WAUKEE, Iowa — Several families in the metro are left scrambling to find a place for their loved ones to be cared for after a long term care senior facility announced it is closing in November. 

Thirty residents, plus staff members, at Independence Village in Waukee were given a 60-day notice last week. They said they have until Nov. 22. They were notified by Independence Village’s national parent company StoryPoint Group.

Lisa Pringle-Chmelka is one of the family members that got this notification. Her 98-year-old father-in-law, Mert, lives in that long term care. Now, he needs a new place to move, after he just moved there in March. 

“It was pretty devastating. Sixty days is a pretty quick turn to find a long term care facility that’s good,” she said. “And at 98 we didn’t think we would have to be doing this again.”

Meanwhile, Tara McFarling also has family at Independence Village. One of the top reasons her parents lived there was because they could live under one roof, while in different units for their different needs. Her mother was in long term care.

“So my mom passed away on September 14. I would have gotten the same call that the other families got,” McFarling said. “I’d have to move my mother away into a new facility as she’s kind of on her deathbed. I won’t say it on camera, but I was pretty upset.” 

She says there are a few couples or family relations that will be affected by this unit closing. One person is in long term care, the other is in another part of the building, like assisted living. 

“He can take his walker and within five minutes be down in mom’s room,” McFarling said. “I can’t imagine the loved one is going to stay. And I’m not saying these people are heartless, but that’s the way it feels.” 

This is a big move for many of these residents who are in their final chapter of life.

“Long term care is not being built. It’s very difficult to find,” Pringle-Chmelka said. “Whether you’re on private pay or Medicaid, it’s difficult to find a good facility with long term care.”

Along with 30 residents losing their home, several staff members from this unit are losing their jobs. 

Both Pringle-Chmelka and McFarling say the staff has become a second family and they’re thankful for how wonderful they’ve been in caring for their loved ones and through this process. In fact, they say several employees are staying on working until their residents find new homes. 

“The staff, the administration, the leadership team on that side, in long term care, they’re amazing. They’ve been making phone calls. They’re trying to do as much legwork as they can to support the families who are moving,” McFarling said. “Lots of hugs. And I think the other part that bothers me is knowing how this all went down.”

Those involved say they’re shutting down the long term care unit to renovate it to be more of a memory care unit, which has different license requirements. 

“Ultimately, I get running a business, the profit and loss statement. I 100% understand that. But this has got to be something that we talk about,” McFarling said. “I think this is a situation that because it’s so near and dear to my heart, it’s frustrating.”

StoryPoint Group responded to a comment request with this statement: 

“Our commitment remains with our residents, their well-being, and the dedicated employees who care for them each day. While we understand this transition is difficult, we want to reassure families that every resident will be thoughtfully placed, and we will support our employees with resources and connections for future opportunities.” –– Irina Olgart, VP of Marketing.