The staff at the Gardens at DePugh nursing center is trying to keep spirits up as they move into what will be their final holiday season.

Decorations are up, but only for a handful of remaining residents at the nursing home on Morse Boulevard in Winter Park.

The halls are mostly empty, most nursing stations are vacant, and most of the rooms have been cleared of their beds in the nursing facility that had room for 40 people to live and be cared for.

Administrator Liz Barton is preparing to close the doors on the property that lived up to its name, with lush gardens for peaceful walks, for good, adding, "CMS, the centers for Medicare and Medicaid, do not reimburse for what it actually costs to take care of patients."

In a downward spiral that began during the Covid-19 pandemic, the small

See Full Page