Photo: Contributed

Interior Health has stepped in over concerns about care at Summerland Seniors Village

A private Summerland seniors home will now be overseen by Interior Health, after the facility was determined not to meet legislated standards of care.

Summerland Seniors Village will be run by an IH-appointed administrator for six months while concerns are dealt with. 

Numerous site visits by IH staff led to the conclusion that the private operator was not meeting legislated standards, despite efforts over many months to bring them up to par. 

"Summerland Seniors Village has ongoing challenges with its site leadership, care planning, staff education and training, and reporting," reads a news release from IH.

The 112 long-term bed facility has been a source of many complaints including concerns over inadequate meals and seniors left without hygiene care for hours on end. 

West Coast Seniors Housing Management, which previously oversaw the village, also operates two other long-term care facilities in the IH region in Williams Lake and Kamloops. 

IH says they do not have similar concerns about care at those locations. 

This is the second time in the past decade that the Summerland Seniors Village has had IH step in.

For four months in 2013, while it was under previous ownership, IH also appointed an administrator. 

The care home has been under an incredible amount of scrutiny since its ownership was taken over by the Chinese government.

The Summerland Seniors Village is one of 21 B.C. facilities owned by Retirement Concepts, a company purchased by China’s Anbang Insurance for $1B in 2017.

In February 2018, the Chinese government seized control of the company and jailed its CEO for fraud.