Seniors for Sale
The Seattle Times recently ran a three part story about the neglect of seniors at Adult Family Homes. One particular aspect of this case is something I had encountered in my own practice. In fact, the very story in the article involved my client.
When seniors or other disabled people are discharged from the hospital, its usually in a hurry. The vulnerable don't necessarily have the time to research a facility before they are placed in one. Instead, they rely on referral services to help make that decision for them.
The way the system works, is the referral service will place a vulnerable person in a facility, then accept the first month's rent at that facility as payment for their services. This wouldn't be a problem if every facility recommended by the referral service was up to snuff. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. As noted in the article, there is no check on the referral service.
These services can refer you to places that can't meet the needs of your loved one, are unlicensed, or even employ people with revoked medical credentials.
If you think you may have to go into a nursing home, adult family home, or other facility, do the research on the front end. Unfortunately, you can't rely on people, even if within a hospital, to do that research for you.
