At hearing, Casey issued public call for families to share their experiences navigating the assisted living landscape
Casey also touted oversight of major assisted living facility owners and urged for increased transparency around costs and quality of care
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) held a hearing entitled, “Assisted Living Facilities: Understanding Long-Term Care Options for Older Adults.” The hearing examined the American assisted living landscape and significant concerns with workforce shortages, prohibitive costs, and a general lack of transparency about the adequacy of care.
During the hearing, Chairman Casey touted letters he sent to three of the largest corporate owners of assisted living facilities, demanding transparency about their workforce issues and cost structures. He also addressed the exorbitant cost and insidious hidden fees that are charged by many assisted living facilities, and issued a public call for families to share their experiences navigating the assisted living landscape with the Aging Committee.
“We have an obligation to ensure that all Americans have access to the quality care they need to age with dignity,” said Chairman Casey. “Unfortunately, what I heard today makes clear that we have a long way to go when it comes to guaranteeing the level of care that older Americans in assisted living facilities deserve. We must do better by the residents of these facilities and their families and ensure that safe and affordable care are widely available.”
At the hearing, Casey also announced he was joining his colleagues Senators Fetterman, Gillibrand, Warren, Blumenthal, Kelly, and Warnock to send a letter the Government Accountability Office, asking them to conduct a study of how much federal money is spent on assisted living facilities, and the cost of assisted living services and how available and transparent that information is to families.
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