Enjoying retirement at the Hi-Line

Several residents of the Hi-Line Retirement Center (HLRC) in Malta invited the PCN for a visit and to share how important the center is to them, the changes they have already seen since the administration has changed.

The members of the group were; Marie Wasson, who has lived at HLRC with her husband, Earl, since 2013: Lila Licht who has lived at HLRC since 2015; Alice Murray who has lived at the HRLC since 2015; Mary Emily Barthelmess who has lived at HRLC with her husband Leo Sr. since 2010; Curt Kron who has split time between living at his home in Malta and the HLRC since 2015 and Joan Christofferson who has lived at HLRC since 2014.

At the beginning of October, Health Management Services, led by father and son duo Joe and Karl Rude, gave the HLRC their letter of resignation as they would no longer run the administrative side of the retirement center. On Thursday afternoon, Wasson said that she had been very unhappy with how things had been run at HLRC under the Rudes.

"Things just weren't going well," she said.

"The employees weren't happy and neither were we," Murray added.

Barthelmess said that her main concern under HMS' leadership was that she didn't feel Leo Sr., who is in the nursing home section of HLRC, was getting the care he needed. She said she could tell how much stress the employees were under and when HMS announced in September that the HLRC would have to convert to only an assisted living center, stress was then placed on resident's families who weren't sure if they would have to move their loved ones or where they might end up. For both Barthelmess and Wasson, if HLRC had changed to only an assisted living center, the two would have either had to move somewhere else to continue being in the same facility as their husbands, or be separated from them.

"We have been married 62 years and we would have been living together somewhere, but we don't know where," Barthelmess said.

With the departure of HMS, HLRC was in need of a new administrator and Malta's Dwayne Murray stepped up to the challenge and started his second tenure at the center last week.

"I couldn't help but notice that yesterday, I saw him pick up a ladder to help out somewhere," Christofferson said. "That is something you wouldn't have seen Carl (Rude) do while he was here."

Since HMS' departure, the six residents at the meeting with the PCN on Thursday agreed that things have changed for the better at HLRC. They cited the cleanliness has improved, billing is getting done in a timely fashion and the meals have been better (though the group also agreed they would like to see less broccoli and rice in their diets, somewhat playfully.)

Licht said that she recently talked with HRLC resident Dorothy Johnson who was very critical of HMS during their tenure in Malta and Licht said she is doing well at her new home in Chinook.

"We really miss her," Licht said.

At the end of the meeting, each of the residents were asked to finish the sentence; What I like most about living at the Hi-Line Retirement Center is ..."

Wasson: "I'm happy and content."

Licht: "I'm just happy with being able to be here in Malta. I've got lots of company and the kids come visit any time they can. I'm pretty lucky."

Murray: "I don't have anything to complain about, I am very happy and satisfied."

Barthelmess: "I'm just happy that we have (HLRC) and Leo and I have been able to move into it. It has been good to us.

Christofferson: "Companionship. I've made new friends."

Kron: "I've met a lot of people . . .some of them have had enough respect for me to hit on me for information and ideas on any number of things."

The PCN would like to thank these residents for the sit-down last week.

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