Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Carroll County's Mountain View Nursing Home to Close?

Carroll County Commissioner Dorothy Solomon sent the following e-mail reporting that there are New Hampshire state legislators from Carroll County (The County Delegation), who would close down Carroll County's Mountain View Nursing Home and farm out the residents to wherever there is a bed available. According to Commissioner Solomon that could be anywhere in the state. Commissioner Solomon urges Carroll County residents to attend the public hearing at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 20 in the County Delegation room of the Carroll County Administration Building on Route 171, Water Village Road, Ossipee, New Hampshire to show your support for keeping open Mountain View Nursing Home and moving forward with the new building needed to provide the essential care for our elders. If you want to make sure that the high level of care, which Mountain View Nursing Home is renowned for, remains available to your friends, neighbors, and relatives, its imperative that you attend this meeting or inform your state representatives and senators, now.

Mountain View Nursing Home serves the communities of Albany, Bartlett, Brookfield, Conway, Effingham, Center Harbor, Chocorua, Conway, Effingham, Freedom, Jackson, Madison, Moultonboro, Ossipee, Sandwich, Tuftonboro, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro.

The Carroll County Delegation will meet on July 20 at the Delegation Room in the Administration Building in Ossipee at 9 am. I am looking for a large group of people to be there in support of a new, improved, realistic "home" for the elders of Carroll County. There are people on the Delegation who would close down the home and farm out the residents wherever there is a bed available. That could be anywhere in the state! There are not enough beds in the three other Carroll County homes to take all residents. Aside from that, the Commissioners will offer evidence that closing the present home and not building another is not "cost effective" since that is the sole reason given for this proposal...saving $$$$! Nowhere is a thought given to the lives and needs of the elderly of this county.

The new home being proposed brings to Carroll County the true meaning of "home" for the elderly, frail and often ill residents of this county. The Commissioners are proposing a real "home" built in the concept of households and neighborhoods. Each household would have 12 or 13 residents living in private rooms with private baths. Each household would have its own living room, dining room, small efficiency kitchen and activity center. People can be grouped as to needs and compatibility. No longer would there be long corridors (think institutional living) to maneuver to go to meals or activities. There would be room for personal items for residents and enough storage space in the rooms to hold necessary equipment (think wheelchairs, etc.) so the staff would not need to waste time and energy finding these items. The linens would also be on hand. Generally the quality of life would be better and for the staff it would be more efficient and time more usefully spent. There would be two households to a neighborhood and two neighborhoods to a floor. The proposal is for two floors with room to expand should there be a need. The building would be built to conform to the "green" concept and be more efficient to run. There would be room to take in rehabilitation patients who are not long term residents and who actually bring in good funding.

There is a great need to have you (and anyone you can bring with you) at the Monday meeting as a show of support. Otherwise, the Delegates who are pressing for closure will think they have backing. There will be time at the beginning of the meeting for public input and there should be a similar period of time at the end of the meeting.

Thank you and I hope to see you on Monday, June 20th.
Dorothy