Families panic with short notice closure of Norwich retirement home

On Monday, the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) told CBC News in a statement that Trillium's two-week closure notice contravenes the Retirement Homes Act which requires at least 120 days notice.

The regulator said it will use all its powers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all 19 of the home's residents. Those impacted are asked to contact RHRA for further assistance. 

The closure of a Norwich, Ont., retirement home in the next two weeks has left residents and their families scrambling to find new accommodations and care amid long waitlists and high costs. 

In an email sent to families on Friday, Trillium Care Norwich said it will be permanently closing its doors on Nov. 11 due to a lack of funding, calling the development "urgent and unexpected."

"Due to an emergency lack of financial resources necessary to sustain daily operations, we must close this facility," the memo said. "This decision was not made lightly and every effort was explore to prevent this outcome." 

No one at Trillium was immediately available for a comment on Sunday. 

Miranda Guitard has her husband's elderly grandmother living in the facility and said the short notice is causing uncertainty among families looking for another nursing home in close proximity for their loved ones.

"I don't know what these families are going to do. There are so many places out there but there are so many full beds and waitlists and you can't just send a person somewhere else, that's just not how it works," said Guitard. 

"I really feel for everyone involved. Through my experience, I now understand how overwhelming it is as a family member putting another family member into retirement living or long-term care."

Trillium said in the email to families that it understands the impact of this decision and will support them in this transition. The retirement home recommended that families contact Ontario Health at Home who can help with placements, and included a list of nearby homes. 

Retirement home investigated for fraud 

The privately owned facility, was also at the centre of a fraud investigation by Ontario Provincial Police in Oxford County in August, where multiple victims lost an estimated $50,000. Guitard said her grandmother-in-law was among the victims.

After the fraud came to light, the facility asked to increase her grandmother-in-law's rent from $1,500 per month to $3,920, claiming it didn't receive the money family members sent, Guitard said, adding the increased fee was a hard no for her. 

Guitard said she was already in the process of getting her 90-year-old grandmother-in-law into a long-term care home, as she was deemed incapable due to her dementia, so the closure doesn't impact her family as hard as some others. 

Despite that, Guitard has also been struggling to find a facility and has applied to more than 36 different places, including some further away from where her family lives in Oxford County. 

"Our health-care system is exhausted and so those folks that do not qualify for long-term care, they're not going to get [a spot] as easily as some of us, given the circumstances."

Trillium also said the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) may also have an emergency fund available to financially support families. 

Guitard said an RHRA staff member told her yesterday that Trillium residents can qualify for the emergency fund of up to $3,500 to help with relocation, a temporary respite space or moving costs.

"It's nice to know that it's available to families and residents just to alleviate some of the stress," she said.