Comments on: Assisted Living, Erratic Regulation

With No Federal Regulation And Limited State Laws, Negligence Cases Are Growing

[nd19801]

I am deeply saddened in the way your story was presented. Our State (SD) does in fact have strict regulations and our facility takes great pride in doing our utmost to comply with those regulations. Our most recent survey was deficiency free. We have two nurses on staff, and all other staff is trained above what the State regulations mandate. Our direct caregivers have integrity and they are honest loving people. Our residents are well cared for and will tell you and anyone who wants to listen how happy they are with our care. You unfairly judged the assisted living industry in general. Caregiving is a difficult task, but I pour my very heart and soul into my job as a director of assisted living and I take great offense to the image you have now set forth in the minds of the public. I certainly hope that you can do another story and give family members (who already feel enough guilt) and caregivers some peace of mind about the industry as a whole. I will stand my ground, as I know there is more "good" than "bad".

[primroseal]

Your extremely one-sided report on Assisted Living Facilities smacks of sensationalized yellow journalism. The stories you used to illustrate your bias are tragic, but a true news story would have presented both sides of the picture! With very little effort, CBS News could have easily found thousands of stories to show how many people's lives have been blessed by having the option of Assisted Living Facilities. I have owned and operated a 9 resident Assisted Living Facility in Billings, MT since 1996. We have provided a safe and caring HOME for every resident, and in most cases have improved the quality of their lives. No one wants to lose the ability to live independently, but many do and need freedom of choice in dealing with the changes that come with aging. Having the option of Assisted Living vs Nursing Home is a positive thing! There is risk involved in providing care for people with dementia, and tragic accidents can happen, even in their own home. Assisted Living Facilities in my state are regulated and inspected. Organizations such as ALFA are constantly seeking ways to improve the standard of care provided by Assisted Living Facilities. CBS News failure to use any portion of their interview with ALFA, or to portray any of the thousands of success stories of Assisted Living is disgraceful. Knowing how many people my small facility has helped makes me wonder how many positive aspects of this industry got edited out of your story.

[keith1740]

The shills for the industry are out in full force with their comments. The general public has no idea how common abuse and neglect is within assisted living homes. The assisted living industry is in dire need of tougher oversight and harsher penalties.

There are good homes out there but they are few and far between, just as the good and caring staff members are few and far between. Pay levels are too low to attract and keep a sufficient number of good quality people.

The commenter%u2019s point out all the regulations they have. That's mostly true. But there is little to no oversight or enforcement. It's easy to have a good record when no one's checking. Most abuse and neglect goes unreported by the industry. When the only penalty is a letter or a $300 fine, you%u2019d better believe the industry has learned that neglect is far more profitable than adequate training, adequate staffing levels, self-governance, etc.

Worst of all are the commenter%u2019s trying to shift blame back to the families. The homes charge a LOT of money, market themselves as providing appropriate care, make promises and let's not forget those regulations. This is their job and responsibility and they fail on an inexcusable scale daily. Shifting blame is absurd.

Mr. Keteyian was far from being too harsh, I believe he barely scratched the surface. Change needs to happen now so our loved ones get the care, safety and respect they deserve.

[joyyak]

As an RN who has worked in the ALF industry for several years I was appalled and disappointed at the irresponsible reporting presented in this story. In NC not only do all of our staff receive a minimum of 6 hours of CEU training specific to caring for the resident with Dementia, they also receive multiple hours of ongoing CEU's as required by the state. The staff is not only well trained, but they are caring employees who spend their hours giving personal care, love and caring time to their residents. All ALF facilities are audited by the County every two months at a minimum for multiple compliance issues including the safety of the facility in regards to unsecured chemicals.
I would like to respectfully request that the "other side" of the story be told, including ALFA's comments that were edited out.

[joyyak]

As an RN who has worked in the ALF industry for several years I was appalled and disappointed at the irresponsible reporting presented in this story. In NC not only do all of our staff receive a minimum of 6 hours of CEU training specific to caring for the resident with Dementia, they also receive multiple hours of ongoing CEU's as required by the state. The staff is not only well trained, but they are caring employees who spend their hours giving personal care, love and caring time to their residents. All ALF facilities are audited by the County every two months at a minimum for multiple compliance issues including the safety of the facility in regards to unsecured chemicals.
I would like to respectfully request that the "other side" of the story be told, including ALFA's comments that were edited out.

[joyyak]

As an RN who has worked in the ALF industry for several years I was appalled and disappointed at the irresponsible reporting presented in this story. In NC not only do all of our staff receive a minimum of 6 hours of CEU training specific to caring for the resident with Dementia, they also receive multiple hours of ongoing CEU's as required by the state. The staff is not only well trained, but they are caring employees who spend their hours giving personal care, love and caring time to their residents. All ALF facilities are audited by the County every two months at a minimum for multiple compliance issues including the safety of the facility in regards to unsecured chemicals.
I would like to respectfully request that the "other side" of the story be told, including ALFA's comments that were edited out.

[leenie1958]

I am not suprised by the often unbalanced reporting of CBS. That is why I choose not to watch CBS news and Katie Couric. A friend of mine told me about the story because I work in the assisted living industry. As usual CBS gets the story all wrong. I do not know what the other states require but I can tell you that the state of West Virginia does have a very high standard by which to care for our seniors in our assisted living communities. It is a shame that the reporter failed to hear from very happy seniors and family members, but again, I am not suprised. Rosalene Black, RN-Administrator

[mooselady-2009]

I would also like to say that I belong to ALFA and understand that they were interviewed for this story and none of the "good" was interjected into the story.... I believe that because of this you have lost the trust of many a viewers.

[mooselady-2009]

I am absolutely appalled by the story which I read. I am a RN and have worked as we built an Assisted Living with an Alzheimer Care Home from the ground up 5 years ago.There are so many areas which have been misrepresented!!!! Regulations? I see the comment that there are no regulations in place. I cannot believe that this would even go on the air without more research. We have as many regulations as a nursing home does, and this continues to change all the time. We are also governed on a county level, on a State level and depending on your licensing (which is one very important distinction which should have been made) even regulatory areas for lab services, etc. I would be more then happy to show you the stringent laws which govern us upon your request. We believe in quality of life and have 196 seniors living in our beautiful facility. Our seniors are top priority and are cared for very well every day. I believe just like anything else there are "bad places to live", that is why it is always wise to research the place you are looking at for residency. I also believe however, that if a story is to be told that all sides are fairly represented.Those clients do not function well in that environment and are under constant stress due to their environment and lack of understanding of the disease process. I would like to hear your response to my views as well and refuse to watch a newsprogram that only gives and reports one view!!

[ssqinfo]

Your report totally lacked balance and chose to ignore the reality that I have observed in my 14 years of experience in this business.

Assisted living makes a real difference in quality of life for seniors. Families overwhelmingly claim that having their loved one live in an assisted living residential setting gives them peace of mind. Staff is trained, dedicated and professional.

Katie, please consider this analogy: You are known as as a proponent of colonoscopy screening. I cannot believe that you would choose to report only on those screenings that caused bowel tears or infection, when the majority of screenings were without incident and saved lives.

Assisted living makes a positive impact on seniors' lives. Please present fair reports.

[chenncoop]

What a pity that we single out the bad and ignore the good, when there is so much more of the latter.

[cowboyhowdy]

I think you got it right on Nursing Home Care. I twice visited nursing homes, once as a job applicant, and the other time, to use the pay phone. Both times I was disgusted by the neglect of the residents and also by the priority given to staff needs.

At one place, I was shown 3 hospital beds in a room big enough for two and told this was for those who do not have premium insurance for care.

Even more shocking was when I walked through a sunny outdoor yard and large deck into a cramp and dark nursing home. I set off a very loud alarm when I opened the door. Although I was inside using the phone for several minutes, the alarm remained on! In the hall I saw some residents in wheel chairs parked facing the wall.

When I opened the door to leave, the alarm went off again! I wish there is something that can be done.

[madpkeith]

RE CBS Special 11/13/2006 regarding ALF

I am very disappointed in the story CBS aired on 11/13/2006 regarding Assisted Living Facilities. Though there are always rouge business people who will operate on the skirt of any regulations, regardless of the industry being looked at and some facilities may operate without clear policies or may lack accountability, the percentage is very low. I personally know of many people who feel it is there life%u2019s work to care for Seniors and try very hard every day to make those being cared for%u2019s live a meaningful experience, not just for the resident of facilities but their families as well.

Your story was a prime example of the news media attempt at grabbing people%u2019s attention with the headline story of %u201Cbad%u201D people not taking care of the frail elderly. Your story was very one sided without information to substantiate any of the claims.

I understand the ALFA was interviewed for the story but your choice to make the news selective, to the point of boarding on censorship, would have limited the sensational story if the whole story was presented. It is a same the producers felt it necessary to exclude any of the information or rebuttals which were given to you during the interview with ALFA. I am deeply disappointed with the lack of balance and I say %u201Cshame on all of you!

[tonda1010]

It is so unfortunate that you have showed only these very sad stories. As an administrator of an assisted living, I am offened. We have such wonderful stories in this industry. Stories of love and caring for the those who are left in our care. Maybe nows you should show the "up" side of our work.

[dogloverlola]

Of course a lawyer is going to give his 'low down' on the long term care industry. We're his MONEY COW!! Assisted Living IS federally regulated in many areas of its daily business. There's no doubt the stories that you presented are very sad indeed. But it's even sadder that in Michigan, staff dealing with residents with Dementia related illnesses aren't trained! It's sad that in Georgia, that family sat by and watched their mother lay in bed until bedsores appeared and did nothing! And I feel really bad for the great workers in the industry who give of themselves everday to better a life. What an undeserved slap!

[dsc112233]

This story is what is wrong with our society today! CBS has taken a wonderful industry and placed a black mark beside it's name. The name of the story shouldn't be "Living in the Shadows", it should be renamed "Let CBS be the first in line to Cast a Shadow". Shame, shame, shame on you! And to add insult to injury, how awful to show that poor woman's body lying in the ditch! I'm sure her grandchildren were appaled to see her body on a national broadcast.

[acarrigan2]

We were offended by this story. You only showed the negative and not the positive. Do you realize how many assisted livings there are around the country? We are an assisted living that has recieved many compliments and awards for our ability to provide quality care for our residents. The stories that you have described could have happened any where, but do not occur in our community. We are regulated by the state of Colorado and by frequent visits from our Corporate office to make sure we are complying with the rules of our state. You never told of the caregivers that are so compassionate and treat the elderly in our communities like family.
We would appreciate the good with the bad and airing ALFA's comments that you at length interviewed them for. Please do not be onesided in airing news reports. What makes good news and reporting is having all the facts and then reporting on all of them instead of being onesided.

[kmiller0000]

Looks like Katie is picking up when Dan left off... Sensationalizing ratings at the expense of the truth. Remember the story Dan botched about President Bush? CBS should be held accountable. I think CBS's actions also warrant Federal regulations for news programs. Please give us a break!

[marilj]

All facilities whether it be Assisted Living or not should be federally regulated. Families also must keep tabs on their loved ones after they are placed in these facilities. Mostly the squeaky wheel gets the grease!

[jake123aa]

As an Administrator of an Assisted Living Facility, I would like to comment that the proof is missing in your article of neglect. Yes there are cases of neglect that should be investigated and delt with to the full extent of the law. But the industry as a whole has a track record that was ommited by this article. WHY ?
Yes negitive news makes the news, telling of the millions of seniors that are enjoying life at facilities across the nation, that are being assisted and having a great life is noteworthy but not newsworthy.

I am proud of the industry in general and the quality service provide, I love my seniors and respect them and thier choice of living at an assisted Living Facility, that is a consumer choice not a biased story.