SILVER SPRING, Md. (7News) — After a Silver Spring, Md., assisted living facility was sold on Monday, families are now scrambling to find new accommodations for their loved ones who will be evicted in 45 days – the legal minimum notice.
After having to move her 91-year-old mother from one assisted living facility to another in search of the appropriate accommodations for her end-stage dementia, Lynne Sheller thought The Landing of Silver Spring was the perfect landing spot.
But on Tuesday, the staff informed the residents and their families the facility was sold to Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc., a $10 billion-real estate investment trust, and that the residents would need to vacate the premises by November 15.
“Forty-five days? What if they can’t find a place? There’s one resident whose family is out of the country vacationing. They just found out this morning,” Sheller said. “I’m just stunned and so angry. This place is a wonderful place. It’s the best place she’s been to. She’s in memory care, as it is, but doing so well only being there six months. She’s having a wonderful time, made new friends, playing the piano, and just having a joyous time despite her illness, as well as her friends there. And now we have to go.”
Sheller said the facility held a meeting Monday to inform the residents of the sale and eventual eviction, before sending a letter.
“People started crying,” Sheller said. “These are elderly people. We had a resident sitting behind me, and they had just moved in just one month ago. She said, ‘You must be kidding me! We just moved in one month ago! I’m still unpacking boxes! What are you talking about?'”
Sheller said the way the news was provided added insult to injury: “The owner didn’t show up, and neither did the guy who bought the place.”
7News On Your Side took Sheller’s concerns and frustrations to The Landing of Silver Spring, asking a staff member the following questions:
- Is 45 days enough time for these families to find new living arrangements?
- Did you put money over people?
- What’s your response to families who are upset and now scrambling to find new living arrangements?
The staff member read off a prepared statement saying he was not the right person to answer any questions, and to direct any questions to the spokesperson of the facility.
7News sent these questions to both the spokesperson and Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc., but has not gotten a response as of the time of publication.
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The facility provided Sheller with a list of other assisted living facilities that could accommodate her mother.
However, she told 7News On Your Side she is worried no other place will compare to the treatment her mother received at The Landing of Silver Spring, which also included events for Easter and Mother’s Day.
“My mother has dementia – end-stage dementia – and this particular property was well-known for their excellent memory care program,” Sheller said. “It was a wonderful environment. I didn’t have to worry about her care anymore and her being safe. I knew she was in a great place.”
Between now and the November eviction deadline, Sheller said her family will be looking everywhere for another facility that can appropriately accommodate her mother.
If they cannot find a place on time, her mother will stay with her. However, she said she is worried her mother not being in a facility surrounded by medical professionals and other residents her age could be a detriment.
“We’re going to have to find a place for her to live, first of all. We’re looking into that. Secondly, we’ve got to approach my mom at some point and tell her, ‘You have to move again.’ That’s going to be hard because she doesn’t understand from day to day many things, but she has a sense of family there, and routine things mean a lot,” Sheller said. “I don’t want her depressed. I don’t want her sitting alone in a room, rocking back and forth. I want her to be in an environment with people her own age and activities.”
While they search for a new home for her mother, Sheller told 7News she feels betrayed.
“For somebody to just come in and buy the place, and just take the rug out from under us is outrageous,” Sheller said. “I just really feel so helpless.”