Pohde to close elderly housing units without informing municipalities

North Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county Pohde plans to close community-based housing units in Lumijoki and Utajärvi on a tight schedule, Yle reported. The municipalities’ chief executives say they were not properly informed about the decisions.

Pohde’s area director made a decision on August 19 to close the Lumilyhty community-based housing unit in Lumijoki at the end of November. The decision came as a surprise to Lumijoki Municipal Manager Heidi Soini, who said the municipality was not notified in advance and did not receive the official decision.

Soini said she learned about the closure through WhatsApp, after a member of the municipal board sent her a screenshot of the decision found online.

“It is really strange that the wellbeing services county does not consider it necessary to notify the municipality about a decision that affects us and our residents,” Soini said, according to Yle.

“Pohde is an independent operator and is entitled to reduce its service network if it wishes. But it is very harsh that we in the municipality are dependent on information we have to find ourselves,” she said.

Pohde also plans to close the Metsola community-based housing unit in Utajärvi at the end of September.

Utajärvi Municipal Manager Anne Sormunen said the municipality had inferred that the unit would close after Pohde declined to continue its lease. The wellbeing services county operates the housing units in buildings owned by the municipalities.

In Lumijoki, the municipality had also suspected that changes were coming after Pohde requested a lease with a short notice period. However, the municipality was not told officially about the closure or its timetable.

“I would also have liked open dialogue about matters like this, so that we could guide our residents on the changes to come,” Sormunen said.

Pohde’s area director for services for older people, Mervi Koski, acknowledged that communication with municipalities could have been better.

“We certainly still have room for improvement in our cooperation with municipalities. I fully understand that this situation can cause irritation and frustration,” Koski said.

However, Koski said the municipalities were not formally parties to the matter because Pohde independently organises social and healthcare services. She said the decisions therefore did not need to be delivered to the municipalities. The residents and staff of the units were the parties concerned and had been informed, she said.

Recently, nine older people lived at Lumilyhty and seven at Metsola. Lumijoki has no other community-based housing unit, although similar services are available in nearby municipalities. Utajärvi has other community-based housing options as well.

Koski said the closures were partly based on deficiencies in the premises and equipment identified by the Licensing and Supervisory Agency. Savings were also a factor.

Soini disputed the justification given for closing Lumilyhty, saying the decision’s claim that the unit lacked shower facilities was incorrect. She said the municipality would otherwise have been willing to equip the premises as required if it had been given the opportunity.

“I am extremely sorry for the residents of Lumilyhty. They must have thought they could spend their old age with dignity in their own municipality, close to their loved ones,” Soini said.

Pohde’s regional board was due to consider the official decisions concerning Lumilyhty and Metsola at its meeting on Tuesday.