HAGERSVILLE—Last week The Press reported on the impending closure of Anson Place’s retirement section this fall due to a lack of long-term viability as seen by Anson Place owner Rykka Homes.
Following our report, we were contacted by an anonymous source who works in the home and said that staff were not aware that the closure was even in the cards, being informed in a “very disorganized” staff meeting. We will call this person Riley.
“It was like, ‘This is what’s happening. We will try to accommodate staff with jobs.’ Well why would they want to continue to work there when they treat them like that?” said Riley, who also questioned why management didn’t have “packages ready” for staff who opted not to continue in alternate positions.
Riley noted ongoing issues between staff and management, including that the retirement floor was already down to eight staff: “They have been asking for staff since the end of August…. Staff have explained to them the reason they don’t have anyone is that the pay is so bad. And it is.”
Riley said management told them they were “looking into it, they were going to get staff…. Then they were told they couldn’t fill the beds with residents.”
Riley stated that while the section was full prior to Covid, many rooms became vacant during the pandemic and are still sitting vacant. However, the level of care needed has not necessarily shrunk proportionately.
“Whether it’s 20 patients or 43 patients on the retirement floor, the floor is not like it’s used to be. Those residents are taking a lot of extra care,” said Riley. “I think they’re getting a lot of residents on those floors that are ready to go to long-term care, but because there is no long-term care available, they’re kind of stuck until they can get a bed…. It needs to be addressed, because we are in a healthcare crisis right now.”
They feel the news has added stress in an already a stressful time for the staff as well, noting, “Everybody has bills, mortgages, the economy is crazy right now, prices are through the roof, so people are stressed.”
They also believe the lack of forewarning shows a lack of respect for the staff who have worked hard to keep the facility running through a challenging time.
“Since Covid started, I don’t think a lot of staff have trusted management at all,” said the source. “I think staff have really felt like they’ve been lied to a lot.”
According to Riley, it’s typical for staffers to put in 14 to 15-hour shifts, listing coming in for a night shift and staying until lunch the next day as a regular occurrence due to staffing shortages.
The source is also worried about how the displacement will impact the 20 current residents, adding, “I feel very bad for them. These residents, at that age, with mild cognitive issues or whatever, it’s going to affect them greatly…. These elderly people have done their time … and they move into retirement homes to retire and be taken care of.”
They said that many of the residents have already made arrangements, listing Caledonia’s RVilla and Jarvis’ Leisure Living as two other local options. Even so, “Residents are upset. We have some residents there who have family upstairs. It’s convenient to be there because they can just take an elevator upstairs and go see their loved ones.”
Additionally, the source noted that while residents were invited to bring a family member to the meeting where they were notified of the closure, families were not notified directly that the meeting was scheduled or that the closure was coming.
Ultimately, Riley hopes that the residents living in Anson Place and other local facilities can remain in the communities they spent their lives in: “You can’t put an old farmer in some retirement community in Burlington.”
