Building sales forces helped residents move out of their homes – Edmonton
Residents of Ashbourne Assisted Living are in shock after learning that the sale of the building means they will have to find a new home in November.
It’s been a tough few days for Mary Lou Pura and her 98-year-old mother after learning last week that the establishment was to close. The board said Ashbourne was in financial difficulty and decided to sell the building.
It will close at the end of November because the new owner does not wish to operate the building as an a*sisted living facility, said Chris Bruce, adviser to Ashbourne’s board.
The building began operating at 65% capacity during COVID, Bruce explained, and the organization has since faced financial challenges in operating the building.
He said the council approached the province for funding, to no avail. He also tried to partner with other a*sisted living facilities, but without success.
Pura is frustrated that residents, family and staff were not made aware of the sale sooner and that new residents were accepted into Ashbourne until very recently.
“Residents arrived at this facility probably a week ago and now they have to move again,” she said.
Bruce said a confidentiality agreement prevented the board from disclosing the sale until it was finalized. New residents were being accepted because the plan was for the building to remain an a*sisted living facility after the sale, he added.
“That was the intention and the plan, but that plan changed at the very last moment, in the last few weeks,” he said.
Pura is worried about the impact the closure will have not only on her mother, but on the 87 residents who call Ashbourne home.
“It’s very stressful and overwhelming for her,” she says of her mother. “She has to meet new people, she has to establish a new routine, she has to work with new caregivers. I just hope they can find comparable facilities as well.
A transition team a*sists residents with their impending move.
“It’s not about a ma*s exodus…we treat people as individuals, looking at their various individual health and financial needs, and the board is really focused on using all the resources we have,” said Bruce.
— With files from Slav Kornik, PKBNEWS
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