Safe, Humane Assisted-Living Facilities: The Steps Virginia Is Taking

Our success or failure in making improvements will depend on how successfully those of us who care about this issue rise above our differences to come together to develop solutions. Among the more important issues that we must address concerning assisted-living facilities:

• Strengthening laws and regulations at a pace that will not put conscientious providers out of business.

• Improving and streamlining enforcement and appeal methods.

• Assisting the industry in coping with a shrinking and untrained workforce.

• Keeping consumers better informed so that they can make better choices when selecting an assisted-living facility.

• Establishing requirements to better protect special populations, such as residents with mental illness or retardation.

• Fully implementing the recently strengthened Adult Protective Services Act.

• Ensuring that assisted-living facilities that accept public money are held accountable.

• Finding ways to improve management practices and better determine appropriate staffing levels.

• Improving medication administration.

• Increasing education and training requirements and qualifications for administrators and staffs.

Our primary goal is to ensure the health and safety of residents of assisted-living facilities, but we can't stop there. These residents must be given the maximum opportunity to realize their potential for independence and to pursue a meaningful quality of life.

I look forward to working with the General Assembly, the state Board of Social Services, the assisted-living facilities industry, community leaders and the public in crafting standards, policy and legislation to raise the bar without putting assisted-living facilities that provide good care out of business.

I welcome this spotlight on Virginia's assisted-living industry. We must ensure that the spirits of our elderly and disabled adults are not broken and that they are living in secure environments. Only then can they enjoy the dignity and respect they deserve.

-- Maurice A. Jones

is deputy chief of staff to the governor and the commissioner of the Virginia

Department of Social Services.

Maurice.jones@dss.virginia.gov