DALLAS (ABP) – A Texas Baptist multi-service benevolence agency announced Oct. 12 it will close a 75-bed facility Dec, 1 that offers assisted living, Alzheimer’s and hospice care, citing regulatory requirements for campus improvements administrators say they cannot afford.
After 57 years, the Mary E. Trew Home at Buckner Retirement Village will close doors to its assisted living, memory care and congregate living apartments. An independent-living facility on site will continue to operate.
The announcement sends 51 current residents packing. Also affected are nearly 50 employees.
“We care very deeply about our residents and employees,” Charlie Wilson, senior vice president for Buckner Retirement Services, Inc., said in a press release. “This was a very hard decision to make, but one that was unavoidable. We will do everything we can to provide assistance for our families to find a new home in the coming weeks.”
Affected families voiced disappointment about the closing, which was originally scheduled Nov. 9 but pushed back, in interviews with local media.
“It just seems incredibly insensitive, the timing and the callous way that it's been prosecuted," Brad Riza, who resides in the independent-living section 50 yards away from the Trew Home, told Dallas/Fort Worth TV station WFAA. "Does that sound angry? Well, maybe so. Am I emotionally involved? Darn right, I am. You are talking about my mom and dad."
An inspection Aug. 11 by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services found five violations at Trew Home, including the door-locking arrangement in the memory-care unit and the lack of sprinkler systems in the facility. Affected families said they wonder why they weren’t informed at the time.
Buckner officials said the state has granted waivers in the past but this time ordered the problems fixed immediately, and that they had been working with the DADS for 30 to 45 days hoping to get the matter resolved.
“We could have done a better job of communicating sooner and engaging them in the process," Pat Crump, vice president of operations, told WFAA. "I think we have learned a very valuable lesson in that. We apologize and admit our mistake there."
On Oct. 14 Buckner offered additional assistance with moving expenses and helping residents find a new place to live and would work with residents unable to meet the Dec. 1 deadline.
Buckner will offer a job fair for laid-off employees. Officials said the closure is part of a “master plan” to build affordable housing on the property that better meets needs of senior adults in East Dallas.
Established in 1879 as an orphanage, Buckner International today is a global Christian ministry serving children, families and senior adults around the world. Based in Dallas, it currently serves more than 400,000 people in 69 countries each year.
Buckner Retirement Services describes its mission as striving “to enhance the quality of life for senior adults and their families by promoting an active, healthy Christian lifestyle while maintaining their independence and dignity” while adhering to “Christian principles” and applying services “with loving professionalism.”
-30-
Bob Allen is managing editor of Associated Baptist Press.