Saddened and worried about HLRC changes

Dear Editor,

With the rumors going around about Hi-Line Retirement Center (HLRC) changing to just assisted living this not only saddens but worries us.

We both had our moms in HLRC but they were full assist. They are gone now but what would we have done if there was no nursing home that would of accommodated our moms and their needs right here in Malta? Luckily we do not have to make that decision, but for some other families this might become a reality. This means taking your loved one to another town where they may not have any family living close by, their friends may not be able to travel to visit or even being able to take them to a basketball game, concert or play.

For our moms it was a hard adjustment moving from their homes, familiar surroundings and security to HLRC. It would of broke our hearts and theirs if they were moved to a different town where we could not visit daily. We have many great memories from the time they spent at HLRC.

There has been many great workers in all departments that are not there anymore. Why? We don’t want to lose the greats that are there now!

We feel that we need to speak up and fight for what is right and what’s best for our community. We feel that we need a nursing home that can handle all levels of care.

The community has helped this nursing home many times, and it is still fresh on how much the community raised just a few years ago to help it grow/build back up. Money was paid to have a management team come in and help. Maybe a town meeting with the board, Karl Rude (management team) and Administer would be a good place to start. We need to start somewhere so we can figure out what is going to happen to our facility. We are not writing this to point fingers but to stand up for what we feel is right and have accountability. We need a starting point and answers so we can move forward and stop this downward spiral that the HLRC is in now.

We have both worked at the nursing home in different departments and have had our loved ones live there. We feel that if we are silent then we are letting every resident down that may or may not have family or someone to stand up for them. We were raised to take care of our elderly thru example and by what our beliefs are. Let’s come together again as a community and find a solution.

Sean & Melodee Kavanaugh

Malta