Retirement Home Fee increase

Residents of local Revera Inc. retirement homes are dodging a spike to their service fees after the company backed down on a new model. "I think they'll probably just put it on hold for awhile," said Marlene Kawalez, whose 82-year-old mother Anna lives at Fergus Place in Kitchener. The company, which operates nearly 250 residences in Canada and the U.S., proposed a new fee-for-service model in July. The model that featured an "à la carte" list of services ranged from charges of $235 per month for medication administration to $396 for eye drops twice daily en suite. For Kawalez, this would have meant a $900 increase to the almost $2,500 already being paid for her mother to live at the home. According to Revera spokesperson Sandra Vlaar Ingram, in mid-August the company decided not to move forward with the new fee structure. The decision was made because of feedback from their residents, she said. "We listened to the feedback of our residents and made a decision to …

Families in disbelief over new retirement home fees; Walking help, night checks, eye drops among 50 services now being charged. Staring at bills and letters scattered across a small coffee table, two women anxiously wonder how they can help their mother afford to live in the modest room they're sitting in. Marlene and Janet Kawalez are one of many families with elderly parents living inFergus Placeretirement home who recently learned about changes to service fees. For the Kawalez sisters, the changes mean an increase of more than $900 every month for their 82-year-old mother Anna's care. They are already paying nearly $2,500 a month for basic rent, meals and services such as weekly housekeeping and recreation programs. "How can you do this, how can you put this much stress on seniors and the people like myself who are already stressing taking care of my parents who are both sick?" Marlene Kawalez said. The family decided to move Anna intoFergus Placetwo years ago…

Revera Inc. Retirement homes Cancel Controversial Service Fees

Families in disbelief over new Retirement Home fees