ELF News Archives

January 2008


- Should Nursing Homes Be for Profit? -

Is it right that people are trying to make money off taking care of our most vulnerable population?..."The problem is, in the nursing home industry, making money means cutting care," ...

Allnet 01/28


- Carlyle buys Tokyo nursing homes -

The firm pays $137 million to acquire the assets from the Goodwill Group in its latest Asian real estate investment...Carlyle said its acquisition will help stabilise the operations of the properties, which are assisted living facilities for the elderly, and that it is committed to continuing to extend quality care to the residents.

Finance Asia 01/28


- Allegany, Garrett nursing homes rate higher than state average -

Many employees, he said, have been working at his facility and at others in the county for anywhere from 10 to 20 years. “You don’t see a lot of moving around,” Konrad said. “It isn’t a case of the grass is greener here. The nursing homes throughout the area are all quality places to work, and the employees know it.”

Times-News 01/28


- Seniors' security helped by bank, foundation -

The Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation and the Bank of Sunset presented a check for $950 and a plaque to Evangeline Oaks on Thursday, making it the 22nd such facility in Louisiana to be part of an expanding network assuring security and safety in the nation's nursing homes.

The Advertiser 01/25


- Clinton Township Development is proposed for those raising grandkids -

Raising her five youngest children, Debbie Rodgers already had a lot on her plate before she began caring for her three grandkids more than a year ago. One thing missing from the family's balancing act is an affordable and spacious place they can call their own.

Freep 01/25


- Families push staffing rules for nursing homes -

"It's a disgrace," Pemble said. "If the same rules and regulations were in place for child-care facilities, there would be an uproar." She has joined with Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform in pushing a bill that would require Kentucky to join 37 other states in setting minimum standards for the number of caregivers in nursing homes -- much as Kentucky requires for day-care centers.

Courier Journal 01/24


- 'Green House' Nursing Homes Expand as Communities Reinvent Elder Care -

Susan Dentzer reports on the "green houses" project, which seeks to reinvent traditional nursing home care and create close-knit communities of patients and caregivers. Some observers, however, question the homes' financial feasibility.

PBS 01/24


- Few Strategies Exist To Prevent MRSA Spread In Nursing Homes -

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is making news as a dangerous, sometimes fatal disease for hospital patients, and in recent cases, students. MRSA is also a major source of illness acquired in nursing homes, yet few studies have looked at how to prevent its spread among elderly residents, according to a new review.

Science Daily 01/23


- Is care worse? Or state now tougher? -

The state Department of Community Health denies it, but there appears to be a crackdown on nursing homes over the last two years. The state agency is issuing about 40 percent more citations per visit than it did two years ago, according to the trade group that represents nursing homes. It closed three homes in 2005 and three more in 2006, but then shut down seven last year.

Mlive 01/23


- Dear Abby: Family faces elder care dilemma -

When is it the “best-case scenario” for someone’s care to be provided by a nursing home? Should the parent be allowed to remain at home despite the consequences? Is it more compassionate to prolong his or her life in an environment that he or she would never have chosen or agreed to, or is it irresponsible to honor his or her wishes to live with limited assistance, even though it may lead to an early death?

NW Herald 01/23


- Reforms Urged For Nursing Homes -

Saying that Haven Healthcare's troubled record should serve as a wake-up call, state Senate leaders on Wednesday proposed a package of nursing-home reforms aimed at boosting staffing, improving financial accountability and increasing public scrutiny of the state's 240 licensed facilities.

Courant 01/21


- Selling Out Grandma -

In late 2007, the investment firm The Carlyle Group purchased one of the country’s largest nursing home chains despite the concerns of regulators, lawmakers and workers’ groups that the acquisition would lead to staffing cuts and cause a decline in quality of care for residents.

In These Times 01/21


- State needs to do more with less money for 'vulnerable citizens' -

As a psychiatrist who cares for the elderly and for people with mental illness, I awaited Gov. John Baldacci's State of the State speech with trepidation, knowing that budget cuts were on the horizon. I applaud him for stating that he "will not pull the safety net out from under our most vulnerable citizens."

Kennebec Journal 01/21


- Stopping the abuse -

Sadly, there is no federal or state legislation requiring fingerprinting for non-certified caregivers who are going into the homes of our elderly. We in Napa need to try and change that. It's imperative that we protect our most vulnerable citizens, don't you agree?

Napa Valley Register 01/21


- 'The Savages' takes absurdist look at eldercare -

Estranged brother and sister Jon and Wendy Savage (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney) are screwed-up and self-absorbed, but they certainly seem realistic. Sometimes they're shrill, sometimes they're scared, often they're incredibly thoughtless and have no qualms about lying to each other. But as they come together to deal with one of the trickier aspects of growing into middle age -- caring for an elderly parent who can no longer care for himself -- they make plenty of mistakes. And that's realistic, too.

Press Connects 01/18


- Long term health care: Plan ahead -

Long term care ranges from some scheduled help around the house to 24-hour care in a nursing home. The purpose of long term care is to help you maintain as much independence as possible without compromising safety. A long term care facility or home health care aide can help with the weekly shopping or bathing and dressing that you may be unable to do as well as you used to. In addition, knowing that someone's there to help can relieve stress.

Mayo Clinic 01/18


- When dad should stop driving -

Taking the keys away from an aging parent means navigating tricky issues of independence and role reversal. But the decision is too serious to ignore.

CNN 01/18


- Elderly not getting the care they need -

Norway's fabled "cradle to grave" security seems to be disappearing, with a new study showing that only the most acute needs will qualify a patient for a spot in a nursing home.

Aften Posten 01/18


- Nursing homes: Elderly protection still needed -

While it's good news that increased inspections by the state Department of Health has led to a Jackson nursing home passing inspections, it underscores the need for greater public scrutiny of elderly care. The Hinds County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center received poor marks in March when inspectors found nonflushing toilets, feces smeared on toilets, malfunctioning plumbing, and other issues.

Clarion Ledger 01/18


- Protecting our seniors -

In December the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publicized the names of 54 nursing homes that ranked among the worst in their respective states, in what federal officials say was an effort to shame them into improving conditions.

Las Vegas Sun 01/17


- Senior-living concept: Right plan in wrong place? -

Developer Robert DeNisco wants to build a "multigenerational independent-living facility" for seniors and their caregivers behind a 40,000-square-foot sports complex that's under construction. But he needs the City Council to amend a special permit that prohibits residential housing on his 13-acre property.

Salem News 01/17


- Senior Housing Facility Receives $7.9 Million from Illinois -

“As more and more baby boomers reach retirement age, we need to make sure that our seniors have options when it comes to their housing needs, especially when they are on a fixed income. They deserve to have the choice of remaining in the community they grew up in,”...

Multi-Housing News 01/17


- US blacks get inferior nursing home care to whites: studies -

"Blacks are much more likely than whites to be located in nursing homes that have serious deficiencies, lower staffing ratios, and greater financial vulnerability,"

AFP 01/16


- Self-funders hit by care-homes rip-off -

Elderly residents who pay their own care home fees are frequently subsidising others in the same home who are funded by the council...Nursing homes charge, on average, £32,600 a year and fees for residential homes are typically in excess of £23,000,...

This Is Money 01/16


- Women and long-term care -

More than 75 percent of Ontario's 75,000 nursing home beds are occupied by women, and 90 percent of the hands-on caregivers are women.

Straightgoods 01/16


- Author and nurse discusses the journey to becoming a caregiver -

“What was most staggering for me the average caregiver is about 46 years old, female and works outside of the home in addition to providing care for someone in their home...

Demo Polis Times 01/16


- Many Options Available in Quality Long-Term Care Facilities Nationwide -

Many seniors and their families are often unaware of the numerous quality long-term care options available to them even though they will probably require assistance at some point in their life...“Statistics show that 75 percent of the people over age 65 will require some type of long-term care before they die...

Senior Spectrum 01/15


- Central Planners' Solution - AARP leader: Health care is big issue -

Health care will dominate the agenda for AARP South Dakota this year, according to the group's state president.."Quite frankly, we would like to see a long-term care program that is run nationwide," Gross said in an interview..."The Legislature has shown a lot of interest in it at this point. We currently have a health task force that is meeting, and we have representation on that ... to start a good dialogue and try to look at what might be available from a legislative standpoint and from a funding standpoint."

Sioux City Journal 01/15


- Case Management Society of America Announces New Tool, the CMSA Senior Housing Locator by SNAPforSeniors -

It is estimated that a million Americans move into senior housing each year(1), and the demand is growing as baby boomers enter retirement. Between now and 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau projects the over-65 population to increase by almost 28 percent, while the total U.S. population increases by just 9 percent(2). Many family members with loved ones in need of senior housing use case management services to assess needs, arrange placement, and monitor a family member's care.

Earth Times 01/15


- Nursing Homes Under Scrutiny -

The number of admissions suspensions at state nursing homes in 2007 more than doubled from 2006, an increase facility administrators attribute to more aggressive inspections.

Times Free Press 01/14


- Laurence White: Homes must be where the heart is -

For an independent watchdog has found that the vast majority of the 571 nursing homes in Northern Ireland go about their business of caring for the elderly in a satisfactory manner.

BelFast Telegraph 01/14


- Tax breaks will help development of senior housing -

The Fond du Lac City Council has granted $200,000 in tax breaks to the developer of a senior housing project...The council's support includes conditional approval of $200,000 in property tax breaks for the developer in the coming years.

FDL Reporter 01/14


- Senior-living concept: Right plan in wrong place? -

City councilors praised the concept but last night wouldn't relax building restrictions to pave the way for senior citizen housing off Route 1 that supporters called "innovative" and "the first of its kind" in the state. Developer Robert DeNisco wants to build a "multigenerational independent-living facility" for seniors and their caregivers behind a 40,000-square-foot sports complex that's under construction. The proposed development includes 40 three- or four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments that several senior citizens would share with a caregiver. There would be a common space for socializing, cooking and dining in each unit.

Salem News 01/11


- Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against 18 California Nursing Homes -

The complaint alleges that Sun Mar Health Care, Inc. promotes itself to people who are elderly and to their families by falsely claiming to provide superior and attentive skilled nursing care. Sun Mar's promotional materials claim the facilities provide skilled nursing care services of a particular standard and quality that will meet the needs of prospective and current residents. The suit alleges that the corporate officers and managers of the individual homes deliberately keep the budgets so tight that appropriate staffing and training of staff cannot be provided and, therefore, residents do not receive the care they need and should be getting, and for which they are paying.

Earth Times 01/11


- No More Nursing Homes -

The entire state is seeing this "slow death" of nursing homes, as senior citizens are choosing home care or assisted living over nursing homes.

KTTC News 01/10


- Beaten Down: Nursing Home Abuse Citations on the Rise -

As an aging population puts a greater importance and strain on nursing homes, seniors residences and assisted living, concern is mounting over nursing home safety, and the apparent rise in nursing home abuse.

Lawyers and Settlements 01/10


- Adult Day Care Increasing in Importance in Elder Care Marketplace -

According to estimates, demand for adult day care is growing between 5% and 15% annually, depending on location. Adult day care facilities serve about 400,000 elderly U.S. residents nationwide. The care "usually goes beyond a glorified sitter service ... offering everything from medication management and physical therapy to nursing care, exercise and grooming...

Kaiswer Network 01/10


- Area nursing homes work to combat deficiencies -

Among the deficiencies noted for Country Care were failing to only hire staff with no legal history of abusing, neglecting or mistreating patients or reporting and investigating any acts or reports of abuse; giving each resident care and services to get or keep the highest quality of life possible and making sure that the nursing home area is free of dangers that cause accidents.

Leavenworth Times 01/09


- Survey launched to examine attitudes to life in residential care and nursing homes for older people -

A new survey is launched with an article in Society Guardian to get a better understanding of what people value about life in a residential care home or nursing home.

Care and Health 01/09


- Recent Developments in Elder Care -

The Los Angeles Times on Sunday examined how elder care managers are "emerging to bridge the gap between far-off relatives and aging parents who may be overwhelmed by the labyrinth of medical and other services designed to help the aged and infirm survive in their own homes."

Kaiswer Network 01/08


- Parents may wish to consult Elder Care attorney -

'Besides the act being an obvious gesture of a gift, there is also the benefit of protecting the estate from Medicaid claims for end-of-life medical expenses or nursing home costs. They could wind up paying considerable capital gains taxes if they decide to sell the home. Also, protecting the estate from Medicaid may prove to be fairly limited.

Orlando Sentinel 01/08


- A new kind of senior housing includes retail -

Condos sit atop shops, restaurants surround a grassy plaza and families stroll beneath elegantly lit porticos. This is not your average senior housing.

Star Tribune 01/08


- Patient protection gaining momentumPatient protection gaining momentum -

Saskatchewan's new government and an Ontario opposition party join the push to shield 'the most vulnerable'... The Ontario NDP plans to introduce as early as March an Act to Protect Persons in Care from Abuse, saying assaults and abuse are taking place in hospitals, yet there is nowhere for patients to turn.

The Globe and Mail 01/07


- Putting quality back into old age -

It is no secret we are living longer, but are we enjoying that extra bit of life? Some statistics say we are not. "We know we're living longer - Stats NZ tells us that - but the interesting thing is that's not being matched by an improved quality of life and of health as we age,"

TVNZ 01/07


- STAMP OUT THE ABUSE -

Last year started badly for some older people. There were reports of an 82-year-old man being evicted from a care home after his family had complaints upheld by the Scottish Care Commission, a care worker in Cumbria was found guilty of stealing more than £400 from residents in another home, a councillor in the Midlands admitted that not all sex abuse cases concerning older people were reported to the police, concerns were raised about the misuse of anti-psychotic drugs to keep people docile and quiet and three older people were found dead from neglect, one of whom had a broken leg untreated for five days....The reality is that elderly abuse is becoming an accepted fact in today's Britain, but it still is not receiving the level of urgency that it merits.

This is South Wales 01/07


- Home care for seniors has new urgency -

A wave of retiring boomers will soon swamp home health care providers unless businesses and policymakers plan for it.

Star Tribune 01/07


- Limit level of bureaucracy with home care -

A plan to create regional management centres to co-ordinate home-care services for seniors could very well be adding another layer of bureaucracy to the system, a legitimate concern that has some seniors' groups worried. The system already has Community Care Access Centres in place to co-ordinate in-home nursing care for the elderly and housekeeping, as well as seniors' admissions to nursing homes.

Intelligencer 01/02


- Nursing Home Abuse Concerns Rise in Florida Amid Manor Care Purchase -

The issue of nursing home abuse is making news in Florida, where the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and some state lawmakers are urging regulators to examine the issues of nursing home abuse and neglect as they consider granting a nursing home license to a private equity firm that recently purchased facilities in Florida and around the country. The Carlyle Group purchased HCR Manor Care for $4.9 million, and now owns 29 nursing throughout Florida. The SEIU and other nursing home advocates fear that the Carlyle Group will move to cut costs at the nursing homes it owns, something that could put nursing home residents at risk for abuse and neglect.

News Inferno 01/02


- Nursing Homes Need to Change Their Culture -

Nursing homes in New York City, like counterparts across the country, are rushing to transform their physical environments from hospital-looking to homelike. However, to the dismay of leaders in the field, they are retaining the practices and attitudes of the hospital culture on which nursing homes are based. Improvements in the physical environment are secondary. It is the human environment that must undergo a deep sea change.

WSJ 01/02


- Connection to All Caregiving Is Sheila Marcelo’s Goal -

Tutoring is a newly offered segment, and Marcelo only expects to add more services to ensure Care.com’s quickly galvanized reputation as the online connection people rely on for all of their care needs...We want to be the source of trustworthy options for care for families, and that care can cover anyone’s loved ones, from children to pets to older parents...

Boston Herald 01/01


- Capital Senior Living Corporation Announces Agreement to Acquire 32 Senior Housing Leases -

Capital Senior Living Corporation (NYSE:CSU), one of the country’s largest operators of senior living communities, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Hearthstone Senior Services, L.P. (“Hearthstone”) to acquire Hearthstone’s interests in 32 leases with a healthcare REIT.

PR-USA 01/01


- Tips for selecting the right senior housing -

Experts in aging say January is the busiest month for finding new homes for older people, with searches being prompted by holiday visits. Here are their suggestions for getting started:...

FREEP 01/01


- Aging boom hits home -

As population grows older, the need for senior housing will zoom..."Failure to adequately plan for and meet the housing needs of older adults can result in needless institutionalization or homelessness of older adults, and severe economic consequences for our community,"...

SacBee 01/01



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