Fort Lauderdale assisted living facility to convert to apartments, displacing residents
Jim Woods is relieved that his 93-year-old mother, Gerri Woods, is settling into her new home at Parkside Memory Care in Tamarac, but the transition was not by choice.
Gerri Woods, who has dementia, was recently forced to leave her home of nearly ten years at Oasis Living Quarters on West Commercial Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
"I wasn't getting a signal that they were changing their business profile, but I saw a change in the level of care and that concerned me," Jim Woods said.
Over the past six months, he noticed staff reductions and less interaction with residents. Then, without warning, a notice about a meeting appeared on his mother's door.
That's when Woods and about 180 other assisted living residents learned they would have to move out by early April. Oasis Living Quarters is converting its units into apartments. Some sections had already been transitioned in recent years.
"It's heart-wrenching. Some residents don't know what's going on," Woods said.
Facility declines to comment
When CBS News Miami visited Oasis to speak with the owners, a manager declined to comment on the changes.
Meanwhile, at Parkside Memory Care, owner Seema Lakhani said they have already relocated six former Oasis residents, including Gerri Woods.
Her facility, which opened three weeks ago, offers state-of-the-art dementia care.
Residents pay an average of $6,000 per month, including Medicaid coverage, for 24/7 care.
The facility features furnished rooms, a hair and nail salon, a physical therapy center and a range of individual and group activities.
Growing demand for memory care
Lakhani said the need for memory care is rising.
"Baby boomers are aging and need memory care, but it's also happening in the younger generation, so the need is for both elderly and middle-aged individuals," she said.
Meanwhile, a relative of an Oasis resident has filed court paperwork in an attempt to halt the evictions.
