Losing your license

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.