Photo by Travis Pratt Edenton Retirement Community President RaeAnn Butler stands in front of residents playing a trivia game. Purchase this photo

That's the philosophy of RaeAnn Butler, administrator and president of Edenton Retirement Community in Frederick .

The business offers independent living, assisted living and dementia care to 120 residents.

It is the 20th anniversary of Edenton, which, on its 10-acre site, has cottages and a manor house in a landscaped setting.

Ethics is in everything the organization does, Butler said.

"If you are in the business of providing a service, and especially when you're responsible for the welfare of another human being, ethical conduct must be your guidepost," Butler said. "Being entrusted with the care of another, especially those considered vulnerable, there is no job with higher expectations."

Butler said her goal, and that of the 70 staff members, is to make residents comfortable, as if they are part of an extended family.

"If they are not from the Frederick area, we have activities to take them around and show them the area," she said. "We are a small, close community."

Edenton was nominated for the Frederick County Business Ethics Award by a friend. Butler said it was a pleasant surprise for her and the staff.

"It shows that other people recognize us and we are proud of the nomination," she said.

Butler grew up with a grandmother in the house and elderly neighbors. When her grandmother was in a nursing home, she and her mother visited daily.

"By the time I was in high school, it was part of my life. I had a lot of friends in their 80s and 90s. It was a natural course of action for me to go into it," she said of her career. Hood College offered courses in gerontology and brought her to Frederick and eventually to Edenton.

"What sets us apart is that we are a smaller community," Butler said, pointing to a small ratio of residents to staff members. "We have attention to detail. We know our residents and their families by name. And we realize they are individuals and that is what makes us special. Each resident gets very loving care."

The staff is a reflection of the integrity of Edenton. Butler said turnover is exceptionally low, with many of the staff members and managers employed a decade or more.

She points out that she would never expect a staff member to do anything she wouldn't do.

"It is all of our jobs to provide the best and safest home for every resident. The job is simply to do whatever it takes," Butler said. "That's the only acceptable response for me."