About

As an organization and individually, we believe that to the greatest extent possible people have the right to govern their own lives and make choices about how to live, and to have those choices honored whether or not they can communicate them in conventional ways.

This is to say that we believe in person-centered behavior, whether in professional practice with individuals and families or in the development of our own or other organizations. We believe in person-centeredness because we believe that social entities—individuals, families, or other groups—have strengths they can use to govern their lives, even when those strengths are not immediately apparent.

We also believe in the abundance of resources, even in times of seeming scarcity, because we believe that individuals and groups working together can generate the wherewithal to improve bad situations and make good ones better. We value integrity, creativity, and innovation, and we trust these values as our guides in uncertain times.

Since 1987, CARES has enjoyed a productive relationship with the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), and this has allowed us to create additional connections to the practitioners and agencies across the state.