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Sprawling retirement mecca is on the mend
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- Several months have gone by since Westminster Services, an Orlando-based organization that operates retirement communities throughout Florida, took over the financially strapped Suncoast Manor in the Pinellas Point neighborhood. The changeover is becoming evident throughout the 30-acre community. Westminster is tweaking menus, adding amenities, redecorating and renovating tired and faded areas. The most significant changes will occur in the next few weeks, however, when the new administration will relocate some of the ailing residents. The decision originally caused concern among some residents and their families, said Lucretia Hess, Westminster Services' regional director of operations for Florida's west coast. "I think change for anybody, regardless of age, is hard," she said. "We met with the families on several occasions and explained what we are doing." Alzheimer's patients will move to a new wing that will include a screened patio and secure outdoor area. Residents who need some nursing care will move from independent living apartments to the space being vacated by the Alzheimer's patients. The changes make sense, Mrs. Hess said. "The move of (the second set of) residents to the health complex is going to enhance their lives because that area is going to be specifically designed for the needs of an assisted living resident." The health complex currently houses Alzheimer's patients and other residents who need 24-hour skilled nursing care. It is undergoing extensive renovation, Mrs. Hess said. A library, parlors and dining rooms are being added, she said. The moves will begin later this summer. "We want to make sure that the area is completed. Some of the families are going to want to be there to assist with their move to make them feel comfortable and secure," said Mrs. Hess, adding that in some cases, the residents' new rooms will be arranged just like their old ones. The relocations will open up more independent living apartments, which will benefit the entire community financially, Mrs. Hess said. She said, though, that the first concern of Westminster Services, a nonprofit organization, is the comfort of residents. In recent years, Suncoast Manor, at 6909 Dr. M.L. King (Ninth) St. S, has struggled financially. Conceived by the late Rev. James Duncan, an Episcopal priest who later rose to bishop, the retirement community until recently had been run by a nonprofit organization whose board members mostly belonged to parishes within the St. Petersburg Episcopal deanery. Recently financial losses had mounted to about $1-million annually, leading to the handover in March to Westminster Services, which also runs nearby Westminster Shores in the Bahama Shores neighborhood. Suncoast Manor is now moving toward a better financial footing, Mrs. Hess said. "Our anticipation is in no more than four years to have Suncoast Manor a financially viable retirement community," she said. "Our forte is acquiring struggling communities. Suncoast Manor has been a delight to work with, because the residents have been receptive and they have been ready for change."
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
