August 11th, 2008

Personal care homes are in the spotlight for two issues today: A new regulation that allows personal care homes to make some changes to be able to be classified as “assisted living” is earning praise from some groups, but criticism from others; and the facilities’ inspection records are now available to the public online.

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First, the story on assisted living facilities: 

 Reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Last summer, the Legislature voted to create a new assisted living category in Pennsylvania, and next summer, the first such housing settings will be licensed.

Now is the hazy part in between, with the Department of Public Welfare unveiling regulations that some provider groups contend are too costly and some consumer representatives criticize as inadequate to ensure safe, quality care.

The new rules, published in Saturday’s Pennsylvania Bulletin, the state’s official record of regulations, would give the 1,471 personal care homes in the state the chance to shift to the assisted living category. None will be required to do so.

State officials’ assumptions are that several hundred of the larger facilities will opt to switch and new homes will be built specifically to offer assisted living — a category already existing in many states.

The advantage for operators: “Assisted living” is a modern marketing term in the long-term care industry describing facilities that are more homey and less medical than nursing homes. The new category will give operators a chance to keep residents longer when their health declines and to receive increased government funding for their care.

The disadvantage: Licensing fees and potential remodeling costs, along with other requirements more extensive than those for personal care homes, may convince some providers it’s not worth their while to change.”

Read more at the Post-Gazette.

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The records of every personal care home in the state are now available online, reports the Morning Call, which also gives tips on what to look for in the reviews.

The reports weigh in on factors such as fire safety, staff training, medication dispension, and building conditions.