Owner Julie Winters and executive director Sydney Simons talk about the new Gigi’s Place assisted living facility in Miami Twp.
Nick Graham – Photographer/Videographer
When Julie Winters was looking for the right living environment to help her parents age in place — as well as care for her father, who has dementia — she wanted someplace that felt like a home instead of a facility.
“My parents had multiple experiences in different places around the Dayton area,” said Winters, owner of Gigi’s Place, a new residential assisted living home opening soon in Miami Twp. “I thought it would be good to have a smaller home.”
It became a passion project for Winters, who is known as “Gigi” to her grandchildren, to offer a different option for families and their loved ones, she said, as she sought to create the best option for her father.
“My dad’s been living with us for the past five years,” Winters said. “He has dementia. My mom actually passed away in 2018 from a fall in one of the places she was living.”
Owner Julie Winters, left, and executive director Sydney Simons stand inside the new Gigi’s Place assisted living facility in Miami Twp. Nick Graham — Photographer/Videographer
Nick Graham – Photographer/Videographer
Gigi’s Place, located at 2820 Spring Valley Road in Miami Twp., is more than 9,000 square feet and will accommodate 16 residents, each with a private bedroom and bathroom. There are shared common areas, including a kitchen, a family-style dining room, a living room, covered outdoor spaces, and a salon.
But for Winters, the biggest difference between Gigi’s Place and other assisted living facilities is the caregiver ratio between residents and the care team.
“In the places my parents were in, it was one caregiver to every 25 to 40 residents,” Winters said. “Here, it will be one caregiver for every five residents.”
There will also be around-the-clock nursing care available, assistance with daily needs from basic to higher levels of care, and support for those with dementia, according to Gigi’s Place’s website.
Gigi’s Place also aims to have its caregivers create relationships with the residents, Winters said.
“In a lot of the places my parents were, they deliberately rotated caregivers, so it was against their policy for the caregivers to really develop a relationship with the residents,” Winters said. “So we want that to be different, too.”
Other amenities include home-cooked meals, daily activities, cleaning services, and coordinated transportation and laundry services.
“We really want to operate as a family here,” Winters said.
Of the 16 rooms, there are currently 12 that are still available. Gigi’s Place is waiting on its approval from the Ohio Department of Health, which licenses and certifies nursing homes and long-term care facilities, before residents can start moving in. That process could be between a few weeks up to three months, said Sydney Simons, executive director of Gigi’s Place.
Gigi’s Place recently received proclamations from local and state lawmakers, as well as from Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, recognizing the facility.
“We can really make a difference here,” Simons said. “And I hope that we will shed a new light onto options for families for their loved ones and also for people that are in the nursing field that are maybe burnt out on the high resident loads.”
They hope to offer both residents and their caregivers a different type of experience.
“I feel like everyone that is in this field starts out wanting to make a difference, and I’m hoping that here we’ll be able to show them that it’s possible and also provide great care,” Simons said.
Families interested in learning more can call Gigi’s Place at 937-424-7679 or contact Simons at sydney@gigis-place.com.
For more information, visit gigis-place.com.
Owner Julie Winters, left, and executive director Sydney Simons stand inside the new Gigi’s Place assisted living facility in Miami Twp. Nick Graham — Photographer/Videographer