Miami Herald Investigative Series "Neglected to Death"

[JourneyOfLife]

Both shocking and heartbreaking!

Neglected to Death | MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/neglectedtodeath/index.html)

Looks like the house wouldn't even vote on it. Anybody familiar with Florida know why it didn't move forward?

Assisted living facility reforms fail to pass - Florida - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/03/3379333/assisted-living-facility-reforms.html)

[Bogie Shooter]

Both shocking and heartbreaking!

Neglected to Death | MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/neglectedtodeath/index.html)

Looks like the house wouldn't even vote on it. Anybody familiar with Florida know why it didn't move forward?

Assisted living facility reforms fail to pass - Florida - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/03/3379333/assisted-living-facility-reforms.html)

Assisted Living facility owners lobby.....big $$$$

[JourneyOfLife]

You can listen

This is a short broadcast that gives an overview of the issue (7 minutes).


Investigation Finds Dozens Of Questionable Deaths In Florida Assisted Care : NPR (http://www.npr.org/2011/05/06/135800656/dozens-of-questionable-deaths-seen-in-assisted-care)





Here the NPR (radio) indepth interview ( 30 minutes) with the Miami Herald reporter (and others). There is also a written transcript.


Some people called in with their personal stories.


Assisted Living Regulations Fall Short In Florida : NPR (http://www.npr.org/2011/05/12/136247003/assisted-living-regulations-fall-short-in-florida)


Florida's solution!


Mr. MALONE: Yeah, that's right. As Mike mentioned, in Florida, there have been a few investigations that have shown around the country, nursing homes are becoming places where people with - younger people with cognitive disabilities end up.

But in Florida, by and large, that has been the assisted living facility. We even have an explicit license, the Limited Mental Health license, that allows facilities to advertise that this is the service we provide.
....



The quote below is sad and frightening!


Mr. SALLAH: Yeah, the credentials to being an ALF administrator in Florida have not really kept up with the kinds of people that are now being warehoused in a lot of these places. So to be an ALF administrator, you basically need a GED or a high school diploma and 26 hours of training.

And we have found that auctioneers, barbers and cosmetologists in Florida need more qualifications than an ALF administrator. And sadly, these people are in a position to make life-and-death decisions on residents.

They're going to give them their psychotropic drugs. They're going to dispense the kind of medications they need. They have to check as to whether these people are decompensating or whether they're going through various life changes and health changes. And so, quite frankly, these are the folks that make life-and-death decisions for these people, and there's not a lot of credentials required for that.

[JourneyOfLife]

Assisted Living facility owners lobby.....big $$$$

This legislative reforms were encouraged by the Governor.

The bill passed the Forida Senate.

But some Representative or small group of Representatives in the Florida House stopped the bill from proceeding to a vote.

The MH blog identifies a House Rep on the "Health Quality SubCommittee".


Rep. Eddy Gonzalez defends himself on failed ALF bill | Naked Politics (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/03/rep-eddy-gonzalez-defends-himself-on-failed-alf-bill.html)


Storms said she repeatedly urged Gonzalez and House leaders to pass meaningful reform, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Not true, said Gonzalez, who sponsored legislation last year that called for stripping key protections from residents — including portions of the Residents’ Bill of Rights.



Here is the analysis of the final version of the bill that came out of the senate judiciary committee (analysis of bill that the fl senate passed).


http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0646/Analyses/xRbtTJ5l7nypX9dBUvBW925rHS0=|14/Public/Bills/0600-0699/0646/Analysis/2013s0646.ju.PDF

[JourneyOfLife]

An eye opener about some of the practices, as well as some of the people running those facilities.

Almost 200 ALFs accused of cheating on property taxes - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/09/3390070/almost-200-alfs-accused-of-cheating.html)

[Parker]

This is soooo frightening.

[janmcn]

This is soooo frightening.



The most frightening part is the Florida House of Representatives does not care who lives or dies and will do nothing to change things.

[jane032657]

These stories are horrible and a travesty. It is unfortunate that so many of these types of homes, what we called in Washington State, Adult Family Homes, go unchecked. Adult Family Homes have the same license as the larger Assisted Livings. They are usually family operated with some staffing. Their regulations for under 17 residents are much different and less stringent than the type of Assisted Living communities you see around The Villages and greater area that are large with up to 115 or so residents. The owners of the Adult Family Homes, because they own them, do not necessarily have the same experience or education as those of the larger type Assisted Livings where corporations are screening and doing reference checks and hiring top level Administrators. It is imperative that no matter small or large, whether Adult Family Homes or large ALF communities, that there be attention paid to complaints, incidents, and violations. We had this same type of investigative reporting in Washington State with the same outcomes, and I am sure there are abuses across the country. This is why it is IMPERATIVE that people do their homework before choosing an Assisted Living. Check State records; call ACHA for complaint reports on various facilities; talk to family members of other residents if you want the true scoop; find out the longevity of staff; talk to the Administrator; talk to some residents. Do not go by what the Assisted Living looks like. You need to dig and get the facts. Look at many choices and options. And if you get a feeling that something is not right, it probably isn't and you might just want to move your loved one to be on the safe side.

[SusanOfWoodbury]

A person considering an Assisted Living Facility need to be aware of all the hidden costs. Also, they need to know what happens to them when there money runs out..
A careful and well thought out plan needs to be considered before making a final decision.