RPA requests: “This is the first time I've seen this in 10 years,” says one manager

After going out of business in 2019, Private Residence for Seniors (RPA), which was finally able to rise from its ashes last December, is now crumbling under admission demands.

Located on the rue de la Faune, Royal Saint-Emile, the residence known as The Kingdom of Elders, had to close its doors due to the inability to hire new staff.

At the time, 28 residents had just one week to find a new home.

The establishment's new manager notes that even after five years the difficulty of recruiting workers is still high, requests for relocation are “higher than ever.”

“I have been in the business for 10 years and this is the first time I have seen so many requests for transfers. In two weeks we got 20 new residents,” says Mario Beaumont.

“If I had opened five apartments that could accommodate thirty people each, I have no doubt that they would have found takers because there is a shortage of space everywhere these days,” says the manager of two other RPAs. With care.

lack of labor

For three years now, Mr. Beaumont is looking internationally to recruit staff. A long process, but necessary because of the difficulty of recruitment.

“We do a lot of business with Algeria and Tunisia. We get nurses who come to work as attendants because they are not approved here,” says Mr. Beaumont.

“It may take up to a year and these are additional costs, but it is necessary, and they are exceptionally quality staff,” he added.

However, he laments the bureaucracy surrounding recognizing the skills of workers from other countries, noting that “Quebec is losing a lot of skilled workers.”

“Two months ago I had a doctor who was internationally trained, but he couldn't even be a practical nurse in Quebec,” she explains.

It's hard to get started

Although several RPAs in the region have announced closures in the past year, Mr. Beaumont hopes the government's help will encourage some veterans to reopen.

“As banks are wary, it is difficult to get government assistance or get a home loan for the elderly. So not everyone can afford to invest so much,” explains the manager.

He explains that although he loves what he does, he doesn't have the backbone to go and buy other apartments for sale in the area to re-enter the business.

The owner repeats: “The needs are obvious, but if there is help to help us with loans, there will certainly be many people with experience who want to unlock resources.”