Assisted Living Nightmares

Tonight, our I-Team is exposing more problems in a state agency that’s failing to protect our elderly. Last month we showed you how the state is not doing all it can to protect seniors living in assisted living facilities. Now, I-Team reporter Joe Bergantino has uncovered disturbing new details about a system of state oversight that’s badly in need of reform.

Sandra Guidrey, Wayland Nursing and Rehabilitation: "They're at risk and there's no one really watching out for them."

Nursing home owner Sandra Guidrey is talking about the patients she’s seen from this assisted living facility, Sunrise of Wayland. At least ten patients who in her opinion were not getting the medical care they needed.

Sandra Guidrey, Wayland Nursing and Rehabilitation: "Several patients with a massive loss of weight, change of mental status, just very very debilitated, failure to thrive."

So she asked her head nurse to call the state agency in charge of regulating assisted living facilities to alert them to the problem.

Rachel Payne, Wayland Nursing and Rehabilitation: "The office of Elder Affairs did state that they only have two people who are really managing the assisted livings in the state, and they really don't have many guidelines to be able to follow through with the complaint that I made."

The state’s side of this:

Elana Margolis, Executive Office of Elder Affairs: “Our response was not to brush off their concerns. Our response was to immediately investigate the concerns that they raised."

State Inspectors did cite Sunrise of Wayland for not doing criminal background checks, for hiring a convicted felon, and for multiple medication errors. But there is no evidence of any investigation into the allegation made by the nursing home.

The state insists it’s keeping on top of the situation at Sunrise of Wayland.

Elana Margolis, Executive Office of Elder Affairs: "We continue to work with them to make site visits, to have conversations with the corporate entity to discuss what are appropriate levels of care."
That includes twice in the past two years threatening to suspend the facility’s certification. At this moment, the state says Sunrise of Wayland has corrected all of its problems.

As for Sunrise, it disputes the nursing home’s allegations.

But the bigger issue here goes beyond Sunrise of Wayland. The state’s office of Elder Affairs is understaffed. State regulations are weak and out of date.
Advocates tell us many assisted living facilities fall short when it comes to caring for residents with Alzheimers Disease and other medical problems.

Dr. Paul Raiaa, Alzheimer’s Association: "The industry as whole misread the people that would be coming to their facility."

Dr. Paul Raiaa of the state Alzheimer’s Association says more than half of the residents in assisted living have some form of Alzheimer’s but state regulations are not requiring any treatment.

Dr. Paul Raiaa: "It's really treatement being denied."

The flip side to that problem. This assisted living facility which provides direct care for developmentally disabled seniors says state regulations actually forbid them from offering that care.[/align]