Jaime Girard Now Serving as Executive Director for River Ridge at Avon

Draws on Work in All Aspects of Senior Care and Dementia Certification
For Community Leadership Role

Jaime Girard

Jaime Girard believes that every day is an opportunity to make a difference in the life of another. She is now making a difference as the executive director at River Ridge at Avon, an assisted living and memory care community in Avon, Conn. River Ridge is one of 18 Connecticut communities for Benchmark, a leading provider of senior living and aging-well services in the Northeast. Prior to River Ridge, Girard served in a variety of capacities for its sister community, The Village at Buckland Court, in South Windsor, Conn.

“I started my career in early education. While that was rewarding, I wanted to be able to connect with individuals on a deeper level,” says Girard. “Benchmark, with its commitment to developing new leaders, afforded me the opportunity to train for the role of executive director and grow from within. River Ridge is an outstanding community, and I look forward to helping keep our residents, family members and associates connected to what matters most in their lives.”

At The Village at Buckland Court, Girard served as program director, traditional care director and director of community relations, gaining experience and insight into all aspects of senior care. Girard is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner, which enables her to direct care for residents with Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders.

“Jaime has the values we look for in our Benchmark staff,” says Justin Grady, regional director of operations for Benchmark. “There is nothing more important to her than family, and she sees every new day as an opportunity to elevate human connection. We are fortunate she decided to begin her senior care career at Benchmark, and we look forward to supporting her growth in her new role.”

Girard lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Conveniently located on Route 202 in Avon, River Ridge provides the area’s leading assisted living and memory care. The community offers individualized care for all stages of dementia supported by Benchmark’s effective, award-winning Mind and Memory approach. An experienced staff leads a robust activities program, and a host of on-site amenities helps residents maintain independence and peace-of-mind.

About Benchmark
Based in Waltham, Mass., Benchmark is a human connection company and leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast. Founded in 1997 by Tom Grape, Benchmark, with 6,300 associates and 58 communities, offers independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The organization this year was selected by FORTUNE magazine for its inaugural 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services list, taking the number 16 spot on the list of top 40 aging services companies and ranking number three among companies with more than 40 communities. Benchmark is one of only six companies named to The Boston Globe Top Places to Work list every year of the 11 years it has been published. And it has been consistently recognized by Boston Business Journal, Hartford Courant and Hartford Business Journal as a top workplace, and by the Boston Business Journal, Providence Business News and Hartford Business Journal as one of the healthiest employers. Click here for more information.

Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, carol@arnoldcomm.com, (603) 502-0469.


River Ridge at Avon