior Citizens Live Full and Active Lives

Gary Tallent has always had a passion for helping people. When he was a young man, he was deeply involved in helping shape the youth of his church. He enjoyed helping young people and making a difference in their lives as he watched them grow into adulthood. As his career as a product manager for a large seating company became more demanding and required extensive travel over three countries, he was disappointed when he had to leave his role as a youth leader.

But later in life he continued to feel called to help others, serving in various roles such as the finance director and a fire commissioner in the city he lived in, volunteering his time for utilities and school boards and he also served his country for six years in the Army National Guard.

Upon retirement, Gary began to focus his efforts on helping another underserved population – senior citizens. He began working for a management group that worked to fix and repair failing properties. He had been working at a facility in Highlands, NC., for about a year and a half when his job was nearing completion. Then, he received a call in March 2010 asking him to inspect Ashbrook Village, an assisted living facility located in Villa Rica, Ga. After coming to Villa Rica, he made the decision to stay and he became an owner of the facility in October 2010. "The reason that I stayed and became an owner here was because of the great opportunity I was given and I had the support of the greatest partners in the world," he explains. "My partners have supported me so much in ways that you can’t imagine. Together, we have helped so many, always with the realization that the dollars are not always the most important thing."

Gary with his wife, Judy.

He and his wife, Judy, live in the Mirror Lake subdivision in Villa Rica. Together, they have five children; three boys and two girls who live in Singapore, California, Texas, Florida and Georgia. Gary and Judy have five granddaughters.

In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with the grandchildren and riding his golf cart in the evenings while enjoying the beautiful scenery around Mirror Lake.

A Strong Work Ethic

Born and raised in Sweetwater, Tenn., Gary has never been one to shy away from hard work. He began hauling hay in the sixth grade and he was paid $100 for 100 hours of backbreaking work. "I was also allowed to eat all of the cheeseburgers and drink all of the A&W root beer that I wanted," he laughs. "That was a big perk!"

He had two loving parents and recalls how hard his mother worked to ensure his needs were met. "I can remember how my mother worked so hard in a sewing factory and would come home and see that we had a homecooked meal," he shares. "She and my father saw that I had new clothes and school supplies every year. She was always right there if I was sickand needy. Mothers are very special people in our lives and should be always recognized as so. You don’t recognize things like that until you get older in life, I guess. I will always remember the sacrifices she made for me."

Caring for Senior Citizens

Ashbrook Village, located on an 85-acre property, offers memory care, assisted and independent living. Currently, there are 56 residents who live in the memory care and assisted living sections of the facility, and 70 seniors who live in the independent living segment.

"My goal has been to instill into each employee that the resident comes first above all," he relates. "Next in importance is cleanliness and last, we want the resident’s family to leave the facility knowing their loved one is being cared for properly."

Ashbrook Village has received many accolades with Gary at the helm over the last nine years, most notably when Senior Advisor, one of the nation's largest senior living review sites, rated Ashbrook in the top 1 percent of senior care giving in the United States. "Imagine getting an award like that," he says. "Awards are wonderful, but we must keep striving to do better and yes, we still make mistakes that we learn from."

He says everyone at Ashbrook cares about the residents and loves them unconditionally, and that is why they have had a waiting list since October 2010. He is thankful for the residents' family members who spread the word of the tremendous care Ashbrook provides for their loved ones.

His Advice

Operating an independent living facility is no small task. The rising costs of constructing a structure has increased exponentially, and the ever-rising cost of other expenses makes it almost impossible to meet an annual budget. He says operating a business like Ashbrook Village is a very specialized field that requires solid experience, but he believes anyone with passion and drive can accomplish anything. "Maintaining government regulations – for they are ever changing in this business, the economy, taxes and insurance are all challenging," he explains. "You must be very passionate, strong-willed and enjoy your business to survive."

There are also advantages that come with being a private business owner. "Being the boss is nice sometimes," he exclaims. "I am able to make quick decisions on the spot without having to wait for approval, which is different from the corporate world."

The downside of being the boss is meeting the budget with increasing expenses across the board and having to release an employee for their shortcomings in the workplace. "That is never easy," he relates. "Being a small business owner, you wear many hats so the day's direction may change many times."

If he had the chance to do things over again he says he would have gotten involved in senior care much earlier, possibly owning his own management company managing multiple senior care facilities.

Standing, Lead Medical Technician, Barbara Henderson, seated, Health Service Director, Melissa Campbell, with Gary.

He's very thankful to have a strong support system of friends and family. "My wife is a tremendous supporter of me and helps in so many different aspects," he shares. "An important point is to also recognize the employees of Ashbrook Village. I have five managers who are so supportive, along with great employees. Ashbrook could not have been successful without the employees, my managers and partners. It is a true team effort." He has also gained friendships with managers of other senior living facilities in the area. They often meet for lunch to discuss the issues they all face on a daily basis. Most of all, he looks to the heavens for guidance. "My main mentor is God, who has always been so instrumental in my life," he says.

Labor of Love

Managing the unique needs of senior citizens is a huge responsibility, but can also be very rewarding. And, working in an assisted living facility can also have its lighter moments – even if those moments aren't funny until much later.

One of Gary's partners had a relative who, although physically fit and got around very well for his age, had some dementia and became a resident of Ashbrook.

"I was going outside to the back of the building to empty some trash, and he wanted to walk outside with me," he recalls. "After going out, he would not go back inside. I’m usually the master talker when it comes to asking the residents to do things, and I knew he liked the ladies that worked here. So, I asked two of the medical technicians to come outside and walk with him around the building for a nature walk. They walked around Ashbrook a couple of times, then he took off through the woods – so they called me. I jumped in the van and followed him into the woods. When I caught up with him, he turned and attempted to hit me. We tussled a bit with each other and fell into the edge of a marsh, and we tussled some more in the water. I asked him if he was ready to end this thing and he said, 'Yes, I’m ready for a shower!' We drove back to the building, he went back into the building to his room, showered and never made mention of the incident again. We had gotten so wet, muddy and slimy – the things that we do."

Heartwarming moments abound in this business, but Gary recalls one instance that was extremely impactful for him and for the resident. When he was working at the facility in Highlands, NC., there were three women from the local country club who paid Gary a visit. They asked him if he would come and speak to one of the residents who had a home at the country club about entering the assisted living facility. The man had no known family, so Gary went to meet with him.

"He was 99 years old, but physically able to walk and get around," he says. "I found him to be very headstrong and he could be downright mean at times! After a time, I was able to get him to come to assisted living and he ended up staying. In talking with him, he reported he had no one in his family who was still living. However, in this internet world, I had him give me some names in his family. I was able to locate some of his family in Boston who came and paid him a visit … that was great."

Time and Tide Wait for No Man (or Woman)

Gary and Ashbrook Village resident, Susie Burdett, take a walk together in the garden.

Everyone knows you can't stop the hands of time. That's why it's important to have your affairs in order when the time comes to move forward into the next chapter in your life. "When we are younger, most of us never realize our roles will reverse and we will be helping with the care of our parents as they cared for us when we were children," he explains. "Many grown children are lost when this time comes and really don’t know what to do. It is important for parents to have appointed powers of attorney for medical and financials – no matter what age they are. This will help their children so much."

He says the planning for the growth of seniors in housing and medical facilities has not been properly addressed in our country. Many seniors haven’t planned for this time in their lives and the cost of these services is rising every day.

With advances in modern medicine, the number of people over 60 years old are expected to double by 2050 and will require extensive changes in society, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO says there are three specific areas that will need to be addressed in our society. The first is to make where we live more senior-friendly. The solution to this could be improving senior citizens' sense of security by addressing loneliness and social isolation in the elderly population.

Second, they suggest that society needs to reform its health systems – shifting from systems that are focused on critical and acute diseases to systems that will provide continuous care for chronic health conditions found in older people.

The third key area is to create long-term care systems that will ensure the elderly will be able to live out their years with dignity, providing needed support to families and freeing up women, who are most often the primary caregivers for older family members, so they will be available for more expansive roles in society.

Gary's advice for senior citizens is to not wait to enter a facility. "I find that 80 percent of seniors are ready to come, and after being here, wish they had done it sooner," he relates. "Of the 20 percent who don’t want to come here, after three to 10 days, they are all very glad that they came. It makes such a difference in the elderly with medicines given on time, having proper meals and just being social in our community."

Ashbrook Village resident, Katie Clay (left), her daughter, Karen Brey (center) and Karen's dog, Winnie, enjoy some quality time on the front porch with Gary. Gary is an active owner who continues to be directly involved with the residents' care and social lives.

Women are an important part of Ashbrook Village. There are usually more women than men who live in the facility, and Gary is an active owner who continues to be directly involved with the residents' care and social lives. "I think most women who have never visited Ashbrook before would be amazed at how clean our property is kept and at our detailed business operations," he says. "They would also be surprised that I chose all of the colors of paint and that I decorated the facility myself."

Women also make up a large and important segment of the employees and management at Ashbrook. "The role of women has changed so much in my lifetime," he says. "I have worked with many more women than men in my career. I have learned women are more detailed and have many more new ideas in the workplace than men – and often do a better job!"

Building upon Excellence

Gary has substantial expansion goals for the facility, which will include an additional assisted living building, more independent living cottages, a new nursing home, a drug store and medical supply store, home health and hospice offices as well as retail space. He is excited for the future and is diligently working to make Ashbrook Village the best it can be for the residents.

"Since I was a young man, I have always wanted to make things better," he shares. "First it was coaching children and now, I'm improving situations for seniors with my job. I hope to continue doing that!" WGW

To learn more about Gary Tallent and Ashbrook Village or to schedule a tour of the facility, call 770.456.4477 or visit the website at www.AshbrookVillage.com