What would you do if you receiving a notice that the nursing home where your loved one resides is closing in a few days? It’s a nightmare situation and a case is unfolding right now in metro Atlanta.
In the case of Tranquil Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care, residents and their families were given just three days’ notice that they must vacate the premises due to foreclosure on the property. The facility housed those with dementia and also provided hospice care, and families are outraged that their loved ones in fragile health are being kicked out of their homes and forced to find new accommodations with such little notice. By law, facilities are supposed to provide at least a 30-day notice.
In a statement, the owner cited the pandemic’s financial toll as a reason for the sudden shuttering of the facility. The statement did not explain why there was not an effort to provide a more reasonable notice, citing “a domino effect of things out of our control transpired at the end that led to a very heartbreaking and rapid end to the facility.”
In addition to the residents losing their homes, the employees of the facility are losing their jobs and may not even receive a final paycheck.
This terrible scenario may happen with more frequency in the months to come. A report in The 19th highlighted a recent survey by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living which found that only one-quarter of nursing home operators are confident they can keep their doors open for at least one year. “The cost to fight COVID-19, chronic underfunding of Medicaid and the number of patients dropping to record lows have led to the industry’s near collapse,” The 19th reported.
There are no quick fixes to the industry’s woes. It will require a mix of funding, better pay for care workers to address the workforce shortage and better transparency and accountability. In the meantime, if you have a loved one in a nursing home, you should consider putting together an action plan just in case you have to face a similar situation in which the facility suddenly closes.
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The Memories Project 
That is shocking! What will they do with residents who have mo family to help them find another place? Are they planning on dumping dementia and Alzheimer’s residents on the curb? I can hardly believe this.
It is a terrible situation. Families have had to scramble to make arrangements. And of course, not every facility will accept those with dementia.