A trend to move senior citizens out of one-size-fits all nursing homes...has had strong benefits across the country.

But while the trend may be a good one it has created a serious problem for those seniors in need of more intensive nursing care.

Experts say more than half of the nursing homes in the Northland are in extreme danger of closing.
Barbara Reyelts reports, that would leave many vulnerable senior citizens with "no place to call home."

The trend away from Nursing homes began in the Northland as early at 2002 with the closure of the St. Louis County owned Nopeming Nursing Home. Many of the residents were re-located to Chris Jensen another county nursing home.

I think they were a little apprehensive on the way over. And I think they were having a lot of grief issues.

Experts say moves can be traumatic for senior citizens especially if they have some confusion issues already.

But with more than half of the nursing homes in Minnesota in serious financial trouble it's a situation that will probably be repeated.

"Minnesota nursing homes have been in a financial hardship position for the last five years. Most facilities have cash in hand of up to ten days only and most businesses know that that's not a financially good position to be in."

Six years ago more than 1-hundred Nopeming residents moved into Chris Jensen now it's that nursing home that's in trouble.

The payment from the Federal government and the state government has not anywhere kept track with inflation, particularly inflation in the medical community.

County owned Chris Jensen nursing home has operated in the red for many years and is facing a half million dollar budget shortfall this year. The county recently hired a management firm to try to find a way to make ends meet.

All of us on the county board realize that we have a commitment to these folks. They've given to the community.

Most of the people that live at Chris Jensen are senior citizens who have lived and worked in St. Louis County their whole lives.

If a place like Chris Jensen were to close, in some ways, some people would be scattered around the state.

I think we need our community nursing homes where people can visit on a regular basis. Where the residents can feel like they are still somehow a part of that community.

With the crisis looming community leaders say something must be done soon.

We need to have all of the legislators get together and fund nursing homes properly that's the only way that those facilities are gonna survive.

Commissioner O'Neil says it's a problem that is everyone's responsibility.

I certainly think we as a society have an obligation to our seniors our elders who have contributed so much.

In Duluth, Barbara Reyelts, the Northland's News Center.

The Nursing Home management company took over operations at Chris Jensen on May 1.