ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Last month, dozens of residents of a Pinellas County senior care community were given 45 days to move out because the facility was under new management and would no longer accept Medicaid.
As part of our “Price of Paradise” series, the I-Team is uncovering why some Florida seniors are facing eviction from the places they call home.
Million-dollar view
“It’s absolutely gorgeous. Look at the sky,” said Diane Aloi, watching a gorgeous sunset over Boca Ciega Bay.
She describes the view from her apartment at Elancé at Pasadena as a “million-dollar view.” But Diane is not a millionaire.
On the night we met her at the assisted living facility, she knew she would not be seeing that view much longer.
“I’m very definitely going to miss it,” she said.
“It was like a punch in the stomach”
Diane and about four dozen other residents received a 45-day notice of discharge in early May. The notice said the community will not accept Medicaid as a payment option as of June 22nd.
“It was like a punch in the stomach,” Diane said.
When Diane moved into what had been The Fountains at Boca Ciega, Medicaid paid for a portion of her care since she requires assistance with daily living tasks.
But the facility underwent a name change, becoming Elancé at Pasadena, when a new management company took over on May 1st.
Diane liked The Fountains so much that she convinced her sister Bette DiPaola to move in just three weeks before the notices went out. Bette is a private pay resident but plans to move out again with her sister.
“This is home sweet home. We just finished unpacking all these boxes. Now we’re packing again,” Bette said, showing us her pile of boxes.
The sisters are moving to another assisted living facility that does accept Medicaid but doesn’t have a million-dollar view.
“We both have health problems. And we’re doing the best that we can to get boxes. Now we’ve got to pack everything,” Bette said.
Karen Chouinard and her 86-year-old mother are also trying to find a new home.
“The reason why we moved here was because my mom just wanted to live somewhere where she could see the water,” Karen said.
Karen receives Medicaid assistance, but her mother is full-pay. Both are now looking for a new ALF where they can live together.
“It feels awful. I feel like I don’t belong,” Karen said. “I don’t have enough money in my bank to live somewhere nice.”
New luxury brand
A press release describes Elance’ as “a new luxury brand” created as a partnership between Retirement Unlimited, Inc. and Welltower.
Welltower is the world’s largest healthcare real estate investment trust, which owns nearly 1,900 properties valued at $200 billion in the company’s most recent quarterly financial statement.
According to the press release, Elancé would offer “a lifestyle that residents have earned and deserve.”
Residents said the company held three recent town hall meetings.
“Everything’s gonna be wonderful. We’re gonna do this and we’re gonna do that, and if you have any ideas, let us know. And the next day, we get the letter,” Diane said.
More than 4 million Americans have some form of long-term care paid for by Medicaid. Most are in nursing homes, where federal law prohibits evictions.
“They want to make this a luxury resort. And that costs money. And they want the people who are paying $5,000… the rich people,” Diane said.
Senior evictions on the rise
Florida AARP Director Jeff Johnson said evictions among seniors are becoming more common as rents rise.
“To be able to pick up and move somewhere else is hard for anybody, but particularly for somebody who’s got the sorts of challenges that often go along with living in assisted living,” Johnson said.
Johnson said Florida lawmakers approved “The Live Local Act” this year, which he says is the state’s largest investment ever in affordable housing and will eventually enable people to stay in their communities as they age.
“I don’t see any slowdown in people moving to Florida and we certainly don’t expect any slowdown in people aging. So I suspect that we’re going to be dealing with these issues for quite some time,” Johnson said.
Diane and Bette are now reluctantly finalizing their move. It’s something Diane never believed could happen.
“I told everybody I am moving from here when the coroner takes me out,” she said.
We contacted Retirement Unlimited, Inc. about the 45-day notices, and a spokesperson sent the following statement:
Retirement Unlimited Inc, a senior living management company with over 40 years of operating experience, took over management of the Elancé at Pasadena, formally the Fountains at Boca Ciega Bay, on May 1, 2023.
The management company and the ownership of this community know that this has been a challenge for some of our residents and their families, which is why we have been absolutely committed to helping the affected residents and their families to assess their personal situation. Some residents have opted to convert to private pay and stay at Elancé at Pasadena; others have made the decision to relocate to facilities that accept Medicaid.
Elancé at Pasadena also made a firm commitment to assist these residents with relocation needs, including helping them identify appropriate care levels, assistance with the management of the move and the delivery of care records at the time of transition. In the meantime, the Medicaid residents will continue to receive applicable care and services as they work through this transition period.
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