Assisted Living Directory Blog

The Maine state Department of Health and Human Services cut funding to about 120 assisted living facilities that provide care for 4,000 residents.    The funding  “was being paid to assisted living facilities’ operators to ensure that residents with illnesses would not lose their beds during periods of prolonged hospitalization.”

Naturally, there were some strong reactions to this on both sides of the issue.    You can read the full article here.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time, the head of the Maine Health Care Association was quoted as saying.

There are a lot of wealthy seniors out there, which is driving a new segment of the assisted living industry - upscale assisted living.     These fancy facilities could be confused with a high-end country club - often times having their own spa’s, golf courses in some instances, full-sized movie theaters, and other amenities that you might expect to see if you were visiting a hotel in Beverly Hills.

A report published recently from Kalorama Information called ‘Long Term Care Markets” talks about this emerging transformation.    The report also cited the factors that will lead to a 12 % annual growth rate in this market for the next 4 years.

Aside from the fact that the elderly population is growing at almost 3 times the rate of the overall US population, many of these seniors are retiring with a high net worth, allowing them the option for more amenities, and more discretionary expenses when they choose assisted living.   Many seniors will sell their existing homes, which may be worth a large amount, to pay for their assisted living costs.

Almost daily now I see news articles about assisted living facilities being shut down or losing their license. Just today Florida regulators have shut down an assisted living facility that allegedly failed to report injuries and or notice a missing resident (this out of Ormond Beach, Florida). This facility had been penalized before, but failed to take care of it’s residents safely.

This is always disturbing to read not only because of the horrors that happen at some assisted living facilities on a daily basis, but also in terms of the trauma caused to the residents when they are told that they have to move. Try telling this to someone suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Many states still don’t have strong regulations when it comes to assisted living facilities. This is very unfortunate, as this industry is growing at an almost uncontrollable rate.

I was pleased to read about the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance which is “A new organization of consumers, family members and advocates for the elderly and persons with disabilities is pushing for quality standards in Pennsylvania state regulations covering assisted living facilities.”

I hope more states follow suit with organizations such as this. Assisted living handles the elderly, the frail, and the weak. There is little room for mistakes or safety violations, and plenty of room for improvement in standards in many cases.

The days of the old stereotype of assisted living and nursing homes seems to be coming to a close. With the “hip” baby boomers of the 60’s reaching retirement age, I think we are on the verge of seeing many new flavors and varieties of assisted living - some that almost call up images of a party-like atmosphere. I have written a bit about assisted living for alternative lifestyles, but not until today had I ever considered assisted living in the buff. I am not sure the visual on this is really a good one, but, to each their own.
An article out of the St. Petersburg Times in Florida reported last week that Nudists are considering creating an assisted living facility for those who don’t like to wear a whole lot. “What’s going to happen to me and my friends when we have to have heart surgery or a hip replacement?” wondered April Genter, a 46-year-old nudist real-estate agent whose primary customer base is others who share her lifestyle.”
I applaud this idea, and I think the whole idea and appeal of assisted living will gain more acceptance if we can cater to everyone - regardless of hobby, orientation, religion, or anything else. It will be very interesting to see what other types of facilities and concepts come up in the next few years.
You can read the full article from the St. Petersburg Times here

I was at a bus stop yesterday, and on the side of the bus was a banner that said “Notes Don’t Always Work” (I honestly don’t know exactly what that means) and then it said “Check 41 on your tax returns…Become A Champion.” It was sponsored by the Alzheimer’s association, I believe.

At any rate, after looking into it, apparently if you live in Colorado, you can donate part of your tax returns to the Alzheimer’s association. Look for checkbox or #41 on your returns, and you should be able to give something to this great organization.

Lawrence Place, an assisted living facility in Russellville, Alabama, has been ordered to close by a Franklin County circuit judge. Lawrence place has been on center stage lately since the Dept. of Public Health found serious inspection concerns and problems including resident abuse and also mismanagement of medication. Lawrence Place only scored a 38 out of 100 on the inspection.

The existing residents are being moved to other facilities or nursing homes.

It is highly advisable and important for anyone looking into assisted living facilities to ask for a copy of recent health inspection reports. These should be made available to the public and should be a good first indicator of how well the facility is managed.

I was amazed to read today in an article from a central Florida news station (article: http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/2/6/possible_copper_thieves.html) about an assisted living facility having it’s fire protection system raided by thieves for the copper wiring. “That means firefighters won’t have access to water if a fire breaks out there. Officials said 10 residents of the Thornton Gardens Luxury Assisted Living Facility were without water for their fire suppression system” the article said.

The article doesn’t overtly say why the copper wiring might have been a target, but anyone who has been paying attention to the news lately knows that drug abusers steal copper wiring or parts from anywhere they can because the resale value of it is very high right now. These users, in turn, use the money to fuel their habit.

The consequences of disabling a fire protection system, especially at an assisted living home, could be deadly.

This article just goes to show that everyone, in some way or another, can fall victim to the drug problem that plagues our county.

I am reading an article in the gazettextra.com out of Janesville, Wisconsin, about Lillian Greenman, a resident at Liberty Hall at Mercy Assisted Living in Janesville. She is turning 107, and looks like she is still in great shape. I want to send a hearty “Happy Birthday” to her, and I wish her many more to come.

The article said “Greenman was born Jan. 14, 1901. She has two children, four great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandchild and a wonderful collection of stories.”

I can’t imagine having been around at the time the automobile was invented. I wonder what her secret to a long life has been? I think that, based on her contented smile in her photo in the article that staying happy and lighthearted had something to do with it? I also hope that the care she has received in her assisted living facility has contributed to it.

She did say, when asked the question about her secret “”I was always a happy person. I have a wonderful family,” Greenman said, her smile spreading across her face in gentle waves.”

Congratulations, Lillian!

Congratulations to Aladdin Assisted Living in Brush, Colorado. Aladdin received a deficiency-free rating by the Colorado Department of Health, according to the Brush News-Tribune. They haven’t just done it once, but this is the second year in a row!

““I’m just overwhelmed because they told me it couldn’t be done twice in a row. I’ve been told that by many, many people,” said Patty Lake, an administrator of the facility. “It will be hard to top at three times in a row.”Located at 428 Western Avenue, the annual survey was conducted on December 5. “They just show up randomly, you never know,” Lake said of the visitors.”

Aladdin at Brush is located in Brush, Colorado, and can be contacted at (970) 842-5463

I was reading a news article today about an 85 year-old woman who was found wandering around in a ditch at 3:30 in the morning. Apparently, she had gotten out of her assisted living facility, and wandered away. The facility was unclear as to how she got out. The main entrance is monitored and has an alarm, according to the article. There was some question about the alarm being turned off by another resident who is authorized to leave.

No enforcement action will be taken against the Kennewick (WA) assisted living facility. “But a citation will be issued to Silver Fern Home for not having a proper care plan established in writing for her, said David Moon, regional administrator for residential care services with the state Department of Social & Health Services’ Aging and Disability Services Administration” the article said.

This brings up a great question in regards to who is liable when an incident like this happens. Should the facility be held liable, or should the resident? Of course, matters are complicated when the home is for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients.

Silver Fern home was not cited. Apparently, there is a benchmark for determining if action or a citation is warranted. If the staff “could have known” or “should have known” that it would happen then the facility is more likely to be held accountable.

The home is instituting additional security measures according to the article.