Safety May Be Lagging for People With Dementia

With dementia care the fastest-growing segment of assisted living, some communities across the United States are coming up short on ensuring security and attentive care, reports the New York Times . A Kaiser Health News study of inspection records in the three most populous states — California, Florida, and Texas — found many assisted living communities have violated state regulations related to dementia care. The rules for assisted living are less stringent than for nursing communities, with no federally-mandated program to license or oversee these communities, while states' rules are minimal. The National Center for Assisted Living's Lindsay Schwartz says assisted living communities must balance safety with allowing people with dementia as much independence as possible. Moreover, the industry contends rigid government rules are incompatible with the individual strategies that assisted living communities aspire to create for residents. However, residents' families, lawyers, and advocates say the sometimes violent behavior of agitated residents and escapes could be avoided with improved training and staffing.