One of the state’s largest assisted living organizations is saying two high-profile senior abuse incidents point to the need for better state oversight. As Jim Ash reports, Gail Matillo, president of the Florida Chapter of the Assisted Living Federation of America is outraged.
Earlier this year, the Legislature overhauled regulations. One of the changes included extra inspections by the state Agency for Health Care Administration for homes found to have a serious violation. Matillo praises AHCA response to the incidents but says regulators could always do more.
”I think there has to be more oversight on the types of ownership that’s going on with these smaller communities and AHCA just focusing on these bad actors.’’
Earlier this week, police arrested a St. Petersburg woman who owned a facility for charging $2,000 worth of merchandise to the credit card of a patient who died. The state shut down another facility in Hialeah after residents were found lying in their own waste and some tied to their beds.
