Summerland seniors home will continue to be administered by interior Health into next year

Interior Health took over the administration of the Summerland Seniors Village in February of this year and announced today, Aug. 20, that it will continue doing so until Jan. 15, 2021.

“The board is pleased with the reports of progress towards meeting legislated care standards at Summerland Seniors Village,” Doug Cochrane, chair of the Interior Health board, said in a news release. “However, the reports also make clear that the administrator and her team have more work to do to meet our commitment of providing the best possible care to these residents.”

Vanda Urban was appointed as an interim administrator on Feb. 24 and was expected to do that work until Aug. 24. She will continue in that role. The situation will be evaluated again prior to Jan. 15.

READ MORE: Interior Health intervenes after series of problems at Summerland Seniors Village

The appointment came after a series of substantiated complaints were filed against the operators of the facility. Many of those had to do with the lack of adequate staffing so things like medications and baths were not always given in a timely manner.

READ MORE: Dozens of violations found at Summerland seniors home

The administrator is responsible for the operation and management of the care home. That includes care delivery, staff recruitment, orientation and education and making sure the home follows legislated standards of care.

Summerland Seniors Village is one of three such facilities in Interior Health that are owned by Retirement Concepts. The other two are in Kamloops and Williams Lake. In the news release, Interior Health says it does not have similar issues with those facilities.

But, half a dozen other long-term care homes in B.C. that are owned by Retirement Concepts have been put under administrative control by other health regions and the company is subject to a pending class action lawsuit.

READ MORE: Owners of three B.C. Interior seniors homes being sued as part of class action lawsuit

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