What your assisted living facility may not tell you

This has been a common subject of ours over the years – weeding out the good from the bad when it comes to assisted living, and choosing a facility. Like with buying a car or home, assisted living facilities often come with snazzy ads, glossy brochures, and slick sales people telling you and your loved ones everything you want to know.
It would be quite a mistake to take everything said or read about a facility as gospel, and having a good devil’s advocate with you (whether it is your own internal voice, or a friend or family member) will serve you well in the long run.
I thought about this subject again today as I was cleaning out old e-mails, and found one that I had flagged that had a link to a great article. The article is from Smartmoney.com ≈ when they are giving you the full-court press to sign on the dotted line – things like raising prices for no reason, or promising more than can be delivered.
I thought this article, even though it is an older article, is especially relevant at this time of year, as many families are seeing family members, and perhaps deciding on whether to put mom or dad into a facility.
Question everything – and get it in writing – that’s about the best advice we can give. You can read the full article here:

One thought on “What your assisted living facility may not tell you”

Joanne Forrest March 25, 2010 at 2:07 pm

This article is really on target. I am just now searching for a means to complain about the deception that encouraged us to p lace my Dad in the memory care unit of a large and elegant senior housing complex. My sister, brother and I were especially upset because we had so thoroughly investigated the place – 3 interviews and tours with various staff; internet research; word of mouth with current residents and family members; unannounced drop in visits to just say Hi, etc. Sure – it was high priced and snazzy, but the “personalized care that he would receive …..(blah, blah, blah..)” would be worth it! After 2 weeks, it was evident that personalized care was a dream of the Director and the marketing staff – a dream that had never been communicated to the direct care staff. Our meetings with staff and Director yielded promises but never action. After 2 months, we moved him to a small facility which is more like a home than a 5 story hotel.
I am submitting my complaints to our MN Atty General’s Office for fraudulent advertising. Also to the MN Office of Health complaints, though since no laws have been broken, the Health Dept. will do little or nothing.
What I really want to find is some type of blog or website, where people leave opinions of the vast number of senior housing choices. I’m pretty savvy doing computer research but I have found nothing, nada, zip, in relation to some type of forum for such a discussion. Any ideas?
Thanks so much!