Guardian Angel Homes celebrated the opening of its new memory care facilities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday.

Members of the Frantz family got emotional during the ceremony as they described the labor of love that has gone into the project, one of several homes they own around the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s the people that this business is about,” Tyson Frantz said. “That’s what we do.”

His father Marty Frantz, who was also present, started the family-owned business after Marty’s own father suffered a stroke and developed severe dementia in 1997. Marty’s daughter Jennifer Baus Samoska said the experience of finding his father care helped him realize that the options available for memory care were often impersonal and institution-like. Frantz decided to build facilities that felt more like a home, and his wife and children have joined in that endeavor.

“We know people do best, and thrive, in a home-like atmosphere,” she said.

In Hermiston the Tuskan Home, with 16 private bedrooms and bathrooms, is scheduled to open as soon as the final inspections are done, while a second 16-room Ranch Home will be open in two to four months. Both buildings sit behind the Guardian Angel Homes assisted living facility that the family also owns.

A professional chef will serve all three facilities with nutritious home cooking. Baus Samoska said the staff-to-patient ratios for the new homes will be high, including a full-time registered nurse on site.

“The care we’re able to provide with this design is really unique,” she said.

The facility is a secure one meant to accommodate residents with dementia who are at risk of wandering away. It includes a secured courtyard with a fountain and plants that residents can access any time.

Hermiston Chamber of Commerce director Debbie Pedro thanked the Frantz family for their “beautiful investment” in the community.

“This is something we’ve been needing in our community for a long time,” she said.

The new homes at 540 N.W. 12th St. will be open for tours on Saturday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.