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Are you willing to MAKE THE CALL?
HUNDREDS of emails have been sent about the neglect and abuse that older and disabled Georgians experience in some personal care homes and assisted living communities across Georgia.
NOW it's time to
pick up the phone.
Legislators say that they need phone calls from their constituents about this serious issue.
Making the phone call is easy.
Contact us HERE and we will connect you with your legislator.
Photo courtesy of The Atlanta Journal Constitution
For more information about this issue, see below.
Investigative reporters for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spent close to a year looking into the records of assisted living communities and personal care homes in Georgia. They found that one in five assisted living or large personal care homes since 2015 have a history of violations indicating serious shortcomings. More than 600 cases of neglect and 90 cases of abuse were uncovered, with some cases resulting in death. Currently, the penalty for severe offenses/harm, including death of a resident, is set at $601 for the first offense. This figure is very low when compared to other states.
Photos courtesy of The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Additionally, there is a statewide shortage of caregivers often attributed to low pay, heavy workload, or inadequate training.
In May of 2017, Georgia’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Melanie McNeil, proposed that CO-AGE address the limitations on licensing violation fines and sanctions imposed on personal care homes and assisted living communities. That July, CO-AGE members voted to make the issue a priority.
A work group started meeting in September to create an advocacy plan to address the necessity for strengthening personal care home and assisted living community regulations. The discussion centered on providing Healthcare Facility Regulation (HFR) in the Department of Community Health the tools and flexibility to impose greater sanctions on personal care homes and assisted living communities with deficiencies.
The AJC articles confirm what GCOA has been saying since 2017: Georgia needs to update and enforce the rules for these senior care facilities. However, legislators are not convinced on the need to impose higher fines and sanctions for serious violations, or to provide funding for more surveyors and an aggregated reporting system.
In addition, the work group brought attention to the lack of public transparency and aggregate reporting by HFR.
GCOA has testified at numerous budget hearings and committee meetings over the past two legislative sessions about this issue.
You can make a difference in the lives of older Georgians with JUST ONE CALL.
If you want to let your legislator know that you want to see changes in Georgia's senior living industry CONTACT US and we will connect you with your legislator.
Photo courtesy of The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Photos courtesy of The Atlanta Journal Constitution
© 2020 Georgia Council on Aging
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