After bankruptcy in 2019, a private residence for seniors (RPA), which was finally able to rise from the ashes last December, is now crumbling under requests for admission.
Located on Rue de la Faune, the Royal Saint-Émile, the residence formerly known as the “Kingdom of the Elders,” was forced to close its doors because it was unable to hire new staff.
At that time, the 28 residents only had a week to find a new home.
Although difficulties in recruiting workers are still significant five years later, the new manager notes that requests for relocation are “more numerous than ever.”
“I have been in business for 10 years and this is the first time I have seen so many moving requests. We welcomed 20 new residents in just two weeks,” says Mario Beaumont.
“If I had opened five dormitories, each capable of accommodating about thirty people, the rooms would undoubtedly have found takers, because there is currently a lack of space everywhere,” the man, who is also the manager of two other RPAs, adds with caution.
Shortage of workers
Mr. Beaumont has been looking for employees internationally for three years. A lengthy process, but necessary due to the difficulty of recruitment.
“We do a lot of business with Algeria and Tunisia. We accept nurses who work as carers because they are not recognized as such here,” says Mr Beaumont.
“It could take up to a year and that is an additional cost, but it is necessary and besides these are exceptional quality people,” he added.
However, he regrets the bureaucracy surrounding the recognition of acquired skills of workers from other countries and mentions that “Quebec is losing a lot of extremely competent workers.”
“Two months ago there was an international doctor here, but he couldn’t even work as a nurse in Quebec,” he explains.
Getting started is difficult
While several RPAs in the region have announced their closures in the last year, Mr Beaumont believes government support could encourage certain people with experience to reopen some of them.
“It is difficult to get government support or simply get a loan to buy senior housing because banks are cautious. Therefore, not everyone has the opportunity to invest so much,” explains the manager.
Although he loves what he does, he explains that he himself does not have the strength to purchase other homes for sale in the area to bring them back into use.
The owner reiterates: “The need is glaring, but if there was support to help us with loans, there would certainly be more people with experience to tap into resources.”
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