IH still in control of private Summerland care home nearly one year after major complaints about standards of care

Photo: Contributed

A private Summerland seniors home is still being overseen by Interior Health much longer than originally expected, after the facility was determined not to meet legislated standards of care in early 2020. 

Summerland Seniors Village had been running under an Interior Health-appointed administrator since February 2020 following a slew of complaints regarding "challenges with its site leadership, care planning, staff education and training, and reporting," according to IH at the time. 

That administrator was only supposed to be in place for six months, to bring the care home up to standards. 

But as of Friday, nearly a full year later, that administrator is still in place. 

IH told Castanet in an email that the administration position was extended until Jan. 15, 2021, and that "we will have an update on this soon."

They did not provide further comment on the reasons for the extension, or whether the COVID-19 pandemic played a part in the decision.

The 112 long-term bed facility was the source of many complaints including concerns over inadequate meals and seniors left without hygiene care for hours on end at the time of the administrator being appointed. It was being run by West Coast Seniors Housing Management at the time. 

It is 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.