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.
Citing an urgent need to focus on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota Department of Health has proposed delaying the implementation of new rules that would increase oversight of assisted living communities in the state.
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.
Assisted living communities’ and nursing homes’ difficulty in securing personal protective equipment and testing to prevent or contain the spread of COVID-19, despite the fact that older adults are at higher risk for serious complications related to the disease, speaks to a deeper societal issue in the United States, leaders of national and state industry associations said Thursday.
Although skilled nursing facilities are the target of newly announced criminal neglect investigations in Pennsylvania amid COVID-19 outbreaks, the state attorney general’s office said those investigations could extend to other types of long-term care facilities, which could include assisted living communities and personal care homes, in the future.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed legislation extending electronic monitoring to long-term care facilities, including assisted living communities, continuing care retirement / life plan communities and other nursing facilities.
A national online survey on the COVID-19 effects on assisted living communities and nursing homes found that voters believe the government has failed to support long-term care facilities, and that these facilities deserve the same resources as hospitals.
The White House’s recommendation that all states test nursing home residents and staff members for the novel coronavirus over the next two weeks, and President Trump’s comment that “we have prevailed” on COVID-19 testing — both made Monday — leaves unanswered the question, “What help does this provide to millions of vulnerable adults cared for in non-nursing home settings?” LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan said. Meanwhile, the AARP on Monday sent a letter to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee asking them to reject proposals to grant immunity from COVID-19-related lawsuits to assisted living, skilled nursing and other long-term care providers.
With several states beginning to reopen businesses but COVID-19 still a threat, LeadingAge on Thursday unveiled a five-point plan of actions it deems essential to protecting older Americans and frontline healthcare workers who live or work in senior living communities and other settings.
As states begin to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term care industry is taking a more cautious approach to relaxing the protocols put in place over the past two months.
