New Federal Database Tracks Nursing Home Ownership

A woman standing at the back of the old man and posing

Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finished up a new database which allows the public, state regulators and researchers to track common ownership, something which can be very important at looking out for poor management.  The data was required by President Joe Biden due to the large amount of federal funding that goes out to them.  Nursing homes were among the deadliest places to be during COVID-19, in large part due to lack of training and caregivers bringing in the virus, which spreads incredibly rapidly.

Salinas, CA Las Palmas Senior Assisted Living Facility And Alzheimer’s & Dementia Memory Care Center Still Faces Opposition

A senior woman sitting and looking out from the window

A senior care facility which has been in the planning stages for several years continues to face opposition from the community, who say that the plan deviates from what is called the Las Palmas Specific Plan.  The issue revolves around increased traffic as well as the possibility that ambulances will frequently be zipping in and out of Las Palmas.  That document outlines land-use for the area and any amendment to this requires approval by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.  The River View at Las Palmas Residential Care Facility is a massive complex which has 90,000 square feet and three levels of care with 142 beds; 13 casitas for independent living, a two-story assisted living facility and a three-story “memory care” facility.  It was already approved by the county Planning Commission on a 6:4 split vote, but could still be held up by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, which will hold a hearing on the issue on Tuesday.

https://www.montereyherald.com/2021/07/16/salinas-proposed-las-palmas-senior-care-facility-stirs-worries-among-neighbors/?utm_email=7404B4F5358244C5647B14D271&g2i_eui=B5dv00xjia5jtX%2fZFTuOn45qYHnjNzVq&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.montereyherald.com%2f2021%2f07%2f16%2fsalinas-proposed-las-palmas-senior-care-facility-stirs-worries-among-neighbors%2f&utm_campaign=norcal-monterey-morning-report&utm_content=automated

Nursing Homes No Longer Able To Dump Residents : By Derek Baine

A senior woman sitting and looking out from the window

A California court has ruled that a woman who was barred from readmission to a Sacramento nursing facility after being sent to a hospital had her rights violated.  The process, called dumping, is used when assisted living facilities have a resident who is either unruly, isn’t paying enough, or for whatever reason is not welcome by the staff and owners.  AARP Foundation took up her case.  Although the 82 year old woman won the case, it came after both she and her husband died.  Sadly, they were never reunited after she was barred from the facility.

Pacific Grove, CA Aging At Home Is Now In Vogue : Assisted Living On The Outs

A caregiver smiling and holding the woman

COVID-19 has made aging at home in vogue.  The Wall Street Journal recently wrote an article on how coronavirus is changing the way Americans face retirement by “accelerating developments already under way,” physician Bill Thomas said to the reporter.  “It’s going to make people rethink retirement altogether,” Laura Carstensen, director of Stanford University’s Center on Longevity said.  Most people will age at home, and remain independent, she said.  I believe that her view is true.  With roughly 40% of COVID-19 being staff and residents of nursing homes, nobody wants to go into a facility these days.  We have been getting a number of calls from fearful children who want to get their parents out of assisted living and back home, where they can reduce the risk of coronavirus exposure.  Although COVID-19 will eventually be wiped out, there will clearly be more devastating diseases in the future which makes these facilities dangerous.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-covid-19-will-change-aging-and-retirement-11605452401

Carmel, CA Aging At Home Is Now In Vogue : Assisted Living On The Outs

COVID-19 has made aging at home in vogue.  The Wall Street Journal recently wrote an article on how coronavirus is changing the way Americans face retirement by “accelerating developments already under way,” physician Bill Thomas said to the reporter.  “It’s going to make people rethink retirement altogether,” Laura Carstensen, director of Stanford University’s Center on Longevity said.  Most people will age at home, and remain independent, she said.  I believe that her view is true.  With roughly 40% of COVID-19 being staff and residents of nursing homes, nobody wants to go into a facility these days.  We have been getting a number of calls from fearful children who want to get their parents out of assisted living and back home, where they can reduce the risk of coronavirus exposure.  Although COVID-19 will eventually be wiped out, there will clearly be more devastating diseases in the future which makes these facilities dangerous.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-covid-19-will-change-aging-and-retirement-11605452401

Ombudsman Office Unable To Enter Assisted Living Facilities, Making Some Lax

A caregiver smiling and holding the woman

An investigative reporter unveiled an expose on a chain of nursing homes in California called Country Villa which has 18 nursing homes that have been unlicensed for years.  Two of their facilities lost over a dozen of residents due to COVID-19.   The Staye of California requires that nursing home operators be licensed by the California Department of Public Health, which oversees nursing homes.  But the Department has allowed the owner to operate with a “pending license” for years.  The owner, Shlomo Rechnitz, has acquired 81 nursing homes with 9,000 beds, making him the largest operator in California.  “I’m just a little speechless when it comes to this ownership nightmare in California and now it’s gotten to this point,” said Molly Davies, the Los Angeles County long-term care ombudsman.  In Monterey, our ombudsman said that they have not had in-person access to assisted living facilities during the pandemic, a situation which is just making things worse.

https://calmatters.org/projects/california-oversight-nursing-homes/?campaign_id=49&emc=edit_ca_20210407&instance_id=28956&nl=california-today&regi_id=52105769&segment_id=55031&te=1&user_id=7052b81671c57203c64c377c7522baa7

Monterey, CA Nursing Homes Hit Hard In Coronavirus Pandemic

A caregiver showing documents to the senior

Almost all nursing homes in Monterey County have reported coronavirus outbreaks, and this may signal a paradigm shift where more people decide to live out their final years at home.  The U.S. currently has the largest number of nursing home residents in the world and accounts for the largest number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., a total of 115K.  Occupancy in nursing homes is down by 15%, due both to deaths and a decrease in admissions.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-spurs-families-to-shun-nursing-homes-a-shift-that-appears-long-lasting-11608565170

Monterey, CA Aging At Home Is Now In Vogue : Assisted Living On The Outs

A caregiver smiling and holding the woman

COVID-19 has made aging at home in vogue.  The Wall Street Journal recently wrote an article on how coronavirus is changing the way Americans face retirement by “accelerating developments already under way,” physician Bill Thomas said to the reporter.  “It’s going to make people rethink retirement altogether,” Laura Carstensen, director of Stanford University’s Center on Longevity said.  Most people will age at home, and remain independent, she said.  I believe that her view is true.  With roughly 40% of COVID-19 being staff and residents of nursing homes, nobody wants to go into a facility these days.  We have been getting a number of calls from fearful children who want to get their parents out of assisted living and back home, where they can reduce the risk of coronavirus exposure.  Although COVID-19 will eventually be wiped out, there will clearly be more devastating diseases in the future which makes these facilities dangerous.   

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-covid-19-will-change-aging-and-retirement-11605452401

 

Cottages Of Carmel Assisted Living Reports More Coronavirus Cases

Four more residents and seven workers have tested positive for COVID-19 at The Cottages of Carmel.  Executive Director Alton Mendelson told the Carmel Pine Cone, “These residents and employees were immediately isolated, minimizing the risk of exposure to others in our community. Eight of the employees have already returned to work after resolution of all symptoms and required self-isolation,” he noted.  Management said they are in contact with residents and their families almost daily and is committed to providing accurate information and being transparent.

http://pineconearchive.fileburstcdn.com/201211PCA.pdf

Carmel, CA Assisted Living Center Cottages Of Carmel Gets COVID-19 Outbreak

A man covering his mouth and nose with N95 Mask

The Cottages Of Carmel is the latest assisted living facility on the Monterey Peninsula to be inundated with COVID-19 cases.  Alton Mendleson, the executive director, sent out a message to residents and their families that they recently doubled the number of positives from eight to 16.  “If you did not hear from us today, then your loved one had a negative test result,” said Mendleson.  In addition to the residents, 10 workers have been infected and one is isolated at home with symptoms, but hasn’t been tested yet.  The facility had been coronavirus free until November.

http://pineconearchive.fileburstcdn.com/201204PCA.pdf