Assisted living facility Cedarhurst of Madison notified residents they must find new homes by Dec. 10, when the facility will stop accepting Medicaid payments.
Cedarhurst Senior Living announced on Oct. 12 it is ending its relationship with My Choice Wisconsin, a managed care organization whose Family Care program oversees long-term care for elderly adults and adults with disabilities as part of Medicaid.
“We found that our partnership with this provider and the restrictions on care and services because of the relationship does not align with our mission as an organization,” Cedarhurst Division Director of Operations Sherry Kaiser said in a letter sent to residents.
My Choice CEO Maria Ledger told the Wisconsin State Journal that Cedarhurst told her it plans to convert the facility into private apartments. She said My Choice did not place any restrictions on care and services provided at Cedarhurst.
Ledger expressed concern that displacement at the facility reflects a wider trend, especially after a facility in Milwaukee recently converted to private apartments and forced residents to move.
“I’m sorry this is happening to our members, and I am concerned that it is not the last we will be seeing of it,” Ledger said.
According to My Choice, 27 residents in the Madison facility are My Choice members, and many will not be able to afford the higher private rates.
One longtime resident of Cedarhurst of Verona — who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussions — suffered a stroke and has since been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
The resident’s ex-wife told the Cardinal she has been trying to find a new home for her ex-husband for over a year, but the few beds available were reluctant to take Medicaid recipients.
“I call places that say, ‘Oh, we have openings,’” she said. “‘We want to meet [him]. We want to hear all about it.’ And the nanosecond I would say he's on Family Care [they say], ‘Oh, we don't have any beds.’”
The anonymous source said her ex-husband has been upset by the news, and she worries Cedarhurst will decide to convert their Verona facility next, leaving him without a home.
“I would be foolish not to assume that Cedarhurst of Verona is next on their list,” she said. “These are the folks that can't work, are the most vulnerable in the system and they're absolutely dependent on everybody else. And to kick them out, I just don't know how you have that kind of a heart.”
Ledger told the Cardinal the organization is working with residents to ensure they are not left without a home.
“This unique feature of the MCW structure allows care teams to focus on their work with members and place enrolled and prospective members in settings that will allow them to be as fully integrated into the community as possible,” Ledger said. “MCW is monitoring all the prospective placements for these members very carefully, and I am receiving regular updates from our Care Management and Residential Team staff.”
The lack of available beds added an extra level of stress for the anonymous source and her ex-husband.
“When you make the decision that you can't care for your loved one at home anymore and you put them in a facility, it doesn't take the worry away. It just changes the worry,” she said. “I’m always worried about the quality of care. Are they happy? Are they safe?”
Francesca Pica is the city news editor emeritus for The Daily Cardinal. She has covered multiple municipal elections and is a leading reporter on Madison labor issues. Additionally, she served as a summer intern for The Capital Times and currently serves as a WisPolitics intern.
