As noted in Section 3.4.1, one SME from an advocacy organization in Pennsylvania noted that they log specific information concerning names and dates into an Excel spreadsheet once a complaint has been lodged against an illegally unlicensed care home. The Bureau supervises the states 4200 licensed group homes. In the view of the majority of key informants, the operators of unlicensed homes do not want to have to pay for more staff to provide needed services. Although these regulatory changes occurred ten years ago, multiple key informants reported that many more licensed personal care homes have continued to close in recent years. Instances or allegations of physical and psychological abuse and neglect of residents were reported by SMEs and key informants and highlighted in the environmental scan. Those individuals who remained in the city were placed in day programs. Additional research on unlicensed care homes will be valuable to build our understanding of the role--intended or unintended--of these places in our long-term services and supports systems, and the policies affecting it. Research about legally unlicensed care homes might focus on collecting information about characteristics of legally unlicensed care homes, the services they offer and the residents they serve, such as through a larger number of site visits and interviews with ombudsmen and state regulatory agencies or through a survey of the operators of legally unlicensed homes in states or areas that maintain lists of these homes, such as Florida, Georgia and Texas. For example, is it defined by the services the home offers, the services needed by residents, or the services provided to the residents in the unlicensed care setting. x][o~ ^/o{)u4M!"KH336jTp87O[Gdz>;OW~|mZ~Nf/OeT61J4IX>b]}X While exploratory in nature, the findings highlight potential issues of safety, abuse and financial exploitation in unlicensed care homes. Medicaid in residential care. Interviewees noted that unlicensed care home operators often take the residents' identification cards and personal paperwork upon admission. However, a representative from a state advocacy agency estimated that about 2%-3% of their 4,800 calls annually, or approximately 120 calls statewide per year, were related to unlicensed facilities. An earlier study by Perkins, Ball, Whittington, & Combs (2004) provided these reasons from the perspective of one small unlicensed care home operator: Regulatory requirements meant for large assisted living facilities are too stringent and expensive for small residential homes. Interview results indicate that the majority of unlicensed care homes investigated by state officials and local APS agencies involve situations in which residents are not being cared for properly. It smelled, she didnt look like her hair was brushed. This, they fear, could lead owners to operate illegal unlicensed personal homes. The majority of examples of mistreatment included resident physical and emotional abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. The state made bridge funding available to those group homes impacted by this funding change, but one key informant said that according to a recent report, very few group homes accessed this bridge funding. Adult residential licensing, 2010 annual report: A report on licensed personal care homes. In Illinois, there are several categories of adult group homes: Shared Housing Establishment (SHE) - Residence for 16 persons, at least 80% of whom are age 55 or older. Neglected to death, part 1: Once pride of Florida; now scenes of neglect. The guardian later moved Plummer to a licensed facility, but according to state records, Glover-Hogan still has one ward inside the Warren group home. Allegheny County was specifically chosen as the site visit community because of their currently active PCRR team, which continues to address illegally unlicensed personal care homes. Multiple key informants expressed concern about other state policies related to reductions in funding for mental health services and supports as potential contributors to a gap that illegally unlicensed personal care homes can fill. The first, a six-state study on elder abuse in RCFs conducted by Hawes & Kimbell (2010) for the U.S. Department of Justice found that unlicensed homes remain a serious, largely unaddressed problem in some states, with the magnitude of the problem remaining unknown. Site visit findings were largely consistent with those of the environmental scan, and despite increased attention to unlicensed care homes in some states, key informants highlighted issues of safety, abuse, and exploitation. Arizona Department of Health Services. Greene, A.M., Wiener, J.M., Khatutsky, G., Johnson, R., & O'Keeffe, J. Findings indicate that a variety of policies may have an impact on the supply of and demand for unlicensed care homes. Unlicensed staff may administer medications after completing a 16-hour medication course from an approved medication training provider. There exists confusion over the authority of other agencies. To address the issues surrounding quality and safety in unlicensed care homes, key informants described a process involving the investigation of complaints by visiting the home and interviewing residents and staff (which may necessitate getting an inspection warrant if denied entry upon arrival), then providing a written cease and desist letter if the investigation results indicate that the home should be licensed, issuing fines of $100 per day per resident, and prosecuting the operator. Savchuk, K. (2013). Strategies for identifying illegally unlicensed care homes. They can fine the operator directly which may lead to the unlicensed care home being forced to shut down. Key informants included representatives from the state licensure office. A few key informants suggested cross-referencing different agency lists as another potential source for identifying unlicensed care homes. In August 2013, the law to prosecute an unlicensed personal care home operator was used for the first time. In some states (Arizona and Vermont), it is illegal to refer an individual to an unlicensed facility. Florida publishes a listing but it does not correspond with the media reports of the number of unlicensed care homes identified by state inspectors. Findings from this study are necessarily limited by the number of experts we identified and states we visited. The majority of key informants interviewed cited emotional abuse including intimidation and neglect as the most common forms of abuse observed or reported in unlicensed care homes. Information gathered from the environmental scan and SME interviews revealed reports that unlicensed care homes exist in North Carolina. Findings from our limited number of interviews with site visit key informants and SMEs are consistent with the information found during the environmental scan. They indicated that these unlicensed personal care homes are filling the gap left by the closing of licensed personal care homes. Local health departments can also get involved in trying to shut down illegally unlicensed personal care homes. Having buildings that were infested with bedbugs, other insects, and rodents. Cooperative efforts are underway amongst state and local agencies in some states. Key informants also mentioned other resident health concerns including neglect, lack of water, malnourishment, and bed sores or pressure ulcers resulting from inadequate care. Although recognized as important, the state has not yet begun investigating cases of financial exploitation. . We are providing our staff and residents with sanitation and safety supplies, including hand sanitizer and face coverings. This department can request administrative search warrants to enter suspected illegally unlicensed personal care homes. This key informant also noted that the residents frequently transition in and out of the home, as is often the case with illegally unlicensed personal care homes. It was outside the scope of this project to examine the alternatives to unlicensed care homes or the health, safety or appropriateness of those environments. Two of our three site visit states aimed to enhance awareness of poor and inadequate unlicensed care homes by increasing education for the public and key stakeholders: Pennsylvania held a statewide education and marketing campaign to inform the public about unlicensed care homes, and Georgia conducted training sessions to educate law enforcement and first responders about these homes. If the SSA implements this requirement, it could become a potential source for identifying unlicensed care homes. Key informants expressed a desire for future research that helps to categorize the necessary organizations and the number of personnel hours needed from each organization at each phase of the processes to identify, investigate, and close unlicensed homes; determine the optimal tactics to effectively implement investigation and closure; and develop a safe and seamless relocation and follow-up plan for residents. It is important to note that we do not know whether the types of financial exploitation and abuse described by the SMEs and key informants occur in both legally and illegally unlicensed care homes, or how commonplace they are. The average rate is $1,200 to $3,000. Health and safety concerns for residents were a major topic of interview discussion. Hospital discharge planners are not required to check the licensure status of the place to which they are discharging patients, and often discharge them to unlicensed homes. Retrieved from http://www.miamiherald.com. Florida can impose fines of up to $1,000 a day, however it was noted that owners often disappear when discovered to avoid being fined). Estimate of 2-year cost of implementing HB216. Pennsylvania DPW highlights safety and care regulations at personal care homes. The Allegheny County PCRR has sent letters to hospitals and their discharge planners informing them about known illegally unlicensed personal care homes to which they should not discharge patients; however, according to two key informants, discharges to these homes have continued. One issue that remains to be determined is the conditions or criteria by which such places constitute "unlicensed residential care homes." The new regulations were implemented to monitor and provide oversight of personal care homes with four or more residents, while reducing the number of homes that legally did not require licensure. The informants recommended the formation of teams including a range of stakeholders, including state licensure officials, Adult Protective Services (APS), ombudsmen, police, firefighters, emergency medical services, code enforcement, and local advocacy organization workers.1. Several states have taken steps in improve oversight of unlicensed facilities, often as a result of newspaper exposs on unlicensed residential care homes. However, while SMEs reported variability in licensure requirements and the authority, responsibility and funding of ombudsmen agencies with respect to unlicensed homes, there is very little information available about legally unlicensed homes, including the characteristics of residents, their care and service needs, and their preferences. Notably, reliance on complaints to identify unlicensed care homes limits identification of these homes to those that raise concerns about safety or quality. FINDINGS FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN, http://www.stopelderabusepetition.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html, http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/554/not-it, http://www.namfcu.net/resources/medicaid-fraud-reports-newsletters, http://www.disabilityrightswa.org/stop-fraud-and-abuse-rep-payees, http://www.dhs.state.pa.us/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/report/c_102850.pdf, http://aspe.hhs.gov/office-disability-aging-and-long-term-care-policy-daltcp, HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Pennsylvania Bureau of Human Services and Licensure, HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, 3.2. In some states, facilities that provided room, board, and "control and security of medication" could be legally unlicensed. A Homes for the Aged (HFA) provides 24-hour room, board, and supervised personal care to: 21 or more unrelated, non-transient individuals 55 years of age or older. One of the SMEs shared comments from ombudsmen that the numbers of unlicensed homes in some states are increasing, while in other states, they reported that they had not heard about unlicensed care homes. The state's BHSL office also has the legal authority to act as an enforcement agency. This key informant shared a list of seven placement agencies that work with hospitals in Allegheny County. We also heard of operators not reporting the death of a resident to SSA so the operator could continue collecting the resident's checks from the government. Legally Unlicensed Residential Care Homes, 6.2. In another state in that study, only consumer advocates and ombudsmen reported the existence of unlicensed facilities. Local efforts were noted to be inconsistent and uncoordinated because authorities were unfamiliar with the laws. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (81 PDF pages). Thus, no more than nine individuals were ever asked the same question. As one informant in Georgia reported, "the hospital will say 'this is an expensive bed, you need to get [the patient] out.' These fines ($50 for a first offense in North Carolina and $500 for a first offense in Pennsylvania) become more severe if criminal activity or a resident's death is involved. There were no reports of varying frequencies of unlicensed facilities between urban and rural areas. Carter applied for a license 11 months ago, but refused to answer our questions about why she was operating the home before being approved by the state. The goal of this exploratory study was to understand how unlicensed care homes function as a residential care option; the types of individuals who reside in them; their characteristics, including their quality and safety; and policies that influence the supply of and demand for these homes. 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