Seniors at Smithfield Lodge could lose their homes in the wake of a recent agreement signed between the Westlock Foundation and Alberta Health Services.
The agreement, signed March 11, 2013, sees 46 rooms in Smithfield Lodge converted to rooms dedicated to those seniors who are designated Service Level 3 (SL3) or Service Level 4 (SL4), said foundation interim CEO Brian Coleman.
Foundation chair David Truckey explained the agreement and subsequent redesignation for the rooms came about after nearly two years of discussions between the foundation and AHS.
“We did enter into a space agreement with them where we provide them ‘x’ number of units in Smithfield Lodge for them to have level three and level four clientele,” Truckey said. “In turn, they provide the nursing care to match that client base.”
At the time the agreement was signed, all Smithfield Lodge residents in the rooms to be converted were evaluated to determine whether they met SL3 or SL4 criteria to stay in their rooms.
Coleman said six residents did not meet the criteria to remain in their rooms, and were told they had to leave their rooms.
“If they aren’t eligible, we have to move them,” he said. “We may have somebody in Pembina Lodge that is currently just a lodge resident, but if they get designated as a higher service level, and we don’t make those rooms available, they could get sent to Edmonton or … somewhere else where there’s SL3 or SL4 available.”
In fact, Truckey said mandated moves like this based on a person’s needed care level are a common practice in much larger centres. In places like Edmonton, seniors are often sent to the facility that has what they need; they don’t often get to choose their location.
It’s only because the foundation has had flexibility to offer people options that they have been able to choose where they live.
Although the ineligible residents had been made aware of the pending changes during the negotiation process, Coleman sent the remaining residents a letter dated July 20 informing them of the deadline to move out.
The letter explains that the foundation has signed an agreement with AHS to convert Smithfield Lodge to a long-term care facility catering only to SL3 and SL4 clientele.
“Only Residents that are defined as this level of care by Alberta Health Services will be allowed to remain in Smithfield Lodge,” the letter reads. “You have not been defined as SL3 or SL4 level of care therefore your lease at Smithfield Lodge will be terminated effective September 30th, 2013.”
However, the letter stated those residents required to move would receive financial assistance with the transition. If they moved by Aug. 15, they would receive a $400 cash incentive; only $200 would be provided if they moved by Sept. 30. In all cases, the room-change fee and phone-transfer fee would be waived.
Coleman said the letter was meant as a reminder that the rooms are needed soon, and that the reminder was necessary because the foundation had been dragging its feet in terms of making the rooms available.
“I feel horrible for these families,” he said. “It’s not like we’re trying to be mean.”
One woman whose 91-year-old mother received the letter, and who did not give her name out of fear for her mother’s well-being, felt like the “eviction notice” was a case of the foundation “bullying” its residents.
Fortunately, the woman had her mother re-evaluated and it was determined she would fits the criteria to stay in her room.
“I did some whining, that’s for sure,” the woman said. “She’s lived there for five-and-a-half years and I don’t think there’s any need to be moving people at that age.”
Re-evaluations are allowed if the families of those affected residents feel their loved ones actually meet the criteria to stay, Coleman said.
“If the family feels that they should be designated as SL3 or SL4, then we have Alberta Health Services re-evaluate them,” he explained.
With some time to go before the rooms are needed, and uncertainty over exactly how many rooms will be needed right away, Coleman said the foundation is open to being lenient on the deadline, with the understanding they will need to be vacated eventually.
“As long as we have rooms available for Alberta Health Services, if there’s a couple left we’ll work with them as long as we can until the rooms are needed,” he said.
