BROOMFIELD, Colo. — A memory care facility in Broomfield told residents and their families they have 30 days to get out after the facility sold.
The news, which came in a letter to families of residents at Villagio Broomfield on May 13, came as a shock to families of the dementia patients inside that facility who told Steve On Your Side they didn’t realize the building was for sale.
When contacted by 9NEWS this week, the director of operations who wrote the letter, Carla Martin, told 9NEWS Consumer Investigator Steve Staeger the facility complied with state law giving 30 days' notice. Martin disconnected the call before answering why Villagio Broomfield didn’t let family members know the facility was for sale. She hasn’t responded to further requests for comment.
“I understand that that's the minimum legal requirement,” said Kate Sigg, whose mother moved into the facility in late September. “But I just can't imagine that that would go through someone's head, and they would look at the residents living in their facility and think 30 days seems fine.”
Steve On Your Side found real estate listings for the building dating back to October of last year. A warranty deed filed in Jefferson County on May 13, the same day the letter went to families, indicates the owner, Senior Re Choice Broomfield LLC sold to three companies – Timberlark, LLC, Gray Wolf LTD and Blaco Investments, LLC.
Families who contacted Steve On Your Side said they only learned the facility was for sale when they received the letter.
Sigg said her family decided to move her mother, Carol, into Villagio Broomfield after a months-long search with a senior advisor.
“We chose them because we knew we wanted a pure memory care facility that was going to be specialized and give my mom the care she needed,” she said. “We met the staff at Villagio. And we're like, they're amazing. They're so kind, so welcoming. This is going to be a safe, comfortable spot for her.”
Her family also chose Villagio Broomfield because the facility is one of a number in Colorado that allows patients to remain after they’ve spent down their assets and have to only rely on Medicaid. Sigg said her family negotiated with the management to allow Carol to pay the full $7,350 rent for 18 months then rely on Medicaid.
“We're like, okay, if Villagio was willing to do that with us, this is the perfect case scenario,” Sigg said. “We can afford it. She can stay there as her last home. And it's the right choice.”
Sigg said her family loved the staff and her mother has been happy ever since she moved in.
It’s what made the letter earlier this month such a surprise.
“You think about somebody with dementia, and all of the people that live there going through the same thing,” she said. “They don't know what's going on. They get comfortable in their environment, with the people around them with their daily schedule, that is all going to be changed on a moment's notice.”
No notice of pending sale
Kimberly Diaz, a senior advocate and registered nurse, told Steve On Your Side she helped a family into the facility on March 11, six months after the facility appears to have been listed for sale. Diaz said she had seen a property listing for Villagio in advance and asked a representative what was going on. She said the representative assured the family that no matter what happened, the facility would remain a memory care.
Marnie Biln, another senior advocate and chair of a statewide organization of senior placement advocates, said one of her employees gave a tour to a family on April 15. When the family went back to sign the paperwork to move in in late April, Biln said a staff member from Villagio told her new admissions were on hold. Two weeks later, the building sold.
“It's a really horrible disease on its own, you're just hoping they're getting good care,” Sigg said. “You're not even thinking about anything remotely along the lines of oh, maybe they're gonna sell this building out from under us.”
During a town hall style meeting for families last weekend, Sigg said leadership from Villagio told families the building’s pending sale was a public record that family members could look up.
“It almost seems like it comes down to covering themselves legally,” she said. “They didn't want to give people too much notice. They didn't want to lose that money every month.”
Assisted living and memory care facilities are regulated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment which requires facilities to give residents 30 days' notice before they are involuntarily moved from a facility.
Sigg and Biln said the rule deserves some reconsideration after this.
This story is the result of a tip to Steve On Your Side. If you have a consumer problem, let Consumer Investigator Steve Staeger know about it.
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