Families are not finding openings for loved ones displaced from nursing home in Turlock

People trying to find new care for their loved ones who live at Brandel Manor in Turlock said they’re running into long waiting lists and a shortage of beds at other facilities in Stanislaus County.

Gaylene Cornell said Wednesday that she has called 17 nursing homes in Turlock, Ceres, Modesto, Riverbank and Newman but didn’t find any openings for her 91-year-old mother, who’s a patient at Brandel Manor.

“I have medical issues myself,” said Cornell, 66. “If they move her to Sacramento or the Bay Area, which they have mentioned, I can’t travel that far. I may never have another holiday with her again.”

Covenant Living Communities announced Jan. 15 that the 145-bed nursing home on North Olive Avenue, and adjacent Cypress Assisted Living, will close due to financial issues and workforce challenges.

About 100 residents have been faced with moving to another facility and some families have discovered the shortage of available space in the area.

Cornell said people were stunned by the decision to close Brandel. It never crossed her mind that local nursing home services wouldn’t be available for her mother and other older adults in Turlock.

“She is really scared about this,” Cornell said. “I have no choice but to keep looking.”

A representative of Covenant Living Communities, which has operated Brandel Manor for 10 years, said the nonprofit organization is working with the state and health care providers to make sure Brandel residents are relocated to facilities where they can receive appropriate care.

Spokesman Randy Eilts said Brandel has a census of 85, as of Tuesday, down from 93 last week. There are 15 move-outs scheduled in the days ahead, Eilts said.

The spokesman said he didn’t have information on where the 15 patients were moving. “We are working with all skilled nursing facilities in the area to relocate residents as space becomes available,” Eilts said.

By law, nursing home residents are given 60 days notice before a facility closure, but Covenant said Brandel will stay in operation until all residents are relocated.

Under a relocation plan filed with the California Department of Public Health, dated Dec. 29, Brandel patients and their families were given a list of facilities where they could possibly relocate, including nine in Modesto, three in Turlock, one in Livingston and a center in Atwater.

“The geographic scope of potential receiving facilities will be expanded as needed to accommodate all residents of the facility,” says the plan, which has a projected closure date of April 15.

Stanislaus County was stricken by other facility closures last year, including 59 skilled nursing beds at Casa de Modesto and the 89-unit Las Palmas Estates assisted living in Turlock.

Efforts to prevent ‘transfer trauma,’ which can be fatal

Brandel’s relocation plan talks about important medical assessments for residents prior to relocation to prevent adverse health issues, such as “transfer trauma.” Elderly patients are susceptible to psychosocial effects of moving to a new setting. Transfer trauma, or relocation stress syndrome, may cause a decline in physical and emotional health and can be fatal.

Under the plan, the facility will have the patient’s physician or Brandel’s medical director assess the patient and make recommendations, such as counseling and follow-up visits “to ameliorate potential adverse health consequences of the relocation.”

The assessment also will recommend the type of facility that’s best for meeting the patient’s needs.

The county’s Long-term Care Ombudsman Program is offering assistance to patients and their families at Brandel to help with the relocation process and make sure they know their rights.

Melissa Flaherty, ombudsman coordinator, said a program staff member will attend care-plan meetings with a resident and family, if requested. The ombudsman program receives and investigates complaints if there are issues.

“The residents and their families are able to make the decision as to where to relocate,” Flaherty said. “We encourage them to work with the facility, that is very important, and also have good communication about placement.”

Brandel Manor was formerly owned by nearby Emanuel Medical Center until the hospital was sold to the parent company of Modesto’s Doctors Medical Center in 2014. Emanuel was operated for decades by a benevolence ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Covenent Living Communities, a nonprofit with 19 upscale retirement centers in the United States and ties to the same church, took over operation of Brandel.

In the past few years, state health department surveys at Brandel Manor found an increased number of deficiencies and lapses in care, such as a patient injured in a fall and failure to meet nurse staffing requirements. Several lawsuits since 2021 increased legal liabilities for the owner.

Eliminating a community asset

Cornell said families attending a meeting at Brandel last week were told the building is in need of structural repairs. She said she wishes Covenant Living had reached out to the community to talk about options, such as selling the nursing home to another operator, rather than eliminate a community asset.

“I give the staff a lot of credit,” Cornell said. “My mom has been very happy there. Why didn’t they try to sell the facility?”

Turlock residents refer to a plan to expand the Covenant Living retirement center on North Olive with additional parking and facility space where Brandel and Cypress now stand.

When asked why a buyer wasn’t sought for the nursing home, Eilts said no decision has been made on what will happen to the Brandel and Cypress buildings. “After an analysis of the physical (facility), financial sustainability and workforce challenges, we came to the conclusion that closing it was our most viable option,” he said.

To file a complaint on behalf of someone in a residential care facility or nursing home, call the Stanislaus County Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 209-529-3784.