Nickie Allen

The stench and the bleak condition of the residents spurred a realization in Allen.

"There's got to be a better way," she decided.

Years later, in her late 40s, she completed her bachelor's degree in nursing and became a nursing home administrator.

"I planned to change the nursing home industry.But I'm a wild-eyed optimist," she said.

She worked for a few years for various nursing homes, but Allen said the nursing home setting didn't mesh with the kind of care she envisioned providing for residents.So in 1992 she rented a home on Fort Worth Highway and started her own assisted living facility.

"I've done my changes in a different way, just by establishing a facility that's different," Allen said.

She began with one patient and two employees.Now after 12 years as owner and administrator of Windsor House, Nickie Allen has sold her business to enjoy the freedom of traveling and retirement.

Allen said she will miss the personal interactions with the residents who live at Windsor House (now Arbor House).

"The sole reason that I'm in this business is to preserve their dignity," Allen said."...They deserve good care, they deserve a good life to the very end."

Allen was introduced to seniors of diminishing capacity when she was about 7 years old, and her grandmother, suffering from dementia, moved in with her family.At the time, Allen and her two sisters found their grandmother's lapses very entertaining, never realizing the strain it placed on their mother.

Growing up, Allen also witnessed her parents' kindness toward the less fortunate and elderly.

"I just developed a real sense of awareness of the need to give exemplary care to these people," Allen said.

When she was still a teenager, Allen moved out of her parents' Texas home to attend college in Nebraska.She put herself through school by working as a nurse aid at a state mental hospital.She witnessed numerous acts of inhumane treatment which never left her.

Allen then married her husband, Don, and took some night classes; the law didn't allow married students to enroll in nursing school.The year she became pregnant with her first baby, the law changed.But Allen was busy with motherhood.

In her 40s, Allen decided the family was financially stable enough for her to attend school at the University of Texas at Arlington -- along with her three daughters.

In the last 12 years, Windsor House has grown to a multi-level facility with some 40 to 50 employees.It has assisted living facilities, a heavy care facility and assisted living for seniors with dementia.

About two years ago, both Allen and her husband were diagnosed with cancer; they both recovered.But they reasoned it was time to enjoy life together while they could.So Allen began working to sell Windsor House about a year and a half ago.

"It hurt when I first put it on the market.I did my grieving," Allen said.

At the end of February, Allen sold the facility to Arbor House Corporation of Oklahoma.She said the company appears to have a caregiving philosophy similar to her own, which allows her to feel comfortable selling.

Allen predicted after she retires she will periodically stop by to see the staff and residents at Arbor House.

"It's just been my life, and I love it," she said.

The staff of Arbor House invites the community to a retirement party for Allen at 3 p.m. Friday, 1101 Jameson St.

The stench and the bleak condition of the residents spurred a realization in Allen."There's got to be a better way," she decided.

Years later, in her late 40s, she completed her bachelor's degree in nursing and became a nursing home administrator.

"I planned to change the nursing home industry.But I'm a wild-eyed optimist," she said.

She worked for a few years for various nursing homes, but Allen said the nursing home setting didn't mesh with the kind of care she envisioned providing for residents.So in 1992 she rented a home on Fort Worth Highway and started her own assisted living facility.

"I've done my changes in a different way, just by establishing a facility that's different," Allen said.

She began with one patient and two employees.Now after 12 years as owner and administrator of Windsor House, Nickie Allen has sold her business to enjoy the freedom of traveling and retirement.

Allen said she will miss the personal interactions with the residents who live at Windsor House (now Arbor House).

"The sole reason that I'm in this business is to preserve their dignity," Allen said."...They deserve good care, they deserve a good life to the very end."

Allen was introduced to seniors of diminishing capacity when she was about 7 years old, and her grandmother, suffering from dementia, moved in with her family.At the time, Allen and her two sisters found their grandmother's lapses very entertaining, never realizing the strain it placed on their mother.

Growing up, Allen also witnessed her parents' kindness toward the less fortunate and elderly.

"I just developed a real sense of awareness of the need to give exemplary care to these people," Allen said.

When she was still a teenager, Allen moved out of her parents' Texas home to attend college in Nebraska.She put herself through school by working as a nurse aid at a state mental hospital.She witnessed numerous acts of inhumane treatment which never left her.

Allen then married her husband, Don, and took some night classes; the law didn't allow married students to enroll in nursing school.The year she became pregnant with her first baby, the law changed.But Allen was busy with motherhood.

In her 40s, Allen decided the family was financially stable enough for her to attend school at the University of Texas at Arlington -- along with her three daughters.

In the last 12 years, Windsor House has grown to a multi-level facility with some 40 to 50 employees.It has assisted living facilities, a heavy care facility and assisted living for seniors with dementia.

About two years ago, both Allen and her husband were diagnosed with cancer; they both recovered.But they reasoned it was time to enjoy life together while they could.So Allen began working to sell Windsor House about a year and a half ago.

"It hurt when I first put it on the market.I did my grieving," Allen said.

At the end of February, Allen sold the facility to Arbor House Corporation of Oklahoma.She said the company appears to have a caregiving philosophy similar to her own, which allows her to feel comfortable selling.

Allen predicted after she retires she will periodically stop by to see the staff and residents at Arbor House.

"It's just been my life, and I love it," she said.

The staff of Arbor House invites the community to a retirement party for Allen at 3 p.m. Friday, 1101 Jameson St.

"I'm satisfied," said Windsor House owner Nickie Allen, who previously spoke out against the proposed tax increase.

Nickie Allen, Owner and Administrator of Windsor House
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Nickie Allen, RN, BSN, NHAAdministrator / Owner

Nickie is a registered nurse with a long history in the field of extended care for the elderly including several nursing home facilities as Administrator.In 1992 Nickie and her husband Don, rented a house on Fort Worth highway and started Windsor House.In 1996 a second facility was built, by her husband Don who is a General Contractor, on Jameson Street with a separate retirement village located in the back of the Alzheimer/Dementia facility.For Nickie Allen, having an upscale assisted living facility for the elderly is the fulfillment of her lifelong dream.