Bristol CT Senior Care &
Shady Oaks Assisted Living

My grandmother, Vera, grew up on dairy and potato farms in Maine. For better opportunities, she moved to Connecticut after World War II. For almost 25 years, she worked and lived in Shady Oaks as its “in-home house mother.” She was known for her hard work, independence, home style cooking, and mischievous humor. Vera continued working into her 80’s. She then became a resident of Shady Oaks until her passing.

One of my proudest memories with Grandma Vera was visiting her and the other residents in my Marine Corps dress blues just after 9/11. I felt she was proud of my hard work in becoming a Marine infantry officer. Today, I hope she would be proud of my continuing hard work as the owner and director of Shady Oaks. Like her working and living in-home, I have lived next door since 2016. I work every day. I am always available.

For 48 years, Shady Oaks was the only assisted living facility in Bristol CT. KindCare opened in 2023. KindCare emphasizes affordability and local community feel, with light nursing. It is located on a convenient urban corner in Bristol center. It has a locked unit, so it can help mobile dementia residents with anxiety and those who might wander. Shady Oaks does not have this. Still, 70% of our residents have some degree of dementia. We do best with non-anxious and non-wandering residents, so our home feels gentle and relaxed. We also staff more, so we do better with transfer assistance and higher care. Moreover, at Shady Oaks, we pay our RNs, LPNs, and CNAs much more than other assisted livings pay, so we can attract and keep the very best local caregivers.