As lawmakers consider ‘bill of rights’ for seniors, some share stories of care
Late meals, no meals, short-staffing and negligence: these were just some of the issues readers shared with McClatchy regarding their experiences at assisted or independent living facilities in Washington state.
In July, McClatchy first reported on an incident between residents and management at a senior living facility in Lacey called Bonaventure that prompted lawmakers to consider a “bill of rights” for senior residents statewide.
Rep. Laurie Dolan, Rep. Jessica Bateman and Sen. Sam Hunt, all Democrats representing the 22nd Legislative District in Thurston County, have been connecting seniors to the Office of the State Long Term Care Ombuds, where information is being collected.
Emails soon came in after McClatchy published the first story from others sharing their experiences.
Kristina Robitsch, a former kitchen employee at an independent living facility in Olympia, told McClatchy that even though she really cared about the residents where she worked, she was told that residents should not be treated like friends, but that they should instead be treated like “customers,” because that’s what management told her they were.
She also said because the budget always seemed to be limited, the kitchen was frequently out of items. Additionally, management would refuse food to seniors who were late for meals, Robitsch said. Robitsch had to remind the chef about one resident’s food allergy, but she said the response she got from the cooks was that “a little bit won’t kill her.”
Robitsch left the facility in May.
Another reader told McClatchy that some of the issues they’ve seen at assisted living facilities, where some help is provided with medical needs and daily activities, are even worse than independent facilities because staffing levels are low and workers aren’t paid enough.
The issues aren’t just related to services while living in the facilities, either.
Walt Bowen, president of the Washington State Senior Citizens’ Lobby, told McClatchy he has heard several horror stories about relatives who have tried to get their family member’s money back after the family member dies. Oftentimes, he said, it can take years for families to recover the leftover money.
But, Bowen said, sometimes the problems at these types of facilities can simply be boiled down to misunderstandings and miscommunication between staff and residents.
And when McClatchy asked readers to share their experiences, not all of the stories were bad.
Two readers shared that moving to Panorama in Lacey was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made. Another reader in Kennewick said her mother was treated with respect and loved the beautiful facility she lived in.
According to the Washington Masonic Charities website, the average cost of assisted living in Washington is between $3,800 to $6,750 per month as of 2021. One reader told McClatchy that their parents were paying $8,000 at a facility in Bellingham.
Ombuds people for the Washington State Long-Term Care Ombuds Program will be collecting data leading up to the legislature in January and have encouraged seniors to reach out to them with specific issues.
In the meantime, Bowen said his goal is to help educate seniors in these facilities by bringing them literature about how to protect themselves against fraud and other issues, or simply connecting them to services. Bowen said he also is working to bring newspapers into those facilities as he believes seniors are “left out of democracy” when they don’t have access to the news.
Additionally, he told McClatchy he has been working with the Washington State Broadband Office to get seniors internet access in places where the service isn’t acceptable, or completely nonexistent.
For residents interested in participating in data collection for the legislature, the Office of the State Long Term Care Ombuds can be reached by phone at 800-562-6028, or through their website at WAombudsman.org
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 5:30 AM.
