“We are officially closing West Haven Manor as a 24 hour private care home as of mid-July.”
Jenny Rumancik made the above statement with sadness in her voice, describing the ups and downs of her 6 years with the care home and the difficult decision to close.
Initially the plan was to sell the business, but in the end a deal could not be struck.
A main reason the family-oriented care home initially began the process of closing its doors was because of staffing crisis, as employees are becoming more difficult to find.
Financially, with increasing costs in seemingly every area of the business, it was more difficult to function as a private care home.
The government contributes to the private pensions of the residents, but it’s not staying up with inflation.
If they move into government care homes, they are automatically subsidized with registered nurses, licensed nurses, doctors, activity directors and the financial support is more. Private care homes are considered for-profit which is a huge deterrent when trying to receive funding.
There was a plan ‘B’ in place in case the business did not sell. West Haven has a beautiful facility that can still be used in the community to service the seniors who can still live on their own, but need meals. There are 4 beautiful suites available but will not be serviced as a 24 hour private care home.
The beautiful, fully-furnished facility is available to help the town however it can. Jenny Rumancik said, “We want to look at our community and service the needs that are still there, at a level that does not impact our family. We want to utilize West Haven for whatever needs seem to arrive.”
She thanked the town and its residents for the support over the years and specifically a few businesses that went above-and-beyond. “We would not have survived for the 6 years we owned West Haven without the support of Wallins Bigway and with Ty’s Pharmacy.”
Working with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Home Care Nursing Team has been another crucial part of their success.
West Haven Manor was opened in 2006 by Glenn and Kim Waltz who renovated the building with Jacob’s Construction, turning it from a medical office to a private care home that offered level 1 and 2 care.
On August 1st, 2016 West Haven Manor changed hands to new owners Jenn and Shaun Rumancik.
Level 1 and 2 care require 24 hour care with assistance and daily activities.
Recently, qualifiers for long-term care indicated the current business model does not work well with one staff member on duty to provide for 9 residents.
“Senior care is changing and the biggest challenge is to avoid leaving our staff feel so vulnerable in managing 9 residents with varying levels of care.”
The new potential owners realized with this information that there would be more staff required and an increase in the client’s rent.
The manor has been working very closely with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Carly Bergman, during the transition.
The residents who required long-term care qualified for it, and have all been placed into new long-term care facilities.
Jenny mentioned that it’s remarkable that the transition will be so quick for the residents; 6 of the residents will be transferred out within 3 weeks.
The majority of residents over the years have come from the surrounding rural areas and especially from MacNutt, Rumancik mentioned.
Jenny said, “We love being part of this community and supporting the families who have come into our care over the last 6 years. When we bought the business, it was full of residents and staff; our staff had to train us. We bought it for personal reasons and we are very thankful for the staff that mentored us”.
Rumancik said she is incredibly thankful towards all the staff for their guidance.
She talked about all the staff that were employed over the years as each one of them made an impact on her, the residents and the care home overall.
Jenny and Shaun will now explore their personal interests with the free time they have available; they will concentrate on their family.
Family is an important point to mention as it’s something Jenny and Shaun want to be more involved with. The West Haven owners heard feedback regarding the possible sacrifices they could make in order to make the care home “work”, but it’s not possible in the current situation.
“West Haven came into our life and it was the biggest push for us to get involved. I believe God used West Haven to mentor us; not only mentoring us as a family, as a team with Shaun and I, but I completely learned how to be a leader, how to be a manager and how to humbly love and care for our staff. The miracles of provision provided to us through our town were unreal. We would not have made 6 years at West Haven without our faith. We want to thank God for giving us that opportunity. Caring for those seniors who do not have family support was very important, loving your neighbour.”
Jenny remembers the kids from Langenburg Central School helping out the residents by sending them cards at Christmas. “The joy that it brought to the seniors was something that was very emotional, to receive that love.”
The daycare kids and staff came over to sit down and ate lunch previously with the residents which was very memorable.
The barbecue last year raised $1200, which was intended to renovate the outdoor area a bit; now, the money will now be donated to the Langenburg Swimming Pool.
“We were blown away at how the town came together to notice and support West Haven.”
Jenny will be able to see the seniors still as she works as a nurse in long-term care. She enjoyed connecting with the residents during her time at West Haven. “I have personally enjoyed taking care of the seniors, with or without family support. That’s the number one drive.”
She feels the town needs to look at building a care home residence where the residents feel more at home. “Anyone who walks into West Haven talks about how it is a comfortable, homelike environment.”
The residents who move out of West Haven mentioned to Rumancik how they want to be in a more homelike environment but often the government facilities they move to are institutionalized facilities.
“We want to thank all of our staff who have supported us over these past 6 years. You all came at a time of great need. And we will be eternally grateful for that. Thank you for being a part of the West Haven journey and may God bless you in what the future may bring to us all.”