Editorial: Help Make State's Most Vulnerable Citizens Safer

For many years, Washington state has enjoyed a reputation of having the most cost-effective, long-term-care systems in the nation, with ample choices to help people remain in their own homes or communities, where care is cheaper and more homelike than in nursing facilities.

Ironically, one of the central innovations of our "best in the nation" system has become a threat to that system — adult family homes. According to the state Department of Social and Health Services, the number of abuse and neglect complaints in these homes rose 53 percent between 2004 and 2010. An investigative series published by The Seattle Times last fall profiled several horrific examples of such abuse.

I recall reading The Seattle Times "Seniors For Sale" series with utter horror, not only because of the brutal abuse described but because it took me back to 2004 when my own parents, both in their 90s, were in need of such care.

Clearly there is a need for additional oversight in an industry that cares for the most vulnerable among us. The state Legislature is currently considering two pieces of legislation that would do just that.

Step one is Senate Bill 5092 and its companion, House Bill 1277, which call for more frequent inspections of adult family homes, steeper sanctions for violations and higher safety standards.

Step 2 is House Bill 1494, which would require agencies that refer families to adult family homes and other supportive housing to clearly disclose their fees and terms of service upfront. Given the abuses that have occurred, both of these measures seem long overdue and the absolute minimum oversight we should expect.

But nothing in Olympia is ever simple or without opponents.

Adult family homes are screaming bloody murder that the license-fee increase needed to implement step 1 would put them out of business. This is nonsense.

Full Editorial and Source:
Help Make State's Most Vulnerable Citizens Safer