The situation at a retirement home in Dresden has gone from bad to worse.
The Deputy Registrar of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) has issued an order to revoke the licence of Park Street Place in Dresden because the owners have significant debt troubles and can't properly manage the home or take proper care of its residents.
"The Deputy Registrar has reasonable grounds to believe that the Licensee has contravened numerous requirements under the Act, including failing to provide the necessary care services to residents and failing to protect residents of the Home from neglect," wrote the RHRA. "The licensee has failed to demonstrate the competence to operate the Home in a responsible manner and in accordance with the Act; demonstrate that it is in a position to appropriately provide care services to the residents of the Home; demonstrate that the Home will be operated in a manner that is not prejudicial to the health, safety or welfare of its residents."
According to the RHRA, the home is operating in "a critical state of debt" and that has resulted in "staffing, vendor, and supplier interruptions", adding that outstanding payments to external staffing agencies have resulted in interruptions in securing temporary staff to ensure that the home has, at all times, a sufficient number of staff.
"The Licensee's late and insufficient staff payments, including failing to make remittances to the unionized staff pension fund, has resulted in staff resignations or leaves of absence, which has left the home insufficiently staffed and residents are not receiving adequate care," said the RHRA. "The Licensee's conduct reinforces the Deputy Registrar's concerns about its failure to operate the home responsibly. The Licensee is focused on reducing expenses and is not guided by ensuring resident needs are met and resident health is safeguarded. The Licensee does not appear to have the good-faith intention or ability to operate the home in compliance with the Act. In the opinion of the Deputy Registrar, the Licensee's financial and staffing mismanagement of the home is irresponsible, incompetent, and prejudicial to resident health, safety, and welfare."
The manager imposed by the RHRA in September has also not been paid, which has "adversely impacted" the manager's ability to assist the home.
The RHRA said an inspection of the 49 suite home was done in December following a complaint and the report was completed last week.
The order to revoke the licence at Park Place was issued on Monday and gives the ownership until May 29, 2024 to either sell the home to a buyer that will continue to operate the home as a licenced retirement home or stop operating the building as a retirement home.
RHRA's Manager of Communications Phil Norris said the Licensee has until the end of January to inform RHRA of their intention to either sell or cease operating the home as a retirement home.
If the home stops operating as a retirement home, the licensee must help residents find appropriate alternative accommodations if they ask and facilitate access to external care, according to RHRA.
If the home is sold to a buyer who will continue it as a retirement home, the licensee must continue to operate it as a retirement home until the sale is complete.
Norris noted information was provided to the residents about assistance for care services and placement in long-term care through Home and Community Care Support Services. Contact information was also provided for an RHRA specialist if residents required additional support or had questions, information about resident’s rights as tenants under the Residential Tenancies Act was provided, along with contact information for the Landlord and Tenant Board, according to Norris.
The inspector found that the home had been financially abusing a resident since November 2021 by charging for 'memory care', which is not a service offered at the home.
There was also no evidence the residents of the home or their decision makers had been provided an itemized list of the care services provided in the home, including the prices for the care services.
"The Licensee was unable to provide any documentation regarding this complaint and was found to have not responded to it as required," wrote Inspector Julie Hebert in her report.
Plans of care for certain residents had also not been updated as required from between six months to up to two years. The RHRA noted the licensee must ensure that the resident is reassessed and the plan of care reviewed and revised at least every six months or as required.
The Licensee was cited previously for this issue in September 2023 and has not taken any corrective action, wrote Hebert.
The RHRA lists the Licensee only as numbered company 2615412 Ontario Inc. located at 96c Marmora Street in Trenton.
The Executive Director is Pushpinder Brah, a realtor from Mississauga, and nobody is listed as the Operations Manager.