Rosslyn residents left in limbo
With licence revoked, retirement home unable to readmit clients, 48 of which remain in hospital recovering from virus
No one seems to know what will happen to Rosslyn residents now that a regulatory body has stripped the retirement home of its licence.
On Monday, the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) revoked the licence of the Rosslyn Retirement Residence, home to Hamilton’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak, after reviewing inspections, complaints and reports from staff and the public.
“The home is not able to readmit current residents or admit any new residents to the home during the revocation process,” confirmed an RHRA spokesperson in an email.
Of the home’s 66 residents, 14 have died. When the home was evacuated
May 15, nearly all residents were sent to hospital, with at least three making accommodation arrangements in the community.
As of Tuesday, 48 remain in hospital, with fewer than five in the ICU.
It’s unclear where they will go next. Brian Melnike and his wife have been researching transition care beds for Melnike’s 87-year-old mother, a Rosslyn resident, who remains in hospital. Her health has deteriorated and they were expecting she’d need extra care before returning to the Rosslyn, if it were to reopen.
“Much as we have issues with the
Rosslyn, we were hoping it would reopen,” Melnike said. He’d been comforted by the fact public health and the RHRA would no doubt be closely monitoring the home. He expected it would be “under the microscope like crazy,” he said.
Melnike’s situation became more complicated in recent days when his mother’s health took a sharp turn for the worse. When he visited her on Monday, doctors worried she might not make it through the night, he said.
“I told her I loved her,” said Melnike,
choking back tears. “She said she loved me too.”
But on Tuesday, the hospital called with good news. His mom, Joan Wallace, was doing much better, sitting up in bed and telling staff off when they pushed too hard on her back while trying to help her breathe, Melnike said with a laugh.
He’s no longer sure he wants her returning to the Rosslyn, even if it were to open. The RHRA has provided him with a list of other homes that would suit his mother’s needs and price range, he said.
As for supports available to Rosslyn families, all residents are eligible for the RHRA’s emergency fund which gives residents up to $3,500 to make alternate care arrangements. Melnike is applying for the assistance, he said.
The city, RHRA, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and the Local Health Integration Network all said they are working collaboratively to help residents but none could give firm answers about what the immediate future holds for residents.
In a joint statement, St. Joe’s and HHS said they will provide support when residents are ready to be discharged. St. Joe’s has previously said some resident will now “require a higher level of care” than a retirement home.
It remains unclear how many residents are still COVID-positive. The hospitals directed The Spectator’s question on COVID-19 statuses to public health. Public health did not respond by deadline.
The Rosslyn, which is owned and operated by members of the Martino families, did not respond to a request for comment, nor have they responded to previous repeated requests. The RHRA says the home can still appeal its revocation decision to the province’s Licence Appeal Tribunal.