The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 16, 2003 - AS Oakville roofer charged with fraud Halton Regional Police are reminding residents to be caudous when hiring home improvement contractors in the wake of charges laid against an Oakville roofer. In April, police began an inves tigation following three complaints of deposits paid for roofing work which was never started. Attempts to contact Randy's Roofing were also unsuccessful. Three separate complaints from Oakville and Burlington were received by police with a total of $8,000 having been paid out. Randolph William `Barton, 39, of Tennyson Drive is charged with three counts of fraud under $5,000. He is scheduled to appear in Burlington Court on Aug. 19. Police provide these tips for hir ing contractors: · Check for a permanent place of business address and a telephone number. · Look for a company with a proven track record that readily offers customers referrals and a list of completed projects. · Insist on a written proposal and examine it for specific completion dates and payment procedures. · Never pay the entire amount up front - reputable companies gen erally ask for one-third or less of the total payment. "A new city, a new home, a new family at Queens Avenue" Barrie Erskine · Oakville Beaver T he Lifecare C en tre on Lyon s Lane will be closed next m onth and its rem aining residents moved to m ore m o d em long-term care facilities. By Andrea Lepore Special Features Writer .After raising a family and managing a home on her own after her husband passed away, Norma Picrinin found it difficult to manage. A name of Sudbury, it was after one of her daughters, who lives in Oakville, suggested she take a look at Queens Avenue that she knew she had to make the transition to a retirement residence. "I had a home in Sudbury and I just couldn't cope anymore, so I sold it I have macular degeneration (deterioration of the central portion of the retina), which limits what my eyes can do," says Norma. "Mywhole family agreed it was the best place for me - and it's also nice (jecause I live closer to my daughters." Norma has her own apartment with a kitchen, dining room and bedroom, which enables her to enjoy her independence, while at the same time sampling all that Queens Avenue has to offer. There's always plenty to do and many friends to make. Norma has made several friends, who she says she now considers family, during her day to day activities, which include: playing cribbage, taking part in day' trips, watching movies and reading. She also can't talk enough about the wonderful staffat Queens Avenue. Kind, caring and always there to help. Norma says the staffdoes an excellentjob of keeping the laged, well maintained and very dean. Norma highly recommends Queens Avenue to those entertaining thoughts of moving into a retirement residence. "Although it's a real change in life, you have to come here with an open mind. You make a lot of friends and to know everybody..J couldn't ,e asked for anything better," she says. Queens Avenue Retirement Residence has eight Doors and all the amenities of home for an independent and personal lifestyle. Spacious studio suites and one bedroom and two bedroom apartments are available, ranging in sizes from 370 to 775 square feet All are equipped with H ill kitchens, a area, full bathrooms with walk-in seated showers, and 24-hour medic alert monitoring. The facility is secure with automatic keyless building door entries and all entries are locked and monitored by closed dram television. Enhanced Care packages are available for individual care requirements, at an extra cost For more information 1056 Queens Avenue, or call icy, visit them at 12.' Province says Lifecare residents get top priority for new long-term care beds (Continued from page A1) closure last week. "We want to have a gradual process that meets the needs of the residents." The past year has been a contentious one for Lifecare and was especially hard on the families of loved ones shuffled in and out of the facility: In August 2002 the province assumed control of Lifecare. explaining at the time that the 206-bed long-term care facility, occupied by 144 residents, was taken over due to "concerns related to resident care and safety." Ernst and Young was then appointed interim receiver for the bank rupt Royal Crest chain of 17 long-term care and retirement homes. The decision to take over the facility was made following the M inistry's inspections and reviews relating to the facility that were carried out over several months. The province explained the problems dealt with such issues as patient care - medical charts not updated regular ly and improper levels of medications, for example - not with the building itself. Extendicare Canada Inc. was named interim administrator in order to "ensure the safety and care of all residents." In April of this year - in the midst of an ice storm - 88 Lifecare residents were transferred to Brant wood Long-Term Care facility in Burlington and Mississauga Lifecare Centre under Ontario's Emergency Plans Act. The reason was that the Ministry selected Lifecare as a location where patients in acute care beds at GTA hospi tals have been transferred in order to increase capacity in the event of wide spread Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) infection. Oakville Lifecare staff, residents and their families were supposed to receive a Ministry letter dated April 2 informing them of the planned move. The letter which many Lifecare'families did not receive - also stated that the facility was to be used as a centralized location where potential SARS contacts could be isolat ed and observed if required - facts which later proved erroneous. A mere two days later, the residents were transferred out and two of them died. At a meeting with families held in April, Ministry Program Manager Monita O'Connor explained that there was "tremendous pressure" to gear up for a possible SARS outbreak by making acute care beds in hospitals available. The Lifecare transfer, she said, was decided only days before it occurred. Despite the haste, new residents were not moved in until more than a week later. Among them was the 80-year old mother of Oakville's Mona Cedolia. who was transferred to Lifecare from Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH). According to Cedolia. the care at Lifecare has been so bad she's glad the place is closing. However, given the facility's track record and despite a verbal assurance by the province that residents will have one of their top three choices of new long-term care facilities. Cedolia remains apprehensive. Her mother has suffered from Parkinson's Disease for 12 years and ended up at OTMH before her transfer to Lifecare because she fell. Parkinson's patients require specialized care and Cedolia believes her mother has not received the level of assistance necessary while at the facility. She doesn't blame Lifecare's overworked staff, however, who she believes are trying to make the best of limited resources and very little time. "The caregivers want to be kind, but they can't do their job." said Cedolia, who worries about another disruptive transfer to a site that may or may not meet her mother's needs. Cholakov said Lifecare residents were placed on waiting lists on July 11 for long-term care facilities that will be much better equipped to handle their needs. Cholakov explained that two Halton sites with a total of 301 beds are slated to open later this summer while the 128-bed site adjacent to OTMH is set for this fall. "Closing (Lifecare) will have a small impact on long-term care beds in Halton," she added. Cedolia worries that if these centres "Safeguarding your care, comfort and choice in selecting a permanent placement are our primary goals." · Tim Bums. Long-Term Care Facilities Branch Director in letter to Lifecare residents aren't ready by Aug. 22, her mother and others will be shuffled to another substan dard facility, a move they are ill-prepared to undergo. In that case, Cedolia said a "more humane approach" would be to keep Lifecare open - despite its shortcom ings - until the proper beds are up and running. This is especially impor tant, she continued, if the Ministry is considering anoth er temporary transfer out of town, where she and other family members would have far less convenient access to her mother. Given the shoddy care her mother has received so far, says Cedolia. a thirdparty presence is vital to ensure adequate care. Those living in long-term care homes reside in either private, semi-private or ward accommodations and because her mother cannot pay the higher provincial premiums, Cedolia fears she'll be relegat ed to the wards of older, sub standard facilities while others enjoy the amenities of new, mainly for-profit homes now being built. In a July 8 letter to resi dents, Tim Bums, Director of the Ministry's Long-Term Care Facilities Branch, explained that his staff will work closely with the families to "ensure that this placement meets your needs." Bums' letter also includes the names and numbers for Lifecare's interim administra tor, the Halton Community Care Access Centre Director of Client Services and the Ministry's Compliance Advisor for the region. "Safeguarding your care, comfort and choice in select ing a permanent placement are our primary goals,' wrote Bums.' At press time, Cedolia still had no definitive answer where her mother will be going. The Queens Avenue Retirement Residence 1056 Queens Avenue, Oakville (905) 815-0862 Announcing our first ever SUV award. Come to think of it, announcing our first ever SUV. J u s t A r r iv e d , call for your test drive appointment Introducing the Touareg. Named the Best Luxury SUV in 2003 by Car and Driver. W h a t to be more proud o f? The fact that w e created a luxury SUV on our first try? O r that w e w o n an a w a rd on our first try? Either w a y, yo u 'll like it for the sam e reasons Car and Driver d id . Its phenom enal o ff-ro a d ca pa b ility. 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