By MIA NAKAJI MONNIER and NAO NAKANISHI
Rafu Staff Writers
Keiro Senior HealthCare released a statement Monday about the sale of its facilities last week.
The four facilities are now owned by Pacifica Companies and have been renamed Kei-Ai Healthcare Center, combining the first part of Keiro’s name (which means “respect”) with the Japanese word for “love.” Kei-Ai is a limited liability corporation.
“We are pleased that the sale of Keiro’s facilities has moved forward as planned,” said Keiro Chair of the Board Gary Kawaguchi. “Although we know that there are strong feelings on both sides of this issue, we look forward to working with the community to continue and expand upon our history of care for our elders.
“We believe the sale is in the best interest of Japanese American and Japanese seniors, and we are committed to working with the new owners to provide consistency for residents, families and volunteers by continuing many of the cultural and educational programs that are valued by the residents.”
Now that the facilities have been sold, Keiro plans to focus on putting together classes and other programs for seniors and their caregivers. They hope to collaborate with Pacifica and the new facility operators, Aspen and Northstar, to serve the Japanese American community.
Meanwhile, Keiro has also established a group called the Community Advisory Board, which will work with Pacifica, Aspen, and Northstar during the five-year conditional period established by the attorney general. The board is composed of both English- and Japanese-speaking residents, family members, and people from the general community.
“I hope that members of the community stay actively involved in the discussion about how we care for older adults,” said Kawaguchi. “I am glad that our community has become so engaged in what Keiro means. We anticipate these discussions will result in plans and actions that positively impact how we support the needs of our community’s older adults.”