The Wellington at Dayton

My father spent 8 months in the Assisted Living part of The Wellington of Dayton and overall had a good experience. Wellington would have been my third choice, after Fairmont Senior Living in Washington Township and Stoney Ridge in Miamisburg, but he preferred Wellington because the assisted living part was smaller and not overwhelming like Stoney Ridge and Fairmont. (Note: Stoney Ridge went through a management change a few years ago so ignore their bad reviews from 5 years ago.) PROS: 1. Most of the staff seemed to genuinely care about the residents. This is not something that you can take for granted at other senior living facilities. Overall, Dad got good care and assistance when he needed it. 2. Wellington seemed very clean to me. And while he was there, Wellington replaced the icky old carpet in the hallways with fresh laminate flooring. It's much easier to roll a wheelchair on the new flooring. 3. His apartment was laid out conveniently, even if you're stuck in a wheelchair like he was. With a kitchen area, small living room, bedroom, and a bathroom with accessible toilet and shower. I believe that there are also smaller apartments available. He took his meals in the dining room, instead of using the kitchen, because he never was much of a cook and also the kitchen counters are too high for a very short man in a wheelchair. 4. His apartment had a cheerful view of the courtyard. As far as I know, all of the assisted living apartments have outdoor views. 5. The other residents were friendly, although there are only 29 apartments in assisted living if I remember correctly, and some of those people eat meals in their rooms, not in the cheerful dining room, so you don't necessarily see all of them. There is a small additional charge to get meals delivered to your room. 6. Excellent selection of cable TV channels from Spectrum. Unlike at Fairmont, where the cable TV package is very skimpy. 7. Small well-behaved pets may be allowed after pre-approval. 8. For Dad's high level of required care, the total cost of his Wellington room and care was roughly $1000 a month less than the equivalent at Stoney Ridge or Fairmont. CONS: 1. The food only averaged out at mediocre. The food at Stoney Ridge and especially Fairmont gets much better ratings in the state of Ohio senior living surveys. Dad said food quality depended entirely on who the cook was that day. You can always order a hamburger or something similar from the alternative menu if you know from experience that you don't like what is on the main menu for a particular meal. On the other hand, you can order a whole lot of delivered food from outside with the $1000 a month you're saving by living at Wellington. 2. This next problem is endemic to senior living facilities. If you leave cash lying around it will disappear. Note that "lying around" includes inside a wallet in an unlocked desk drawer. It didn't help that Dad left his door unlocked when he went to meals, physical therapy, and doctor appointments. 3. Some of the staff are clumsy and 95 year old men are fragile. Still, Dad suffered fewer injuries and less severe injuries at Wellington than he did when he was living at home with hired home aides. 4. You will need to find a new place to live if you get too sick for assisted living. Wellington only has independent living, assisted living, and memory care. They won't keep you if you later need fulltime nursing care, unlike Fairmont and Stoney Ridge. This was the thing that worried me most. Vienna Springs would've been my choice if Dad got that sick but he skipped that step. Overall, Wellington of Dayton was the right place for my Dad and we would choose it again.