What we know about retirement home that is suddenly closing

Trillium Care Norwich, a small retirement home in the community of Norwich south of Woodstock, abruptly announced Saturday it is closing its doors to residents on Nov. 11. With only two weeks for residents to find new accommodations, the 18 seniors living in the home face an uncertain future. Here is what we know about the home where the OPP launched an investigation in August after it said several people had lost more than $50,000 in an alleged fraud.

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REASON FOR CLOSING

The Free Press received a copy of an email Trillium Care Norwich provided to relatives and residents citing “an emergency lack of financial resources necessary to sustain daily operations” as the reason for its closing.

OPP INVESTIGATION

In August, Oxford OPP announced an investigation into a Norwich retirement home where people had sustained losses of more than $50,000. Though police haven’t publicly named Trillium Care Norwich as the site of the fraud investigation, Miranda Guitard, whose husband’s 90-year-old grandmother is a resident, was told by a staff member the $6,000 in rent payments she’d made via email transfer were never received by the home. OPP said on Monday the investigation is continuing. It’s unclear whether the facility’s closing is a result of the alleged frauds.

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BIG RENT INCREASE

Earlier this month, Guitard was told by Trillium Care Norwich her grandmother-in-law’s rent would rise from $1,500 to $3,920 a month as of January. It’s uncertain whether other residents were asked to pay additional rent, but Guitard said she is in the process of finding the elderly woman, who has been diagnosed with dementia, a place in a long-term care home. “She’s on wait lists for long-term care. So as of right now, she’s got nowhere to go.”

RETIREMENT HOMES VERSUS LONG-TERM CARE HOMES

Both retirement homes and long-term care facilities offer supported living for residents. There are nearly 780 retirement homes in the province, according to the Ontario government’s website. Retirement homes, typically, are privately owned. Residents at retirement homes are responsible for the full cost of rent and services such as meals. Residents in retirement homes usually require less medical care than those in long-term care homes that provide nursing care on-site 24 hours a day and assistance with daily living.

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REGULATOR’S REACTION

Raymond Chan, an official with the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA,) said in a statement the agency was “aware of (Trillium Care Norwich’s) intentions to cease operations as a licensed facility on Nov. 11,” but couldn’t comment on any investigations. He also couldn’t comment or speculate on whether an investigation played a role in its closing. Chan said facilities closing with such short notice is uncommon and the Retirement Homes Act requires “a licensee provide at least 120 days’ notices to residents and to RHRA before a home is slated for closure.” Chan said in circumstances where residents are urgently seeking alternative accommodation, the regulator’s focus is on helping those in need, and it will consider “appropriate consequences when the situation is no longer urgent.” In his statement, Chan said, in a previous incident, the retirement home wasn’t forthright with the authority. In July, “the licensee’s staff provided false or misleading information about the steps that had been taken to fix the home’s sole elevator,” Chan wrote. He added the home didn’t have a maintenance program “to ensure that timely and reasonable steps” were taken to maintain the home and “and its operational systems in good repair.”

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WHAT IS TRILLIUM CARE NORWICH SAYING?

Trillium Care Norwich has been tight-lipped since the home began receiving attention for the alleged frauds in August. On multiple occasions, staff have declined to comment on the investigation, and an employee declined comment on Monday regarding the home’s impending closing. However, in its email to residents and family members, the home said it was “committed to supporting” residents “during this transition.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

Where residents will go, will depend on available space at other facilities and individuals’ care requirements. For residents with greater care needs, such as Guitard’s grandmother-in-law, they will need a long-term care facility. According to the Ontario Long-Term Care Association, in 2022 and 2023, a person waited on average 126 days to access long-term care. For those seeking another retirement home, Trillium is encouraging residents to contact the RHRA.

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@BrianWatLFPress

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