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Adult family homes are springing up all over the nation. While there are many great homes out there, the explosive growth, has also been fueled by some profiteers and a lack of careful state regulation, is leaving thousands of people vulnerable to harm……
High quality care facilities for seniors, often have waiting lists. As a result, spouses often look to adult family homes as an alternative. A good idea in principle, it opens the door for con-artists and greedy thieves to exploit our most vulnerable citizens.
The Seattle Times has such a story.
You can also watch this video.
If you have stories (good or bad) about adult familt homes or any other care provider – please share them as a review on the care provider pages at OurParents.
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Theme: Vigilance by The Theme Foundry.
I have spent a great amount of my professional life advocating for seniors. I have spent time speaking with legislators about the issues surrounding adult family homes. In most cases of neglect or abuse you can follow the trail of funding. State funded care is vastly under funded leaving providers with the option of doing the care themselves or hiring a staff and having little to no profit. This choice leaves the door open for neglect and, horrifyingly, the abuse of frail elderly clients. Over worked and over tired providers will have very little to give and often over look important details and best care practices. Another issue is the licensing of homes to providers who are not fluent in English. All the laws governing adult family homes are written in English. So when English is a second language for providers, the risk is greater that they may not understand fully the requirements and regulations of their responsibilities. Adult Family Homes are an excellent option for care but families must do their research. Speak to other family members and residents. What is the reputation of the AFH in the community? Did your doctor recommend the home? What is their inspection history? How many years have they been in operation? What is their education? Do they have a full time staff? Are they Medicaid funded? What is their visitation policy – if its open then chances are, they have nothing to hide. Yes there are bad apples, but must we trample on the reputation of creditable homes who bring a higher standard of care to the table? Long term care facilities have a much more blighted history than Adult Family Homes will ever have, but over time , better funding, better education and oversight they have improved and many are an excellent example of care. There are excellent AFH’s in Washington State who are trying to raise the standard of care for their industry. Don’t dismiss the Adult family Homes altogether. Just make sure you have the information needed to make the right choice.
Thank you, Darla, for your thoughtful comment and practical advice. Senior abuse and neglect are horrible, but I agree: we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that there are tons of wonderful senior-care homes out there. We just have to do the research.
Leigh Ann Otte
Blogger, OurParents