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families scramble after three regina care homes abruptly shut their doors
"we just felt that the rug was pulled out from under us," said jeanette kaytor, whose mother was recently evicted from precious memories villa, a personal care home owned by orange tree living.
oct 26 2023
3 minute read
regina, sask : october 25, 2023-- ndp leader carla beck answers questions from the media after the throne speech during the start of the final session of the current government ahead of planned 2024 general election on wednesday, october 25, 2023 in regina. kayle neis / regina leader-post
the families of 30 seniors are scrambling to find accommodations for their loved ones after three personal care homes (pch) in regina announced they would be shutting their doors, giving local residents as little as 72 hours notice.
orange tree living owns three pchs in regina that offer disability and dementia care: princess villa, parkview villa and precious memories villa.
jeanette kaytor’s mother, margaret, lived in precious memories villa in lakeview until the family was given recent notice that she had three weeks to leave.
“my mother had just gotten out of the hospital two weeks earlier. she was just starting to recover and get better,” kaytor told reporters at the saskatchewan legislature on wednesday. “and then boom, we have to find another care home (for a) person with dementia and physical disabilities.”
kaytor said that her brother was visiting when the owner of orange tree living, crystal spooner, “showed up for the first time in a year and a half,” and said that she was closing the facilities and that residents had until nov. 2 to move.
“we just felt that the rug was pulled out from under us,” said kaytor. some residents were only given 72 hours notice before their home closed.
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others in kaytor’s shoes feel there needs to be more safety nets to protect their loved ones in pchs and long-term care (ltc) facilities.
a statement from the ministry of health says that pchs are required to provide residents with 30 days written notice that they will be discontinuing operation and that they are to assist residents with an orderly relocation.
“there are serious consequences for licensees who do not operate in accordance with the requirements under the personal care homes act and the personal care homes regulations, including the imposition of conditions on a license, license suspension or cancellation and potential prosecutions,” said the statement.
“the ministry of health, in consultation with the ministry of justice will do everything in its power to require licensees to fulfil their obligations under the legislation and protect residents of personal care homes.”
the ministry of health is responsible for licensing and monitoring pchs, which are privately owned and operated in saskatchewan.
but ndp critic matt love says that the government doesn’t have a plan to address the closing care homes.
“we are committed to assisting the residents and the staff,” said tim mcleod, minister of mental health and addictions, seniors and rural and remote health. mcleod said that there are approximately 71 personal care homes in regina, about 50 per cent of which have vacancies.
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but some families have said that many of the homes with vacancies aren’t adequate and come with a hefty price tag of up to $5,000 per month.
“families and residents aren’t buying it,” said love, adding that many of the staff have not been paid for months, many of which are temporary foreign workers afraid they’ll be kicked out of the country.
mcleod said that he met with residents and staff members from orange tree living to hear their concerns but would not go into detail as to what those concerns are, saying it was a “private meeting.”
“our expectation is that the provincial government should have some responsibility over these homes,” love told reporters on thursday. “if this government care about these things that these individuals have come to share in the legislature, than the sask. party government would have supported our seniors bill of rights in the past.”
“we are fully committed to ensure that the appropriate steps are taken to either ensure compliance or discontinued the license of the individual operation,” said mcleod.
the maximum penalty for violating provisions under the personal care home act is $1,000 for individuals and $5,000 for corporations.
— with files from alec salloum
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