What I Wish I'd Known About Nursing Homes: Geriatrician Bill Thomas

jenaette

about 2 years ago

As a consumer of Elder Care services for the past five years both in Arizona and California, I have had my eyes opened to the fraud, neglect and abuse that runs rampant in both states. How does a consumer expose the elder fraud that exists in these states? I have written the attorney general about care managers who are exploiting families by stating she can not itemize for her time, stating HIPPA violaitons, collecting over $1750.00 PER HOUR by charging multiple clients for the same time period, placement coordinators who refuse to disclose representation or their fees, which are equal to one month of residency. The coordinator does not care if the placement is right for the resident or not, they simply relocate them again and again, at a loss to the conusemr (we lose our deposit and balance of the monthly fees). I was told by the AG's offic that these folks are NOT regulated, therefore nothing could be done about the exploitaion. Isn't there a moral obligation to the consumer to disclose that they ARE NOT regulated, and that they are untouchable? We have group homes who bring in immigrants to sleep in the empty beds and on the sofa after hours with our elderly parents in the home. WE ARE NOT INFORMED. If we say anything, our parents are "dumped at a local hospital without notification to the responsible party. What happened to people caring about people? Has Phoenix lost it's soul?