Since Pacific Care Center in Hoquiam was evacuated due to flooding, residents of the nursing home have been transferred to different facilities across the Southwest Washington. Some have gone as far Chehalis, Centrailia and Olympia, while others have been sent to Grays Harbor Health &Rehab, Channel Point Village and Montesano Health &Rehab.
The relocation of all 68 residents took place on the morning of Jan. 5 after torrential rain flooded Pacific Care with 18 inches of water throughout the building. The storm did severe damage to the building, and the nursing home is not expected to open until the spring.
With some residents transferring out of town, family members have had to grapple with longer trips to visit their loved ones.
Carol Stubb’s husband, Donald, was transferred from Pacific Care to Montesano Health &Rehab. Donald, who is almost 94, has been in assisted living since May when he began to have trouble keeping his balance.
The hardest part for Carol has been having to make the drive out to Montesano to see Donald. Before he was transferred, Carol, who lives in Aberdeen, could visit her husband daily.
“I can’t get here every day now, and he looked forward to that,” she said.
Even though it’s not ideal for Carol to drive out of town to visit, she knows she’s lucky. She acknowledged that it would be even more of a hassle to drive to Chehalis or Centrailia, which some are tasked with after the relocation.
Carol said Pacific Care called her at 2:30 in the morning on Monday to inform her that Donald was being moved to a different room due to water in the building. At 2 p.m. she received a call saying Donald had been moved to Montesano.
“By the time they told me, he was already there, which was very intelligent of them because I am a very emotional person. I probably would’ve had a fit,” said Carol.
Aside from a pair of slippers, Donald was fortunate not to lose much during the flood. A Bible he has had for all his life sustained water damage, but Carol said her granddaughter’s new husband is restoring it so Donald will be able to hold on to it. What little Donald had in his room at Pacific Care was rescued by Carol’s son.
With a new environment comes new challenges, and there have been certain parts of the move that have been hard for Donald. Specifically, he has struggled adapting to Montesano’s schedule. Donald has had to wake up earlier than he did at Pacific Care and has had trouble with new meal times.
In an attempt to ease residents into the transitions, nurses from Pacific Care were temporarily transferred to the new facilities to assist with care. Aside from adjusting to the schedule, Donald has done well in Montesano, but Carol is excited for his return to Pacific Care.
“I’ll be glad when he’s able to go back,” she said.
Vic Gomery’s 109-year-old mother, Katherine, was transported to Fir Lane Health &Rehabilitation in Shelton after she was evacuated from Pacific Care. The transition has been difficult.
Gomery would receive updates from a Pacific Care nurse on how his mother was doing when she was in Hoquiam. Now, he doesn’t have that.
“It’s a very uncomfortable situation,” he said.
Even if he wanted to visit her, Gomery wouldn’t be able to make the trip to Shelton due to a back problem that prevents him from sitting for long periods of time. While at Pacific Care, Gomery’s son would drive him to the nursing home once a month to visit.
Gomery has a wife in an assisted living home in Vancouver and struggles with not being close to family members. He talks with his wife daily on the phone but can’t correspond with his mother due to her declining mental state — sometimes she doesn’t recognize him.
Although it’s hard, Gomery is confident the staff in Shelton is taking good care of his mother.
“They seem to do a decent job taking care of her. The nurses all seem friendly and like they want to help,” he said.
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