File Photo Last summer, Westfield Absolut workers were vocal about a contract. One year later, their facility is being closed.

WESTFIELD — Shortly after celebrating the birth of her fourth child, Becky Shioleno learned her life would be undergoing another major change. As a licensed practical nurse, she has worked at the Westfield Absolut location at 26 Cass St. for 13 years.

Come Oct. 20, Shioleno will be one of 75 employees who will be making a transition. Living Legends and the McGuire group announced to the staff and its residents that the facility would be closing due to troubles regarding a lease agreement with the property.

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, irreconcilable differences prevented us from reaching an agreement,” Living Legends officials announced in a statement Tuesday. “Because of this uncertainty, we delayed making any announcements until negotiations were complete, as we strive to communicate transparently with our employees and residents.”

No matter what the reasons behind the abrupt closing, there are growing concerns regarding the business model for these care facilities. Since January 2023, at least three other locations have closed within Chautauqua and Warren counties that include the WCA Home in Fredonia, Lutheran Social Services in Jamestown and Cambridge Warren Senior Living in Warren, Pa.

Last fall in Amherst, the Rosa Coplon Living Center on the Weinburg Campus closed due to financial difficulties that could continue to worsen since federal legislation tied to major Medicaid cuts in the “Big Beautiful Bill” was approved.

“In New York alone, we’d lose $61.6 billion in federal health funding. That means cuts to hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and home care — triggering layoffs, hour reductions, longer wait times, facility closures, and irreversible harm to the workers and patients who rely on this system,” said Grace Bogdanove, Vice President of 1199SEIU United Health Care Workers East. “Quality nursing homes across WNY, many of which are already underfunded, will undoubtedly face closure, leaving vulnerable community members without the care that they need.”

Across the nation, the trend of nursing home closings is alarming. Newsweek reported in the spring that 820 of these types of locations have closed between 2015 and 2024.

“In the U.S., the number of over-65s is expected to rise by more than 1.5 percent per year every year for the next decade,” James Pomeroy, global economist at HSBC told Newsweek. “That means that when birth rates are so low, population pyramids (become) inverted very quickly. Less migration takes people out of the middle section of that pyramid, too, so you would expect the share of the U.S. population of pensionable age to rise quickly in the coming years as a result, which brings big social and economic change.”

Caught in the middle of the turmoil and shift are the workers such as Shioleno who put in long hours and dedication to the clients and patients they serve. Despite a demand for health-care employees across the region, the situation at Westfield is a microcosm of the changing and volatile landscape facing the workers and residents.

During an interview Monday, Shioleno indicated the short timeline tied to the facility’s closure has staff members in disbelief. “I think a majority want to stay in health care, they just don’t know where to go at this point because they’re still so shocked,” she said.

For the moment, 1199 Service Employees International Union United Healthcare Workers East were critical of the notice its members received regarding the plan of closure made by Living Legends and the McGuire Group to the state in June. Union officials maintain the employer failed to provide advanced notice regarding its plan to close the 120-bed facility.

Living Legends is a for-profit entity that includes Vestracare, which currently owns the Chautauqua Nursing & Rehabilitation Center — formerly the Chautauqua County Home — in the town of Dunkirk. In early 2014, the County Legislature decided after years of debate to sell the facility for $16 million due to rising expenses that led to a financial loss on the bottom line.

A prevailing thought then was the private sector could do a better job of fiscally managing the facility. As closings mount, that premise certainly leaves some doubt.

But what happened this week at Westfield Absolut — and so many other locations across the nation — begs the question: Will there be care and locations for future generations of seniors?

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.