Our Thoughts On Assisted Living Facilities Here In Florida

Recently the Miami Herald published an excellent series "Neglected to Death" that brought to our attention some of the horrific conditions that exist in some assisted living facilities here in Florida.

For many of us (even those like myself who work with these issues everyday), who are in the throes of searching for solutions for our own parents, this was an eye-opening and disturbing series, and highlights the importance of having the information at our finger tips that enable us to make good and informed choices.

Not every choice we make for ourselves or our parents will be perfect but the knowledge that the services we engage are quality, safe and secure allows us to tweak and make the changes that make us feel that we are as close to perfection as possible. This is the underlying philosophy of Seniority Matters.

 I read and re-read each installment of the series many times. While I was thrilled to see our legislators jump into action, I fear that their response is like a bandaid on a huge gash.  I believe we need to fix the system from the bottom up.

Think about it for a second.... most of us reading this blog use the internet as a major source of information. I even use the internet to validate things that people say to me. When making critical choices for myself or my father, I want to have the critical information I need at my fingertips.

A lot of the information that we need to make these decisions are available, but it is all over the place, and unless you are dedicated to sleuthing it out you won't find it. Having such information readily available to all requires a major overhaul. 

After hours of thinking I submitted my thoughts and opinions and submitted to the Miami Herald. It was published in the Ideas and Issues section in Sunday's (May 29) paper. 

Have you had a chance to read the series?  I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic that so many of us are facing.