07/10/2020
It’s difficult to find the words to post the last Chateau Amore Senior Living post however, the day has come. Out of the many tasks I needed to do to officially close Chateau Amore, I left this task for last as it is one of the hardest to do. I apologize ahead of time if this last post is a bit lengthy but it is Chateau Amore Senior Living’s history and legacy. Overall, I have no regrets. I am thankful for the Chateau Amore chapter of my life and excited for my future and what is in store next. I am proud of what I accomplished and know the next chapter in my life is only going to be bigger and better!
Chateau Amore was an incredible dream of mine (Christina Lair) that began over 11 years ago. It began from my experience in senior care as a hospice social worker. As I visited seniors all over town, I found the need to build a senior living home that stood out amongst the rest. I wanted to build a loving home for fragile seniors that could be their final home. A place that they could feel the love and respect a family atmosphere could provide. A home that made them feel comfortable, fed them well, and provided them with the dignity, comfort, and care they deserved as they moved on from this life.
In 2014 that dream went from my heart to the beginning of reality when I purchased the property of what was to become Chateau Amore. It took two and a half years, all of my savings and then some, and a lot of hard work to open our doors in June of 2016.
July 2016 Chateau Amore admitted our first resident sweet miss Mabel. I learned so much from my experience with her. I will be forever grateful to her daughter Austie V. Cupp who took a chance on this passionate inexperienced social worker. By the end of July 2016 Chateau Amore had two residents. As each month went by Chateau Amore was honored with more and more seniors to care for.
I have to admit the first 6 months of buisness operation was extremely difficult. I lived at the home 24/7 with my 8 year old son and worked 100 plus work weeks in order to cover the many tasks necessary to get the business going with a negative operating budget and lack of community presence. Although very excited, I was naive about how long it would take to open and fill the home as well as how much money it would take. As they always say, expect it to take double as long and twice as expensive. I somehow didn’t get that memo. However, the hard work and my ability to be Administrator, marketer, caregiver, hr, janitor... paid off and in 2017 I was able to move out of the home and hire additional staff.
In September 2017 Chateau Amore passed its first annual inspection with and A on the first try and also built an A status with the better business bureau. Chateau Amore continued to care for seniors in 2017 and the home grew as the months went by with more happy smiling seniors. Some were with us for only days and others for a much longer period of time. We enjoyed doing activities with them and sharing our lives as well as holding some of our residents hands and keeping them comfortable while they moved on from this earth.
The beginning of 2018 Chateau Amore had a full house! I cried the day I saw the 17ft kitchen table be completely filled. I could not believe that my biggest goal had been achieved! Although we weren’t full for long, 2018 was the best year for Chateau Amore. I personally had a little more time on my hands as my house manager Betty Martinez did an incredible job stepping in when I took some time off. We had another perfect A inspection that summer thanks to Betty and the rest of my amazing staff.
2019 we continued to care for more amazing seniors however before mid year we struggled to make ends meet financially. I continued to educate the community about Chateau Amore, but each month became more financially difficult. We had another A perfect annual inspection in July, however in September all of our residents had moved on from this world except for one, our sweet Catherine. In September 2019 I helped find an amazing home for Catherine and assisted my amazing staff with finding replacement jobs.
For the rest of 2019 and into 2020 I kept Chateau Amore Senior Living’s license active with the intent of reopening if the desire was great enough in the community. Although I received some calls, it wasn’t enough to rehire staff and reopen our doors. As the purpose of the property of Chateau Amore Senior Living was to care for seniors and we no longer did that I decided and have sold the home. The new buyer may open a new home at the address. I have nor Chateau Amore Senior Living have no affiliation with that new home if it becomes licensed.
I want to thank the entire senior community including all the home health and hospice agencies, SNF, hospitals, assisted living facilities, group homes, doctors, and their staff that not only cared and kept comfortable our residents in Chateau Amore but helped get the word out into the community for the care we provided. I also want to thank all of our residents both on earth and that have passed as well as their loved ones for entrusting in us the honor and responsibility in caring for them. We had the honor to care for 43 residents who the majority called Chateau Amore their last home. Lastly, I want to thank all 26 of my past staff who selflessly cared for our residents. I specifically want to thank the staff that chose to go above and beyond including Betty, Genieve, Mila, Frantzie, Azeneth, Victoria, Jennifer, Theresa, and Elizabeth. Thank you Laura Marvel for your guidance and support. You have an amazing home and have been a true mentor to me.
The last 6 years has been an incredible learning experience. I am amazed by what I achieved and am proud that I was able to build such a loving home in an ethical and honest manner. Although my ethical decisions hurt my bottom line financially and most likely my ethics caused Chateau Amore Senior Living to close because I didn’t utilize the illegal practices a lot of the industry utilizes, I can honestly say I would have made the same choices if I was to do it again. Our seniors deserve to be honored and cherished and cared for properly. Although there are some fantastic facilities in Clark County Unfortunately, that is not always the case. This industry in Las Vegas has a lot of changes to make and a long way to go to be what it should be. Although, I wasn’t able to help end the abuse, neglect, and sub par conditions for all seniors, at least I made a difference in the lives of 43 seniors. Thanks again to all who had a hand in Chateau Amore. Cheers to you! On to the next chapter in my life!
