Assisted Living

Aging alone ─ without a spouse, a partner or children ─ requires careful planning. New programs for this growing population offer much-needed help.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that Bluestone Physician Services of Florida LLC, Bluestone Physician Services, P.A. and Bluestone National LLC, operating in Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin, respectively, agreed to the settlement recently.

The staffing regulation was disparaged by the industry as unattainable. Patient advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. Labor unions welcomed the requirement.

Members of the Special Committee on Aging are asking residents and their families to submit their bills and are calling for a Government Accountability Office study.

Roughly 8 million people 65 and older have dementia or need help with two or more activities of basic daily life, like getting out of bed. Facing a severe shortage of aides and high costs, caregivers often cobble together a patchwork of relatives and friends to help.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the "No Patient Left Alone" act into law in early April. It takes effect on July 1.

Under the bill moved forward this week in the House Health & Human Services Committee, a patient can designate a caregiver or family member who must be allowed to visit for a minimum of two hours daily.

Many residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities suffered from COVID outbreaks and isolation. Some people are opting to take care of their loved ones at home instead.

If federal officials accept a court’s decision, some patients will get a chance to seek refunds for their nursing home and other expenses.

The AARP’s state director Jeff Johnson spoke to WMFE’s Joe Byrnes about nursing homes and long term care facilities, and other issues that could affect seniors this session.

The tests heading to long-term care facilities were stockpiled during a “downturn” and expired at the end of the year. The state has been waiting for an answer from the federal government on whether they are usable.

Power outages that followed Hurricane Irma affected 28,000 residents of Florida's nursing homes — and led to a 25% increase in deaths a week after the storm made landfall in September 2017.