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Ashby nursing home closing
Published 12:00pm Thursday, May 8, 2008Wednesday evening was a sad time for families of Pelican Lake Health Care Center residents who learned at an informational meeting why the nursing home will end operations on June 30.
Management said that the statewide move from institutional long-term care to home-like settings is a major reason the facility will close.
“The closing will be difficult for residents and staff alike,” said Shayla Henneberg, administrator for Pelican Lake Health Care Center which has been part of the community since 1957.
The facility, which housed 25 residents and employed close to 50 full-time and part-time employees, is owned by a non-profit organization, The Foundation of Rural Health Care of Burnsville. The foundation also owns a nursing home in Evansville.
The foundation is looking at various options in order to make use of the building in Ashby once the nursing home ceases operations.
Henneberg said that nursing home staff, in coordination with state and Grant County agencies, will work as a team to relocate the residents. The Workforce Center in Fergus Falls will assist staff members in their pursuit of new jobs.
“Three nursing homes in Grant County, including ours in Ashby, have all been downsized in recent years,” said Bonnie Davis, social services director at Pelican Lake Health Care Center. “Minnesota, in general, has been looking at assisted living as the preferred means of care for older residents. The mindset is changing within the long-term care community — including residents themselves.”
Davis said the closing on June 30 will be especially difficult for some residents of Pelican Lake Health Care Center who have lived at the nursing home for several years.
“Others who live here have been residents of the Ashby area most of their lives,” Davis said. “It’s very unsettling for staff and families who need to look at relocation options. We all, however, want to be optimistic and hope for the best.”
Another informational meeting for family members, and interested individuals, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the main level day room at Pelican Lake Health Care Center.
