Consumer Reports Finds Assisted Living Falls Short of Promise

Consumer Reports has published the results of a three-month investigation into assisted living facilities. The July 2005 report, "Assisted Living: How much assistance can you really count on?", concludes that assisted living presents quite a different picture from its early promise as the best hope of America's seniors for avoiding confinement in a nursing home.

Settings vary dramatically (from high-rise apartment buildings to down-at-the-heels mansions and single-family houses), there is often a "troubling mismatch between the care a resident needs and the care a facility and its staff can give," and states provide little oversight or protection for residents. Moreover, most facilities are operated by small private companies that don't provide information -- including data on their financial strength -- needed for consumers to make an informed decision. The report, available on the Web for non-subscribers, discusses the major assisted living industry players, paying for assisted living care, how to choose a facility and assisted living regulations state-by-state.

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