ALFA embarks on ambitious agenda for 2014

by Jeff Shaw

Educating consumers on how to plan for their long-term care needs is a top priority

By Maribeth Bersani

Assisted living is a healthy industry on an upswing thanks to the swelling ranks of the aging U.S. population, the dedicated professionals serving senior living communities and the residents and families they serve.

The nascent industry has grown since its emergence in the 1980s, today representing a meaningful option for seniors seeking a residential alternative to skilled nursing care.  

Why assisted living is the most popular long-term care option 

– Assisted living is customer focused and consumer driven. Families and seniors appreciate the option to live in an environment guided by a philosophy of care embracing four vital principles — choice, independence, dignity and quality of life.

Assisted living is affordable. Average rates in 2012 for a private room in a nursing home were $7,543 per month compared to a private room in assisted living at $3,550 per month. Annually, this means assisted living is about 50 percent less expensive than skilled nursing facilities — $42,600 versus $90,520. MetLife Mature Market Institute, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.’s center of expertise in aging, conducts this annual comparison of long-term care costs. 

Changing demographics create robust environment 

The current demographics of the United States show why assisted living is filling a cultural need. With the current average age of an assisted living resident 85 years old, the data is compelling. 

In 2010, 40.3 million people — or 12 percent of the total U.S. population — were age 65 or older with the fastest growing segment of America’s population consisting of seniors who are age 85 and older. 

In 2010, there were 5.8 million Americans age 85 or older. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2050, the number of people in that age group will balloon to 19 million. Many assisted living communities offer special care and services for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. Today, 5.4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s. That number is expected to grow to 16 million by 2050. 

An informed legislative body is critical

At ALFA we work hard to raise the bar of excellence in assisted living. As such, we educate policy makers and lawmakers about the benefits and services provided in assisted living. Basic data helps policy makers understand the population that calls assisted living home.

A 2010 national survey of residential care, which was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, revealed that a typical assisted living resident is female, widowed, 85 years old and needs assistance with three activities of daily living such as bathing and dressing. 

Additionally, the study indicated that 42 percent of residents in assisted living have some degree of Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. 

While all 50 states regulate and license assisted living communities, a priority of ALFA is to ensure that state laws and regulations protect residents’ rights to live with dignity and choice. ALFA has successfully advocated for new laws in a variety of states to allow assisted living residents the right to choose to remain in assisted living instead of having that decision made by a state regulator. 

What many consumers don’t know is that unless state regulations specifically say that a resident can stay in the community as long as the resident/family, provider and attending physician agree the resident’s needs can be met, the state regulator has the right to say a resident’s needs exceed the type of care that can be provided in assisted living and be required to move out. 

This is most common when an assisted living resident is on hospice. If the state assisted living laws do not allow someone on hospice to remain in assisted living, the law-enforcing state regulator will tell the provider it must discharge the resident. ALFA recently collaborated with other advocacy groups and successfully changed the laws in Georgia and Rhode Island to provide more resident choice. 

ALFA also has a top priority of oversight and enforcement of the state regulations. However, most states around the nation continue to face tight budgets, which occasionally have impeded their ability to conduct ongoing licensing inspections in a timely manner. ALFA encourages states to think creatively to remedy the problem.

For example, assisted living communities that have proven over time a degree of excellence through deficiency-free surveys could be put on a two- or three-year inspection cycle rather than on an annual basis, allowing state inspectors to focus more time and attention on providers not meeting this standard of excellence. 

Another solution is to allow providers the option to voluntarily pay for accreditation and receive deemed status in return. Again, this would free up state inspectors to allocate time and resources on those communities that need it.

The road ahead in 2014

Advocacy at the federal level will continue to be a priority for ALFA this year. ALFA is currently reviewing the recent recommendations of the Commission on Long-Term Care. ALFA’s goal is to continue to explore ways for consumers to plan and prepare for their own long-term care needs. 

Another priority for ALFA in 2014 is to be an advocate for funding the research, detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with a goal of finding a cure by 2025.

We plan to host another “advocacy fly-in” event in 2014, hoping to build on last year’s success. More than 140 ALFA members came to Washington, D.C., this past September to meet with 300-plus elected officials and educate them about the senior living business, including critical issues in assisted living. 

Resident satisfaction is high overall

Occupancy in assisted living is averaging 90.9 percent nationwide, according to the 2012 State of Seniors Housing report. While anecdotally we have known that consumers are extremely satisfied living in assisted living, a 2013 poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and Frederick Polls showed that 94 percent of assisted living residents say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the overall quality of life in their community, and 99 percent say they feel safe or very safe living in their community. 

Assisted living communities have become an integral part of neighborhoods across the country and of our daily lives, providing a valuable service to seniors and families in a residential environment that enriches their lives and wellness.

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