The Nanaimo Seniors Village on Uplands Rd. is now run by Island Health, not the company Retirement Concepts, amid concerns of neglect and poor staffing. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

crisis care

Island Health takes over Nanaimo Seniors Village due to serious concerns

Nov 27, 2019 | 5:09 AM

NANAIMO — Island Health has been forced to step in and take control of a Nanaimo seniors home due to an “unprecedented” number of issues.

Nanaimo Seniors Village will now be overseen by seniors care administrator Susan Abermann for a minimum of six months. She will be in charge of handling various crises which lead to poor staffing levels, such are proper care policies, orientation and site management.

Mark Blandford, executive director of primary care and seniors health, told NanaimoNewsNOW a shortage of staff led to issues of a surprising depth.

“What we’re experiencing is an extraordinary reduction in quality of care and that’s why we’ve acted. Regardless of how many staff you have, if you don’t have the right procedures being followed in the correct manner, then the care is not appropriate and not safe.”

The move to place the Nanaimo Seniors Village under an administrator was recommended by medical health officer Dr. Paul Hasselback.

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His report showed the previous operators couldn’t submit an acceptable health and safety plan, keep the facility sufficiently staffed or bring the existing issues to a halt in an appropriate time.

“The trend in increasing numbers of complaints is disconcerting and problematic,” his report said.

As of Nov. 19, there are 16 complaints being investigated, involving staffing, neglect, health safety and other concerns.

Island Health brought in additional staff to Nanaimo Seniors Village earlier in the fall to help alleviate the crisis-level situation as the investigation was underway.

Blandford confirmed Island Health is staffing a 30-bed unit within the north Nanaimo facility with an RN working the evening and day shift, as well as five care aides.

“We’ve supported some stability to the site and brought to bear some resources to improve management of some key care issues, such as wound care.”

This is not the only seniors care facility now being overseen by Abermann.

She was also appointed as a temporary administrator by Island Health earlier this year at Comox Valley Seniors Village.

Both the Nanaimo and Comox Valley facilities are owned by a group of companies formerly known as Retirement Concepts. They’re now called Pacific Reach Seniors Housing Management and are owned by a Chinese insurance group.

Jennifer Whiteside, secretary and business manager for the Hospital Employees Union, said this is a situation with no short term fix.

“This is a problem that frankly was 16 years in the making,” Whiteside said. “This problem results from the private operators having driven down the wages and working conditions to an unsustainable point.”

An interview request to Jennie Deneka, the chief operators officer of Pacific Reach Seniors Housing Management, is forthcoming.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit