Sale of central P.E.I. community care facility prevents closure
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KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — A neighborhood care residence in Kensington is getting a second probability.
On Dec. 31, the sale of The Mews to Steve Piccott was finalized, which means the power was now not at risk of shutting its doorways.
“Reasonably than closing, having to have all these expensive souls transfer, we’ll purchase the place and preserve it open and put it below the PiccottCare banner,”stated Piccott, president of PiccottCare.
For former proprietor, Robin Holman, it’s “completely fantastic” that The Mews is not going to need to shut down on the finish of the yr, placing workers out of labor and displacing senior residents.
“No one has to depart, no residents, no workers. All people can keep, and that’s only a implausible factor,” stated Holman, who has owned the Kensington neighborhood care facility since 2015, alongside his spouse, Sheri.
In mid-fall, the Holmans have been confronted with the prospect of getting to shut The Mews. Amongst different causes, they have been starting to really feel the impression of the pandemic, together with hiring additional workers and taking additional precautions to wash.
“It wasn’t getting robust at that time,” stated Holman, “however I knew in October that if we didn’t truly give all people a discover for 2 months and shut the constructing, we have been afraid that we might be in a troublesome spot.”
The preliminary plan, stated Holman, was to shut the constructing and have a look at turning it right into a rental property.
“It was OK for us, it simply wasn’t OK for everyone else,” he stated. “In order that’s why it was robust, to need to uproot residents and workers.”
In early November, lower than every week after phrase of the closure obtained out, Piccott approached Holman. At the moment, PiccottCare owned 4 neighborhood care amenities in P.E.I.
After that dialog, the Holmans made the choice to promote.
Buying The Mews
The Mews just isn’t the primary neighborhood care facility Piccott has purchased to save lots of from closure.
In spring 2021, Piccott and his spouse, Daybreak, bought Villa Marguerite Seniors House in North Rustico for related causes.
Piccott plans for The Mews to stay as a neighborhood care facility. The residents at present dwelling there’ll stay, as will any workers that needs to remain.
Renovations to the constructing are additionally deliberate, together with changing carpet with hardwood and portray the partitions.
Work can be completed on the widespread areas earlier than transferring to non-public rooms to attenuate disruption for the residents. Piccott additionally intends to contain residents within the renovations, letting them decide what color they need for his or her bed room partitions.
“We sort of make it fulfilling for them,” he stated. “They usually get pleasure from it. It’s sort of like renovating their residence as a result of that’s precisely what it’s.”
In the long run, Piccott hopes to broaden the constructing. The license, he stated, permits for 20 beds; at present, there are 12 residents in The Mews.
An addition would permit for eight extra bedrooms, which might give extra residents their very own area with out sharing a room.
Within the aftermath of shopping for The Mews, Piccott feels lucky to play a task in conserving residents within the space.
“It was heartwarming to get this place that was closing and have the expensive souls that have been there discover out that they didn’t have to maneuver; that was an exquisite few days,” stated Piccott. “They have been all very, very glad about that. And the households, in fact, are all very glad.”
Kristin Gardiner is a reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island. She could be reached by e-mail at [email protected] and adopted on Twitter @KristinGardiner.
