EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Families and residents have been left scrambling to find a new home after their West El Paso retirement home abruptly sent a community closure notice a month in advance.
The Royal Estates Senior Living Community, located on Mesa Hills in West El Paso, sent an email to their residents on Wednesday, March 6, informing them that they will be shutting down their operations, and residents have until April 5 to vacate their units.
The email also informed residents that they would “assist upon request” with the relocation process, and that they will have informational sessions with operators from other senior living communities.
Patricia Martinez said she picked Royal Estates for her elderly aunt a year ago after 2 months of extensive research. Martinez said her aunt has loved the community and the staff, but was shocked and upset by the abrupt notice.
“That’s not a lot of time. These are little old people. I mean, if you’ve ever tried to find an apartment, a month? Not a lot of time. And especially for somebody who needs some modified medical facilities, that’s a pretty quick turnaround,” Martinez said.
Martinez explained that a month does not allow ample time to research and visit other living communities and learn whether she can trust them to care for her aunt.
The chief operating officer for Royal Estates sent KTSM a statement regarding their closure and residents’ concerns.
The statement read in part-quote:
“In the two days since the closure announcement on March 6th we have already secured new accommodations for more than half of our residents and anticipate finding new homes for the remainder of our residents by the end of next week. The notice period is in accordance with state regulatory guidelines and the terms agreed upon in our residency agreements.”
KTSM read the statement to Martinez, who said she understood they didn’t break state regulations, but having developed a great relationship with the staff and management from Royal Estates, she was disappointed that they did not inform them with more time.
“Instead of just this pre-formed email, prefab email, and you just feel like, ‘OK, well you’ve done the absolute least you can do for us.’ So I’m glad that they’ve found people other locations to stay. That’s great. But a 30-day notice? Just let us know,” Martinez said.
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