Assisted Living
Now that Sens. Warren and Markey and Rep. Maloney realize what the industry has been saying to anyone who would listen for months now — that senior living operators need resources to battle COVID-19, too — it’s time for them to convince their colleagues in the Senate and House of their discovery and then put their (our, actually) money where their mouths are.
Assisted living communities would be required to report confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 to federal, state and local health officials, as well as to residents and their families — and would have one day to do it — under legislation announced by two U.S. senators and one congresswoman. The report on which the bill is based, however, “falls short” and is “misleading,” according to one association representing operators.
Three members of Congress say they have introduced the Assisted Living Facility Coronavirus Reporting Act to address issues related to COVID-19 infections, hospitalization and fatality rates, sick leave policies for employees, testing and personal protective equipment in senior living communities.
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would distribute approximately $15 billion in grants to eligible state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program providers, including assisted living operators. Payments from the distribution will be determined using data that eligible providers enter into an enhanced Provider Relief Fund portal.
As states continue rolling out reopening plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 10 states or jurisdictions have issued guidance to long-term care facilities that specifically mentions assisted living, according to a LeadingAge analysis.
The barriers and challenges to affordable senior living are numerous. But a New Jersey program addressing the increased health needs of low-income older adults outside of the traditional assisted living model is providing a potential model for other states to address the needs of an expanding population with increasingly complex healthcare needs.
With a nod to essential frontline caregivers battling COVID-19, “Caring is EssentiAL” has been announced as the theme of this year’s National Assisted Living Week.
The long-term outlook remains positive for the senior living industry, which is adapting to change brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report.
A bill focused on regulatory reforms for assisted living community and personal care home operators in Georgia is back on the agenda when the legislative session resumes in June.
Although assisted living communities are home to residents who “are completely just as vulnerable” as nursing home residents to COVID-19, “we sort of tend to ignore them in these situations” because the communities are licensed by states instead of the federal government and don’t receive much funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, one expert witness told the Senate Special Committee on Aging on Thursday.
Associations representing assisted living operators are calling attention to the fact that in some states, assisted living communities are being left out of testing and data initiatives.
Senior living communities saw a 41% decrease in inquiries, a 27% decrease in initial tours and a 22% decrease in move-ins in April based on year-over-year averages, according to a new report.
Industry associations are supporting the transparency requested by three members of Congress who have asked 11 assisted living companies to detail their case counts and strategies related to COVID-19 — including use of personal protective equipment and testing, but the associations also continue to call on the federal government to prioritize assisted living operators for PPE and other resources to battle the disease.
Senior living operators may not be receiving the personal protective equipment that nursing homes have been promised by the federal government to fight COVID-19, but now they may be receiving a level of federal scrutiny similar to nursing homes.
The Department of Health and Human Services expects to issue a policy statement by the end of 2020 that addresses the monitoring and reporting of “critical incidents” — such as abuse, neglect and exploitation — involving Medicaid beneficiaries who live in assisted living communities, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday.
Virtually overnight, many operators are finding themselves in the fight of their lives.
Bob Kramer transitioned from CEO of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care in mid-2017, becoming senior adviser to the organization he had co-founded in 1991. At the time, starting a new company wasn’t in his plans. But then COVID-19 happened.
Senior living occupancy fell slightly in the first quarter, according to NIC, but the data do not yet reflect the effects of COVID-19. Meanwhile, a new report from Marcus & Millichap predicts how senior living might fare.
Assisted living operators have marketed themselves as “un-nursing homes.” But the field may have just made that position more difficult to defend.
Occupancy at senior living communities potentially could fall by half in the next year if move-ins come to a halt as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to BMO Capital Markets.
