Long before he became president and CEO of Agapé Senior, one of South Carolina's premier elderly care providers, Scott Middleton was an ordained Methodist minister who frequently visited elderly parishioners.

        Those extended visits deeply affected his heart — and eventually changed his vocation.

         "I saw terrible things: people neglected by their families, living in bug-infested homes, suffering from poor care," he said. "I told my wife, 'There's got to be a better way.' That's what inspired me to get into this business."

         Middleton knew that he needed more education to accompany his passion for providing high-quality elderly care. That led to a master of health administration degree from USC's Arnold School of Public Health and a gerontology certificate from the College of Social Work.

         He founded Agapé Senior in 1999 after buying a small assisted-living facility in West Columbia. Since then, Agapé has grown to eight assisted living facilities and three nursing homes around the state, caring for more than 1,100 residents and patients. Agapé employs more than 1,400 with an annual payroll of $32 million.

         Middleton has expanded the business into hospice and ambulance services and soon will launch a home care subsidiary. To maintain a high standard of care, Agapé provides extensive employee training and opportunities for further education. Through the Agapé Senior Foundation, the company invests in health care programs in higher education. The foundation also will provide nearly $2 million in care for its indigent residents this year and anticipates giving away up to $3.5 million next year.

Continuous improvement of Agapé's operations is important to Middleton, but he's especially driven by what he calls "parent talk," the title of his new book and a primer for anyone with aging parents.

        "There are nine conversations that you inevitably have to have with your parents, and the sooner you begin the better," he said.

        In his book, Middleton outlines how to talk to senior adults about potentially touchy subjects such as driving, finances, medications, diet and where they will live when they're no longer independent.

        "You don't talk to your kids when they're 16 about sex and drugs; you start those conversations much earlier," Middleton said. "The same is true for these 'parent talk' conversations. You can't wait until something happens.
Plan now: that's the key."