Halldale Manor, seen  Tuesday, is closing in May, officials have confirmed. The residential care facility, at 647 Maine Ave. in Farmingdale, joins more than two dozen similar facilities that have closed in Maine since 2019. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

FARMINGDALE — Halldale Manor, a 26-bed long-term care residential facility, plans to close on May 5, officials have confirmed.

It is the 26th residential care facility to close since 2019, said Brenda Gallant, the executive director of The Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Some of the facilities were free standing residential care facilities while others were part of nursing homes. The most recent closure in central Maine was almost a year ago in Winthrop.

The reason for the closure is unclear. An employee of Halldale Manor said DLTC & Bella Point, the company that runs the facility, has no comment.

Residential care facilities across Maine are closing for various reasons, but the most common is the increase in the cost of employees, specifically nurses, and the difficulty in finding the specialized positions to hire, Gallant said. To keep up with the lack of staffing, some facilities have decreased the number of residents they serve, which in turn decreases revenue.

“With the pandemic, we lost a lot of direct care workers, like (certified nursing assistants) and nurses. So, with the shortage, what a lot of nursing and residential care homes have had to do is turn to and utilize temporary staffing agencies at a much higher cost,” she said.

A residential care facility provides medical administration, personal care, meals and activities. Generally, people who live in residential care facilities require less care than those in nursing homes. A nursing home provides a higher level of care and the eligibility standards to qualify and live there are higher.

The Maine Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program helps residents transition to a new facility and will assist the Halldale Manor residents. A letter sent to each resident outlines their options so residents know they have a role in the planning process to find their new home.

Since residential care facilities require a lower level of care than a nursing home, finding a spot for long-term care residents — despite the 26 closures since 2019 — is less challenging than relocating a nursing home resident from one to another. Since 2014, 27 nursing homes have closed, Gallant said.

“It’s very hard for people to move,” she said. “Once they move from home into the long-term care facility, it’s hard to move against your will. A closure is very difficult for residents.”

Halldale Manor’s closure was confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Halldale Manor is located at located at 647 Maine Ave. The residential care facility is owned by DLTC & Bella Point, which has 17 locations across the state, including The Lamp Memory Care Center, an Alzheimers/Dementia residential care facility in Lisbon, and Tissues Country Estate in Athens.