Lovie Baxter knew that her life’s “Why” would center around healthcare. It was her destiny.
Fascinated with the brilliance of the human body at a young age, she saw it as God’s greatest masterpiece.
The true spark for her future arose from watching her best friend’s mother and her godmother, both nurses who carried themselves with authority, elegance, and purpose.
To young Lovie Baxter, there were more than caregivers – they were heroes in scrubs, women who turned knowledge into power and compassion into healing. That influence lit a fire in her that has never gone out.
Today, that same fire drives her to create spaces where seniors are treated not as patients, but as family – living proof that her calling is bigger than a job. It’s a legacy in the making.
Baxter earned her bachelor’s degree in clinical/medical social work in 1999 from the University of North Texas. She went on to complete her Master of Science in Social Work with a concentration in Community and Administrative Practices in 2001 at the University of Texas at Arlington.
In 2005, she also earned her Registered Nurse (RN) certification from Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing.
She earned her Master of Nursing in Family Practice from South University in 2014, which led her to start a career as a family nurse practitioner. At the same time, she also opened her own company, A Touch of Love Care Home in Bedford.
Her professional designations look like alphabet soup: MSSW, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, and CDP. They represent Master of Science in Social Work, Master of Science in Nursing, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified, and Certified Dementia Practitioner.
“The Certified Dementia Practitioner designation confirms that I have valuable experience in caring for residents with dementia. I understand the disease and how it takes away much of a personality, and how to calm and reassure that resident they are safe, loved, and cared for.”
Care homes operate differently from assisted living facilities.
They are typically smaller residential settings that maintain a close, personal atmosphere. Each home operates with a small patient-to-staff ratio, allowing seniors to experience the warmth and intimacy of true home living while accommodating residents from many different walks of life.
“I recognized a serious lack of quality senior living options for the community, and I felt called to create homes where seniors are cared for with dignity, compassion, and love,” says Baxter. “I stepped out on faith and built this vision from the ground up, trusting that my passion and calling would make a difference.”
She’s now been in business for 10 years and grown steadily while maintaining the same personal touch and family-like environment. She continues to serve patients clinically as a Family Nurse Practitioner while also ensuring that seniors have a safe and supportive place to call home.
There are challenges, as she faces regulations that place small care homes at a disadvantage. Among these are requirements that often favor larger facilities with more resources, strict staffing mandates that don’t always account for the intimate scale of residential homes, and limited visibility compared to corporate-run communities.
Yet, Baxter remains undeterred. She continues to advocate for fair treatment of small care homes, emphasizing that families deserve options beyond large institutional settings. “It can be difficult to compete with the big players,” she says, “but I know the difference our homes make. We provide a personal, family-like environment that can’t be duplicated on a larger scale.”
Looking ahead, Baxter’s vision is to expand A Touch of Love Care Home across Texas while never losing the warmth and intimacy that make her homes unique. She is also committed to mentoring other healthcare professionals who feel called to senior care and to being a voice for families navigating difficult decisions.
“My goal is to continue building spaces filled with dignity, compassion, and love,” Baxter says. “If I can change the life of one senior, one family at a time, then I know I am fulfilling my purpose.”
About A Touch Of Love Care Home:
Lovie Baxter established A Touch Of Love Car Home in 2018 to offer a privately-owned and operated residential care home services, which include management of patients with varying disease conditions in addition to rehab, short stay, respite care, and day care. Her homes are established in neighborhoods throughout the Fort Worth-Dallas area.
