What Happens To Residents When A Florida Nursing Home Closes?

Older adults who move into nursing homes usually require significant personal support. They can no longer live independently, and their support needs may exceed what their family members can provide.

Nursing home residents rely on workers for daily care needs like personal hygiene matters. They may need assistance with medical care, such as insulin injections or the administration of medications. Unfortunately, quite a few nursing homes in Florida are establishments run by for-profit businesses.

The companies that manage nursing homes sometimes decide to close them down due to dwindling profits or an inability to comply with regulations. What happens to residents when the nursing home where they live closes?

Residents are meant to receive support and advance notice

There are two main scenarios in which a nursing home may close while there are people living there. The first scenario involves a voluntary closure for business reasons. The second involves an involuntary closure due to safety violations or other legal issues.

In a voluntary closure scenario, the company operating the nursing home must provide 90-day advance notice to the family members or personal representatives of the residents in the nursing home. In theory, that gives those supporting a nursing home resident an opportunity to seek a transfer to a new facility.

In both involuntary and voluntary closure scenarios, state agencies may have to extend support to residents and their families as well. They can help with securing placement into another facility. When a resident does not have family members to assist them or when a closure is immediate and involuntary, state workers can assist with seeking placement in a facility capable of meeting a resident’s needs.

Needing to relocate from one nursing home to another can be a stressful and frustrating experience, but the resident and their family members should receive appropriate support. In scenarios involving involuntary closures, the new facility might provide a better standard of care than the one closing. Family members concerned about the well-being of a loved one in a nursing home may need to communicate with state agencies about the closure or the support their loved one requires.

Taking legal action may be an option in situations involving negligent care or a failure to comply with Florida state regulations. Families can potentially hold an institution accountable for endangering their loved ones when such harm occurs.