GREENVILLE — Oakley Place, the friendly assisted living community in Darke County is a family affair, in a very real way. The community is proud home to not one, not two, but three mother and daughter co-worker pairs; Karen and Kim Crow; Kim and Courtney Gilbert; and Sandy Baker and Monica Hupman.
According to Executive Nikki Nealeigh, “I think that one of the reasons we succeed at treating our staff and residents as if they are family is because we are blessed to witness wonderful role models of family love and support daily in these mothers and daughters.” She went on to explain that what makes Oakley Place unique, with lower staff turnover and higher staff satisfaction is that, “We really do know, love and support one another. This helps us work together as a team to meet the social, emotional and physical needs of our residents and their families. It also helps our employees with their work/life balance.”
Karen Crow was been a Resident Care Partner at Oakley Place for over fifteen years. She says her daughter, Victoria, who started work at Oakley Place right after high school, “(She) has always been a good worker. Her first high school job was Maid Rite and I have always been proud of her that she is so responsible and also that she has such a big heart.” Victoria has worked with her mother for five years now. When asked what she sees when she works with her mother, Victoria responded without missing a beat, “That she is a really good person.”
Sandy Baker has been the Customer Relations Manager for almost nine years. Her daughter, Monica Hupman, joined the team as Manager of Housekeeping over a year ago. About her daughter Sandy said, “She is my sounding board. We support each other, one hundred percent in and out of work. When I see her compassion, working with seniors who I love so much, it warms my heart.” Monica doesn’t take for granted the appreciation given by her mother and also by the residents and families, “especially this year.” When asked about working with her mother, Monica added “Working with seniors takes a special person, I knew my mom was special, but when I see her at work, I realize that I hit the mom jackpot.”
The last mother and daughter team are both nurses. The twist is that the daughter, Courtney, has a longer tenure at Oakley Place than her mother, Kim. We asked Kim is she had any surprises since spending time on a professional level with her daughter. “Well,” she said, “I have been a nurse for long time, and I never expected my daughter to train me, but she did and it made my heart swell with pride when I saw how professional she was and how good she is at her job. But that doesn’t surprise me. She has always been kind and generous. ” Courtney started at Oakley Place over three years ago as a Resident Care Partner and completed nursing school and her boards while working at there, a similar professional path to the one her mother took. When asked what made Courtney want to become a nurse like her mom, she said, “My mom is my role model. And I’ve always wanted to be like her. She helps me a lot with my work/life balance, especially since I’ve recently become a mother. I think she is happy that I followed in her foot steps.”
Oakley Place opened its doors in 1997 and has since been dedicated to providing assisted living services and care designed to give residents a supportive, stimulating environment where they will thrive in mind, body, and spirit. For more information about Oakley Place and/or to schedule a virtual visit, please contact Sandy Baker, the Community Relations Manager at 937-548-9521 or visit www.enlivant.com to learn more.
