There are many fine assisted living facilities in area

I read Ms. Russett’s April 1 letter to the editor with a variety of emotions. What has happened to some people who have been the victims of greed and selfishness by the owners of Rudy’s Agape House is inexcusable. Should the operators of this failed provider be allowed to reopen in a new location? Absolutely not. However, please Ms. Russett, don’t put all such facilities in Manatee County in the same boat. Your generalizations are way out of line and do not reflect the reality of many assisted care facilities in our county. Such generalizations show ignorance and or prejudice. We have many very fine senior facilities in Manatee County, providing excellent care and support to our neighbors who need assistance.

It has been my privilege to serve as president of the company which built Water’s Edge of Bradenton. We are a not-for-profit development and do not have any shareholders to whom we must answer. Any profit is used within the community to better serve our residents. We don’t pay our employees less than they pay employees at McDonald’s.

Our employees are all properly trained and have a calling for their difficult job. Perhaps you could come visit us some time and meet Penny or Jeannie or Joyce or Jon, or many others who could be offended by your generalizations. You could even stay for dinner served in a very fine dining room with several choices on our menu, prepared by our chef, Terry, and served by our wonderful dining room employees. You might want to visit our 22,000 square foot community building with gym, beauty shop, theater, swimming pool, and large auditorium.

I’m sorry Ms. Russett that you have had such bad experiences, but please don’t lump all of the assisted living facilities in Manatee County into your experience.

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 3:59 PM with the headline "There are many fine assisted living facilities in area."