Opinion: Evicting seniors is an immoral way for a retirement home to make money

To the editor: It is nothing less than despicable that Watermark Retirement Communities is cavalierly evicting nearly 200 seniors in order to replace them with wealthier seniors in a more lucrative facility. (“Seniors fighting ouster from Westwood retirement home cry, ‘Old Lives Matter,’” Jan. 7)

My 91-year-old mother has lived at the company’s Vintage Westwood Horizons for more than seven years. When my father passed away, my mother was devastated. Like many seniors, she resisted moving to a retirement facility where she knew no one.

It is traumatic enough to have to move an elderly parent from her own home. It is another trauma to uproot her again after she has adjusted to this new environment.

Vintage Westwood Horizons is much more than an apartment building; it is a community and the lifeblood for many seniors who have no other reasonable residential alternatives. Watermark should rescind the eviction notices and allow these elderly residents to continue living in this unique and affordable community. It is the right thing to do.

Debra Tauger, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: My mom, Sergee Summer, was a well-loved fixture at Vintage Westwood Horizons for 11 years. When even the modest yearly rent increases outpaced her ability to pay, the management — then under private ownership — froze her monthly payment.

I will forever be grateful for this compassionate gesture, far different from today’s corporate ownership.

Alison Mayersohn, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook