Local Gerontologist to Lead Fairfield’s First Assisted Living Community — Arnold Communications

Terry Hornikel, Executive Director of Sturges Ridge & Tom Grape, Chairman & CEO

WALTHAM, Mass. – April 17, 2018 – PRLog — Benchmark Senior Living (www.BenchmarkSeniorLiving.com), a leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, today announced the appointment of Terry Hornikel, who brings more than 40 years of senior living and health care experience to the position of Executive Director for its new flagship assisted living and memory care community, Sturges Ridge of Fairfield, slated to open this September in Fairfield, Conn.

A certified Gerontologist and Assisted Living Administrator by the Assisted Living Federation of America, Hornikel has served as an Executive Director for Meridian Senior Living, Emeritus Senior Living and Kindred Healthcare. She has been a frequent public speaker on a variety of aging related topics, such as Medicare, long-term care insurance, Alzheimer’s and dementia. She grew up in Ohio as one of 10 children born to Hungarian parents. Hornikel lives in Fairfield, Conn., and has three adult children of her own, including a daughter who lives in Stamford, Conn.

Having grown up with a mother who was a nurse, she is passionate about caring for seniors and started her own career in health care as a nurse’s aide for a skilled nursing facility. “I have been following Benchmark and its many accomplishments for years, so I’m excited to finally join the company,” says Hornikel. “Benchmark’s visionary programs provide a great service to Connecticut seniors and their families. I got into health care to be a resource and help make aging easier for seniors and their loved ones. I can think of no better company to do that with.”

“I grew up in Fairfield, so Sturges Ridge is near and dear to my heart,” says Tom Grape, Chairman and CEO of Benchmark Senior Living. “Finding a leader who would uphold our high standards of excellence for this flagship community was no easy task. Terry not only has tremendous experience but, more importantly, she also exudes passion for seniors. There is no one better suited to help advance the work we’ve started and serve the great families of Fairfield.”

Sturges Ridge of Fairfield will bring assisted living to the town of Fairfield. Located between The Carolton Chronic and Convalescent Hospital and Fairfield Ludlowe High School, once complete, it will offer 85,000 square feet of state-of-the-art assisted living apartments, memory care suites and spacious common areas. Just some of the many features will include underground parking, a rooftop patio and apartments featuring “luxury box” views of Fairfield Ludlowe High School football games.

For more information about Sturges Ridge of Fairfield visit https://www.benchmarkseniorliving.com/senior-living/ct/fairfield/mill-plain-fairfield/.

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About Benchmark Senior Living

Based in Waltham, Mass., Benchmark Senior Living is a leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast. Founded in 1997 by Tom Grape (https://www.tomsgrapevine.com/toms-posts/2017/8/8/we-made…), Benchmark operates 56 senior living communities offering independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and continuing care in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Benchmark has been recognized as a top workplace by The Boston Globe for 10 consecutive years as well as by the Boston Business Journal, Connecticut Post, Hartford Courant and Hartford Business Journal. It’s been named one of the healthiest employers by the Boston Business Journal and Providence Business News. For more information, visit BenchmarkSeniorLiving.com (http://www.benchmarkseniorliving.com/).