New Rules Allow Frail Elders to Continue Residing in Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities

New regulations unveiled by Massachusetts regulators will let frail elderly residents continue to live in assisted living facilities. The regulations include the protections for these residents, including a mandate for expanded facility staff training and detailed facility evacuation plans in the event of extreme weather or some other emergency situation.

The decision by the state accommodates the very elderly who once would have moved to a nursing home because of their frail health. Now, however, many of them have been opting to stay at assisted living facility. This has resulted in an increasingly frail population in communities that are loosely regulated.

There had even been a provision under consideration that would have barred assisted living facilities from taking in residents or allowing them to stay if they needed over 90 days of skilled, consecutive nursing care. Currently, there are approximately 14,000 residents living in some 225 assisted living facilities.

Unfortunately, it is the frail and elderly who are the most vulnerable to Boston nursing negligence and abuse. Inadequate staff training and insufficient staffing are two of the more common reasons why, as well as that the very old and frail residents are usually the ones who are too weak or sick or mentally impaired to report the abuse when it happens. In Massachusetts, please contact Altman & Altman, LLP if you think your loved one is the victim of Boston assisted living abuse or neglect.

The new regulations mandate for better staff training in learning how to identify and report elder abuse, as well as techniques for managing and dealing with aggressive patient behavior, which is common in patients suffering from dementia. However, no requirement was given for a staff number minimum.

Improper assisted living care and nursing abuse can result in serious injuries, emotional trauma, and deaths for residents. If you suspect that your loved one is not getting the necessary care or attention needed at a Massachusetts nursing home our assisted living facility, contact Altman & Altman, LLP today.

New rules to let frail elders stay in assisted living, The Boston Globe, February 6, 2015

Massachusetts Assisted Living Association

Executive Offihttp://shop2give.us/1b8JeC6ce of Elder Affairs, Mass.gov

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