Brightwater transition to long-term care raises concerns among residents

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is taking over Brightwater Senior Living, worrying some residents may be forced to move. Wayne Mantyka reports.

Residents at Brightwater Senior Living are seeking clarity as the facility prepares to transition from a privately operated retirement community into a government-funded long-term care home.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is leasing the building to create 139 nursing home beds.

Some current residents feared they could be displaced after receiving a memo from Brightwater stating, “we are working closely with the SHA to review each personal care home resident’s individual needs and long-term care eligibility in another home. We plan to work directly with you to support a smooth and thoughtful transition to a new home.”

The province now says no senior will be forced to move.

Lori Carr, the minister responsible for seniors, says the transition will take into account the needs and preferences of residents.

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“For some of the individuals, it won’t be the type of care they are looking for. They’ll want something a bit more active, more like the personal care home so they will leave on their own accord,” she said. “But if there is an individual who says this is my home and I don’t want to go, then we will work with them to stay.”

Some residents had raised their concerns with the NDP Opposition, prompting calls for clarification.

NDP MLA Joan Pratchler welcomed the government’s statement but remains cautious.

“It’s good news for some of the seniors absolutely. We were pushing for that but I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said. “We have to see that it actually goes through. But then what about the other seniors that we’ve been talking about over the last while.”

Those concerns extend to seniors being required to leave public housing apartments to make room for families — an issue that has sparked a petition on change.org calling for a halt to the evictions.

That plan appears to be continuing, with affected tenants being offered a move to government-run seniors’ high-rise buildings.