Complaints Rise Along with Popularity of 'Assisted Living'

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April 30, 2003 -- A new Congressional report proposes stricter
guidelines for regulating the growing "assisted living" industry.
Unlike nursing homes, assisted living facilities for senior citizens
are lightly regulated. Advocacy groups and some lawmakers are
seeking ways to change that to ensure quality care for the
elderly.

The Assisted Living Workgroup report, now before the Senate's
Committee on Aging, suggests several new practices, including
the creation of a national center to oversee the industry and a
state licensing system. But as NPR's Joseph Shapiro reports,
there's much dissent over how to regulate the industry.

An April 2003 report "Policy Principles on Assisted Living,"
compiled by nine advocacy groups, including the National Senior
Citizens Law Center, calls for tighter regulation at the state level.

AARP Web site on assisted living

McKnight's Online - April 21, 2003

Report: States Ignoring Seniors on Olmstead Decision

A report from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health has found that
states have seriously ignored seniors while preparing for Olmstead
accommodations. The Supreme Court mandated expansion of community
services for institutionalized people with mental disabilities in the
1999 Olmstead decision.

"Many older people with mental illnesses or dementia are still isolated in nursing homes and other institutions, where they may receive no more than custodial care," said Bazelon Center Executive Director Robert Bernstein. The center analyzed data from five states - Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania -- to come to its conclusions.

"Our findings offer a snapshot of neglect and disregard of the rights
of older Americans with mental illnesses all across the country,"
Bernstein said. "The problems we found in these states typify those
we've seen and heard about elsewhere."

They reported numerous barriers to community integration for seniors
with mental illness, including seniors' own reluctance to accepting
services. Others roadblocks included lack of mental health knowledge by providers, lack of treatment coordination, problems with transportation to services and reimbursement problems.

Bazelon's report, "Last in Line: Barriers to Community Integration of
Older Adults with Mental Illnesses and Recommendations for Change" was noted in Friday's edition of Psychiatric News.

The report's executive summary can be found at
www.bazelon.org/issues/elders/publications/lastinline.htm.