Desperate to avoid the potential closure of Summit County’s only senior care facility, families and residents gathered outside of Elk Meadows Assisted Living and Memory Care on Monday afternoon with a clear message: “Save our home.”
The demonstration early this week preceded a critical meeting regarding the future of the facility with a pending sale and a proposal to convert the existing 42-unit nursing home into a 56-bed residential treatment facility for first responders suffering from drug and alcohol abuse.
Elk Meadows families said they were surprised by the news announced by Oakley officials late last week, and held the rally to draw attention to the deep connections and sense of community that many of the residents — and their loved ones — have created at the home. Everyone knows everyone, and they’re all willing to lend a hand.
Verl Jensen, a 93-year-old Korean War veteran, has lived in the facility for about two years. His daughter, Melissa McArthur, a 26-year resident of Kamas, said the family moved him into Elk Meadows when he started needing extra help a few years after the family’s matriarch passed away.
Elk Meadows was only about five minutes away from the McArthur home. She can teach preschool in the mornings, stop by to visit with the elderly in the afternoon and make it home before her son is ready for football.
“Right now, I can juggle it. But if this happens, my dad will probably end up having to relocate to Provo. My daughter can help, but still, if I’m not able to see him every day, that breaks my heart. I promised my mother on her deathbed that I would take care of my dad, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Jensen spent his life farming in Spring City and taught in Fairview and Mount Pleasant before retiring. He also helped take care of his wife before she passed eight years ago. McArthur said he’s a bit scared about what’s going to happen, but he “just keeps pushing on.”
McArthur, her husband and her son come every Saturday to play games with Jensen and the other residents. She’s made wonderful friends at the facility, some of whom don’t even have parents living there anymore. Her son considers many of the residents his grandparents.
“This is the only assisted living memory care in Summit County. The only one. So, it is a need for sure,” McArthur said.
Kris Kellogg, a caretaker, also emphasized the need for a senior care facility. Kellogg visits a friend who’s living in Elk Meadows after her husband passed away and her daughter died by suicide. The woman had a stroke in May, and Kellogg has taken care of her ever since.
Seniors are the top concern for Kellogg and the others who demonstrated outside of the facility. She said there are already sober living and treatment facilities in eastern Summit County, but there aren’t any other assisted living centers.
“Nobody here is against the owner selling it. We’re just asking him to sell it to somebody that’s willing to keep it,” Kellogg said. “We’re asking the city to not make the change. … It’s that easy and that’s all we’re asking. Don’t throw our residents out. There’s nowhere else for them to go.”
Oakley announced late last week they would be accepting public comment until Friday regarding a request from Chateau Recovery Center to make a minor amendment to the existing conditional use permit. A public hearing is not required, but officials wanted to hear the community’s comments and concerns — most of which regard the critical need for assisted living options in the area.
The conditional use permit cannot be denied for how the facility would be used to house people with substance use disorder as they are considered disabled and are protected from discrimination under state and federal law, according to Chateau Recovery CEO Danny Warner.
Warner has acknowledged community concerns regarding the proposal. However, he said a treatment center is also needed, and it’s allowed under the existing zoning regulations.
If the center opens, Warner said he wants to hire some of the assisted living facility employees to work there. The center would be staffed 24/7.
Elk Meadows employs Rocky Mountain Care to manage the facility, and discharge planners would help relocate residents to another center such as The Lodge in Heber City. There is a 30-day minimum notice required for residents and families. Warner would honor that.
Public comments regarding the potential Chateau Recovery Center can be sent to [email protected].