Emeritus splashes into the headlines with more bad news. Agrees to pay a $2.2 million settlement to settle underpayment claims by line staff members.
I first saw the story about Emeritus agreeing to a $2.2 million settlement for violation of California labor laws on Friday morning. The story was first reported by ProPublica, the organization behind the PBS assisted living report a few weeks ago. I have really struggled with whether or not to write about it at all, because I have gotten to know a number of people who work for Emeritus and have heard stories about how demoralizing these stories have been to them. It is sometimes hard to balance writing about what is important to the industry while not wanting to inflict further pain. At the end of the day, though, it is important news and needs to be explored.
The Settlement
In 2011 two Emeritus direct-care employees filed suit claiming they had been underpaid. The lawsuit covered direct care staff and was ultimately given class action status. The claims include: underpayment, denial of overtime, mandated meal times, rest times and uncompensated training sessions. While agreeing to the settlement, Emeritus claims they are adequately staffed and workers are properly compensated. They further claim that they “strive to be the employer of choice”.
What It All Means
It is easy to kick an organization when it is down and it is hard to know how to balance what is legitimate news and what is just exploiting someone else’s bad fortune. These are the thoughts that keep percolating through my mind:
- The old saying that where there is smoke there is fire makes me think that Emeritus has some real culture problems that need addressing. I say that knowing that it is difficult to know if the public problems of Emeritus mean they not doing as good a job as the other large national providers or if they are just the unlucky targets of ProPublica and FRONTLINE.
- The Details Matter. $2.2 million is not a trivial amount of money which suggests Emeritus either has real exposure or did not do an adequate job of keeping records. It is a reminder to all of us that we need to be meticulous in our recordkeeping.
- Team members who like their jobs, the company they work for, the working environment and the people they work with and for don’t sue. It is a reminder that creating an excellent work environment is more than just pay and benefits, it is creating a culture where people can hardly wait to get to work.
- Family members and residents who feel loved rarely if ever sue. This is tough because it is ultimately all about how good or bad the executive director at a community is. If they love coming to work and are committed to having staff that love to come to work and love their residents, there is a lot of forgiveness . . . a lot of grace.
- As terrible as this last month had been for Emeritus, if I were advising them, I would suggest that since the conversation is all about them, they have the ability to control or at least steer the conversation.
How Emeritus Could Own the Conversation
To this point the Emeritus response has mostly been to portray themselves as the victim of a hatchet job by PBS and ProPublica and, to a large degree, I agree with this assessment. That being said, it is a terrible way to own the conversation and to get on top of the story. I would like to propose the following would be a better way:
- Emeritus needs to treat this as a “wake-up” call that they need to make some changes. This is not to say they were a bad company before but rather that these public problems point the way toward making the company better.
- They then need to be talking about what the right standard for care for seniors with and without dementia should be.
- They should create a blue ribbon watchdog committee that would meet perhaps quarterly for the first year and would include outside experts to review incidents, make recommendations and issue public reports on how far they have come and what they are still working on.
- Finally I would suggest they hire an outsider to field the complaints and guide the response. It is almost impossible to do the best job of responding to attacks when you love your organization.
Steve Moran
Hi Steve. More interesting and thought provoking comments. I don’t believe that ultimately it’s all about the ED at any Emeritus (or other corporate owned) ALF. The ED can only do what the corporate office allows. What is a matter of written policy is not always (and sometimes often not) what is expected and directed of the EDs.
Emeritus seems to have many sloppy processes, procedures and enactment of policies. It seems as though care systems, personnel systems and hiring systems all need to be revised after thorough review.
I fully agree with your suggestion that Emeritus form a Watchdog committee comprised of outsiders (for the most part) to ensure that “group think” is done away with once and for all.
I have a feeling this is not the last we’ll hear of problems for Emeritus. I believe that the Frontline expose was just the tip of the iceberg. The empire is full of cracks and holes which are just now being revealed.
No one entity is “picking on” Emeritus. It’s more a case of Emeritus finally getting caught up in its own shortcomings.
Let’s hope, whether by outside requirements, or by inside desire to markedly improve systems, Emeritus gets themselves on the path of quality healthcare service provision before any other disasters are revealed (or happen).
Hi Edie:
I agree that ultimately it is about the culture that comes from the very top. That being said, I have seen two buildings owned by the same corporate entity and in similar markets where one has a good ED and the property is great and the other has a not so good ED and you can see the difference.
Steve
Emeritus is a company of “good ol’ boys” and if you are not one of them, you will be pushed out or stomped on. I am close to someone who had this happen to them and they do not care about their employees at all, just making more money and keepng their inner circle in tact. Completely without care or concern for their employees at any level, including VPs that aren’t part of their clique. If they are treating their own people this way, what kind of care do you expect they are providing to residents? They deserve all of the bad publicity they are getting, because they caused the problems themselves.
Ouch
I have been thinking of pursuing an opportunity with Emeritus, however I must consider my own personal ethics when I make such a choice as my passion in Senior Housing is about care, respect and dignity for those we serve.
I can honestly say that I would not consider Emeritus as a culture I wish to be involved in until some changes in culture are made or at least explored.
If changes are not made they will be swallowed up by a bigger fish.
Ouch again
I used my blog platform (www.the seniorlivingguru.com) to address this issue. It is totally the company’s culture. Somewhere along the way, they forgot that they need to care about their staff, as well as their residents. I completely agree with you – happy people do not sue, even if something happens. People happy with the company will try to work it out others ways first, if possible. People that feel like they are just a number, will treat the company the same way. You get the best work out of an employee when you treat them with respect and in turn, the employees will treat the residents with respect. It isnt rocket science!
Karen it all makes sense. Even if you are committed to doing a great job the size of the organization makes it much harder to ensure quality. it is a problem that is compounded with growth comes from acquisition because it just takes time to install a new culture.
Hi Steve,
I come from almost 30 years of first hand experience from owning 2 small RCFE’s, Memory Care, Hospice Care, ADP Program, Respite and in home support services. I have owned my own businesses, worked for a large organization and I now work for a Very large company of 100+ entities. I can tell you that the expectation of care and commitment to exceptional care absolutely starts at the top. It is the CEO’s and CFO’s …. that set the tone and provide the tools to create a foundation the company will be known for. It also is true that it falls on the E.D. In my previous job my Vice president was all about the care. He was an exceptional money man who could ensure we keep budget and still get the tools we need to provide great care and make the staff know we appreciate the job they do. We shared the same belief, resident care is number one, staff appreciation number two on importance. He was involved and knew every employee by name. Our departments under him had the highest satisfaction survey amoung residents, families and staff. When knew leadership took over in the top spots bringing in those who shared her goals care shifted and it was a trickle effect all the way through the organization. They no longer have the reputation and all the long time employees are gone and those law suits are surfacing in high numbers as well. I continue to get those calls fromsome families in that community and the couple of staff that remain still call as well with care issues. Its very sad. I took a break when I left there and thought about not continuing in my line of work. But then I came to know my current employers core values and thier involvement and interaction with the employees at all levels. It included the owners/CEO sitting at a small table with me and explaining these core values and how these are what the services and care are based on. No company is perfect, its just like a family. You have the ups and downs and when push comes to shove its all about feeling valued and that peace when I walk out the door of knowing I was able to be an example of those core values because it is what we stand for from the highest position down. E.D.s who are poor performers can also be responsible if they do not lead by example and set the tone for those under his or her leadership. I pray they embrace the opportunities they have to make the changes to ensure care…
Humans are imperfect; our humanity is what makes us influential. Emeritus should recognize their imperfection and use that to influence change.
Dr. Ethelle Lord
http://www.Remembering4you.com
Pioneer in Alzheimer’s Coaching
A company is only as good as its direct care employees, and even when a company tries to do everything right, there are many things that can go wrong. One concern I have with Emeritus is frequent turnover of staff and management. Also there is a strong focus on getting new residents at any cost. I know people who have met with their regional management and were told they closely track move-ins, but could not give an answer when asked how long residents stay, and blatantly stated they do not care if residents need to move out in a month or two. They will gladly pay commissions to placement agencies because these costs are covered by the admission fees they charge new residents. It is a revolving door with little focus on future quality of life for those residents who move in at a low price, but will not be able to afford it when they need more care in the future or run out of savings. No matter how dedicated a caregiver may be, if they have 15-20 residents to get bathed and dressed, it will become like an assembly line with no time for attention to details.
Steve, Edie,
I’m not sure what ED means in the context of the comments.
But I do agree that there is a tendency, in the media, and in the public, to kick someone when they’re down. And sadly it’s long been a huge thing, to sue, especially large companies and to exploit the litigious society we increasingly encourage.
If two employees felt they were underpaid, by a place as big as Emeritus, it can very well be that they were not happy for their own reasons. I do know that not everyone will be happy, even with a very good workplace – and that some work the system – it can pay quite well. It’s sad that our culture rewards that.
I’ve seen billboards, and there’s a website “WhoCanISue.com” This is not a joke, but some people treat it that way. With budgets cut over the past several years of bad economy and raising debt ceilings, people fear layoff and do a lot to protect their jobs.
As a small example of such phenomena, in south FL there was an “expose” series by the Miami Herald, both online and TV, with a print series in the actual newspaper. Now, newspapers have long suffered due to lack of readership, and the Herald is no exception. Were they gaining readers? You bet.
This series took place in the summer of 2011, two years ago now. But we are still feeling the effects. People do still make appointments, but many just “drop in”, which is what they’re hearing you need to do to be sure the ALF is as advertised. Everyone’s an investigator – as If we could simply tidy up in an hour if we’re expecting guests, changing an abuse environment into a good one…
The State embarked on a scorched earth project after that series. The “investigative journalism” was about SMALL ALFs, which do outnumber large ones, of course. They left the big chains Alone in doing that hatchet job. As times get worse, crime increases; I’m Not calling this a literal crime – just that people in hard times, turn to less conventional ways of making money. That applies to the Miami Herald, FrontLine, disgruntled maybe less than diligent workers, and to families of elderly people as well as good staff members who might otherwise try to work within the system for positive change – everyone else is doing it, I Told them so, and they come out later maybe a little more adamant than they were at the time, and certainly more positive, when on TV.
What broke my heart about the local series was people on TV saying, “This place Killed my mother”, voice over images of a place I wouldn’t put my dog. Did it get that way Overnight? Did she Visit her mom when she was in the place? Why not say something Then? They didn’t say she had filed suit initially – in fact they went a long way back for much of the ‘dirt’, up to Ten Years – nothing current was mentioned on the parts I saw.
Now, that said, one must fill “screen space” and the image/video was probably Not the same place she spoke of – certainly not, because it was the footage behind Another voice and they never named individual ALFs.
The focus here was we need to get people to Nursing Homes, because this little mom & pop places cut corners to make money and our folks deserve Real care with Doctors & Nurses, in a nice big nursing home… Cui Bono? A Latin term, Who Benefits, roughly. Follow the money, is another way to put it – applies to the complainants, the State, the big business and the press and the ALF alike. Do we believe the ALF Wants to make more, badly enough to risk this sort of thing?
Our governor is heavily involved in nursing homes, Oh, Rick Scott took office in January, 2010, and Nursing Homes were struggling, may still be – did you see all the references to how Assisted Living is Killing people and we need Nursing care for them, in the Emeritus piece? Sure, it’s all to Bigger and Bigger Government and Institutions that are “Too Big To Fail”, today. Call me an Austrian economics fan, but Keynesianism is the only way to justify this trend, and it’s what’s been taught and used in Government for so long, people think it Works…
Small business is the heart of America and it’s being choked out along with its middle class owners. We don’t offshore our jobs, by the way – collectively small business historically employs more people. In south FL, at the very time of the ‘debacle’ over (small) ALFs here, our regulators at AHCA had Taken Over a 200-bed place in Miami due to staff & fellow Residents (mental patients in their 40’s) raping elderly women, deaths undiscovered for over 24 hours… If Any ALF deserved to be shut down, it was Munne (a residential developer who opened an ALF on a remaining parcel when housing crashed) The vast majority of Small ALFs are opened by people who know there Has to be a Better way, a more hands-on, individual focus, for our elderly. We’re overwhelmingly motivated by a personal or family experience where we said the big machine is Not doing the Human job. We need a human touch in this cold ‘medical’ world, and we’re right about that.
Why did they not close Munne or Talk about it? It was in the words of “my” AHCA investigator, “too big to fail”. Where would they Put 185 people, half of them mental patients and the rest frail elderly, in storm season no less? So they hired an Administrator (I hope at Munne’s expense) who had been the head of the AL unit at AHCA, and after a Year, there were still issues.
Small and a few mid-sized places can be closed easily. But small ones close themselves via Free Market operation. If it’s not good, people won’t go there, they’ll move out, they can’t Afford to pay the mortgage and other expenses for 2-3 people, even if the owner Has another job or Lives at the ALF (thus saving her own mortgage/rent and utilities) and they’re out of business with only a couple of people to place. Good ones go down lately that way too. Just because they know their budget, and keep beds empty too long, then it’s gone too far and they close it. Or conversely a good deed is punished. We wait for benefits, taking half the rate for up to a year. We don’t do the math and find ourselves broke, unable to pay our own bills at home, empty our savings, and go down with the empathy of Resident families – though they don’t say here’s what we owe you in arrears – they just move the resident glad they saved money. The state doesn’t usually have to be involved.
We heard Nothing about all that in this Miami Herald series – the public is easily misled by an increasingly complicit media that are often advocates for $ instead of watchdogs for the public. I’m sure many other local hatchet jobs have been done. Then the big guns come out with national media picking up the chant, let’s move them to nursing homes. Is that really in the best interest of our clients? Are we not at risk as an industry, and more so those doing a good job, caring about people? I think so. This is Not just about Emeritus, if you Listen to what was being Said there – Increasingly everyone thinks More Regulation is in order. I believe less corruption, enforcement of laws we Have, Not putting the Feds in charge to siphon off More money to Regulate what’s already regulated by the states and leaving Less to actually Care for People with. More red tape, seriously? Sometimes “Free” is really Very Costly.
Baby Boomers Don’t Want Nursing homes and AL clients Don’t Need them. I get calls frequently from those with relatives in big ALFs. You would think with economies of scale, they can Afford to house Residents for less per person, given that their rules dictate less than 1/6th the ratio of caregivers to Residents, even if they pay caregivers twice what we pay… But they have investors to pay and executives making insane money, so it becomes another big machine. Boomers don’t Want to live in that environment, are increasingly ‘downsizing’ their folks’ ALF when they see it’s both more Hands-On, Better care, in an environment they’re Used to (a House) but it’s also Less Expensive! Why should “government” really Taxpayers pay $700 a Day for people to live in a nursing home, when smaller ALFs charge about $700 a Week with much better Quality of Life and a Homelike Environment?
Of Course we are all affected by changes in Medicare, even we in AL who are not Paid by Medicare or Medical insurance whether “affordable” or free market. It seems these deaths in FL were up to 10 Years prior. There were no statistics or real analysis of the situation, just inflammatory video and people saying their folks were Killed by Florida ALFs…
Now people see that and a complaint was filed against my ALF with AHCA shortly after; they dropped in to grill me for Hours. Afterward, I almost wanted to say, “Is That all you’ve Got?” Why couldn’t he say up front what the issue was? The staff member disagreed with me about one of the issues this man harped on, (how we change the A/C filter, in detail, gloves, where are the Residents while this goes on, who has O2, nebulizer, do I have a clear “mold inspection” – (Not required or even Available) I supplied the name, and he asked what the situation was, After going over Everything, with special focus on canned good dates and the air quality, eyeing every can of food and A/C vent.
Of course he neither confirmed nor denied the identity, and I can “never be told” who it was, to ensure elderly safety, not discourage complaints. Are we to sue an individual? She damaged me maliciously. In fact, the dept of labor comes down on the employer, giving them lectures and pamphlets on Non-Retaliation violation penalties. There is no protection for the ALF. Small ones don’t have lawyers on retainer. AHCA looks at Everything, Then goes over complaint items in detail.
That’s harsh – now, if they see a sloppy house, they can point out a few items to improve, but if a complaint is about air quality and food supply, then Say that and focus on those items. Get in and out, leave the Residents in peace. In a small home, they Know this is Not normal – there’s no private office where we can be grilled, so it stresses staff, residents and most of all the administrator, who often must dash out of their ‘day job’ and risk negative fallout from that as well. Trust me, I’ve Thought about closing my home. But our families say, “My God, where would I take Mom, this is her Home, she Loves it here, Don’t do that!” Still not seeing the need for rate increases.
The investigator told me times are hard – too many “unfounded” complaints, he risks his own job. So he cited me for Zucchini instead of green beans with lunch (my girls were shaking in their boots that AHCA was there within 10 days of this woman’s tirade – they didn’t interrupt to remind me that I was on my way to the store when they called to say AHCA is here- he stayed thru lunch and they improvised)
Complainant had dropped by to fill out an application less than 2 weeks prior. She then proposed to work a day free of charge to show her skills & get orientated/trained. I took her up on it; as she was extra, I went over and we did together, a few weekly chores. The monthly and quarterly ones include weighing Residents (she did, recording it) the A/C filter change, and going through emergency food supplies in the garage, rotating out older items to use & some housekeeping items. She did the food thing, then I said, “it’s time to change the A/C filter (it’s a House) and she became irate! She’s a CNA, how Dare I – I should get a Man to do that, it’s Maintenance work, She does Resident care. I asked her to lower her voice as this is Their home – She raised it more, I was “discriminating against her” (she’s Caribbean) she will talk in any tone she chooses, or Don’t I Want the Residents to Know I’m Breaking the law, like those ALFs on TV…. (I thought this is too bizarre)
and that AHCA would be interested in asking a CNA to do Maintenance work, it’s against the law (despite the Job Description and her orientation tour saying that we treat the home as if it’s ours, teamwork, so between 2-3 staff on duty any given day, we cook, clean, do laundry, ADLs, activities and recordkeeping chores)
I calmed her down at last by doing the filter myself, and left to get a check from my office.
She called me irate before I could get back, that I’d talked privately with one of my staff, about her tirade. Yes, to say that if it starts again, she should call police. The staffer just admitted that yes, I’d talk to her about the new hire, and she called to yell at me again. I did get back with the check, wrote it out to her despite her angry objections, that she had Agreed to work for free, but that I’d certainly hear from AHCA if not the Labor Dept due to the Stated or Offered rate of pay not being what “AHCA” dictates, which they Don’t cover that nor her agreed duties… I had her sign a statement that she didn’t complete the agreed training day and that I insist on paying her for the time spent there. But the Dept of Labor still came down on our home to stress everyone out, demanding (payroll) records from the prior Three Years in addition to the AHCA inquisition.
Like I said, a small example – obviously we’d be out of business if we were no good, but still it’s a struggle and we are So Vulnerable as a small ALF. It just seems everyone takes up the chant too easily that we need a behemoth government entity to properly care for our elderly. I am not buying it. The small ALF is the next step from Family care, becoming a family of their own. Then ALFs in general are a Far better thing than Nursing homes for those those who are care needs appropriate.
I believe we need to do something as an Industry to counter this trend of witch hunts, and I don’t think it’s too strong a word. Does Emeritus need to address issues. Certainly – but it’s not like ALFs are killing the elderly, and the media is too complicit in the move to huge (everything) and government intervention.
Doreen, thanks so much for comments and I think your underlying theme is that this kind of reporting does not help anyone from the residents to the oporator.
Steve
Steve,
Oh, ED = Executive Director. Sorry, that’s so removed from my little ALF world, I’m embarassed.
Well anyway, that’s the view from the Eye Level of the Resident and family member. We are really very much like an adopted daughter in law to our Residents at the group home ALF. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I wondered in the beginning, how would I manage, because I knew I’d get close to our Residents, I’d Love them and grieve for them. Yes, I do, but the comfort we give them and their quality of life so offsets that, it’s amazing what a blessing this mission turned small not for profit business has been to my heart.
Now I need to find a way to make it pay me at least a small salary – that’s not happening the past 2 years with gas more than double what it cost when we opened, and Everything else up apace. Sometimes we don’t think about the fact that Everything needs to be Shipped to the store or to us, so Everything costs much more today just as a result of that one cost increas. Then add inflation, the Fed printing money, the housing crash and unemployment, the economic realities of life…. Wow, I’m amazed we’re still here when I think of all that.
I’ve long wanted to start a local group for small ALFs, so we can buy supplies by the pallet, much as organic food coops operate, where people go to one person’s home to pickup their weekly ‘share’ of the produce buy. This can increase efficiency, save money & time for individuals, and improve quality (whole wheat costs double or more but in bulk….) But we are all so busy – I’m sure we could afford to pay someone to coordinate this, get a truck of our own to store stuff in for a day or two, with even a modest membership fee, but people don’t want to help Build things like this…. So they keep ordering from their present source by the case or running around all weekend like I do. I do this to afford Better, healthier food on an ALF budget. My families are amazed and thrilled, but nobody wants to accept rate increases, despite my own cost increases.
I’m afraid people will increasingly come to think that Bigger is Better or is the Only way – it’s Not, but look at the family farms that went down to that chant over the years. Now it’s “too big to fail”. That Scares me with senior care.
From LinkedIn Groups
All good suggestions Steve.
By Kathryn Watson
From LinkedIn Groups
I agree with Donna, $2.2 mill will not faze the decision makers. In fact, their insurance will pay most of the settlement. Result? No real change in how people are treated or appreciated. High turnover is only one red flag of mismanagement and poor HR policies, I believe.
By Wendy Goldman, MBA/MS Gerontology
From LinkedIn Groups
My guess is that many, many assisted living communities could be submit to legitimate claims about wage and hour laws. Emeritus was a good target because it is a big corporation and has money to pay. On the other hand, why bother suing a 6-bed board
A $2.2 million settlement to a company their size is not that large and dodges the need to make real change as opposed to the cosmetics. I wonder if Emeritus, being a for-profit, will be able to look within and make the changes you propose to their culture and employee structure. It may be bad enough for them to need an ombudsman to field internal whistle-blowing.
By Donna Cusano
From LinkedIn Groups
The truth is NEVER painful!
By Cristina S. Castro
From LinkedIn groups
Hi Steve,
I couldn’t agree more with you. Emeritus needs to step up to the plate and make some visible changes. Your suggestions are great examples of handling the damage. When dealing with the senior population,it is up to the “experts” to advocte for the best care possible. Customer service is so important in any service industry, but especially with seniors and their families.
We all know the pressure to fill our residences, but making the best possible fit for each senior and residence should be priority.
By Carla Pepka
From LinkedIn Groups
karma
By Kerri Etminan, LNFA
From LinkedIn Groups
Wow. In our new world of lawsuits, rather than “unhappy” people leaving and going where they are “happy” they would rather run the entire company down the drain. I have personally been happy and I have been unhappy and then I either chose to work there to improve things from my little corner or I left. I am so glad I am not in the media business where ruining a company or a reputation gives others a reason to rejoice and gloat. Sad, very sad. There will always be companies of integrity, there will always be those who need to be corrected and even put out of business, but we don’t always know the whole story. This company probably has good people of integrity and not so trustworthy people, people who are sloppy with systems and others who are better. So…I don’t know this company personally, but I know myself and none of us are perfect, all of us can improve. I always want to work where I would want my own parent to live and if this is not that kind of place…I would be willing to help them if they hired me as a consultant and if possible, create better systems and hire sincere caregivers and leadership. Being part of the solution is the goal I would strive for. That is my two cents worth. So hopefully they will get some outside help and survive or turn it over to someone else. There are current residents and families and staff who must be suffering from all of this turmoil, they are a huge reason to improve.
By Janice Dressander
Janice,
That’s absolutely the best attitude one can have. Thank you for summing it up like that.
At the end of the day, the Residents need to come first, and many times, needed change that comes from within the organization, ends up being good for the bottom line as well.
Doreen Campbell, Angel House ALF in FL
From LinkedIn Groups
I am a former employee of Emeritus. I resigned after multiple requests for care practices to be reviewed and corrected. My requests were not addressed, so I resigned. Emeritus does need to take a hard look at their systems and processes. There are real problems within the organization!
By Tricia Marks
From LinkedIn Groups
Well said Tricia. I looked into the company after reading this and there appears to have been several different issues over many states and many unfortunate incidents where residents passed away. I would have resigned as well, but with such a huge organization, the media would want to use them as an example. I am hopeful that this will be a wake up call and that this company will survive and come out of this by following those like yourself who would like to help them to improve their services. Thanks for your comments.
By Janice Dressander
From LinkedIn Groups
They might want to start by paying their entire staff a decent wage.
By Sherry Christiaens
From LinkedIn Groups
I would agree with many things you mention, Steve. Perhaps what is happening to Emeritus is a symptom of Assisted Living care in general. As a group we need to reconnect with the original philosophy; a home-like environment where the resident where directs how they live. Until we do this we will always be looking at how to “fix” ourselfves.
By Laura J Warren
From LinkedIn groups
What’s missing at Emeritus is often what is absent at the top of other large companies, people who actually care. When you hire people strictly for their financial and business skills you lose out. Somewhere in the corporate world there has to be someone who cares about the actual people they employ and the customers they serve. In many cases policies are made on what looks good as a marketing perspective, not what really works. Really successful companies actually care and recognize that “care” in others
By Mary Poole
From LinkedIn Groups
The value that many free standing facilities bring is that they care about the residents. Large publicly traded companies frequently care about shareholder earnings.
By Bill Marr
From LinkedIn Groups
Unfortunately Emeritus is not the only corporation that is so far removed from what the Assisted Living Directors and care staff deal with in terms of the acuity levels of the residents. The “fill the building” mantra is well known in this industry and the care staff do not have the training necessary to care for people with dementia. If the assisted living industry would create high standards and self-regulate, they would avoid government oversight that is indeed on the horizon.
By Christine Shupe
From LinkedIn Groups
Well, sometimes it Is painful, when you look at the big picture. This is not just Emeritus, but potentially the whole of the industry we call ours.
There are no absolutes – nothing is black or white, merely shades of gray. Did they Want people to die? I can’t believe that’s the case.
Is there such a thing as “too big to fail” in ALFs? I think we can stop at the first two words, “Too Big” because then the state and everyone else, tends to think in terms of Dollars or in terms of Fallout if something happens.
The state Can’t shut them down, and maybe they don’t have the right, unless the issues are pervasive and common. In this case, I submit the total number of beds vs incidents or issues, they are in the norm for average quality of care in the industry. Does that make it ok? Not at all.
Imagine you’re a state inspector – these people pay big license fees to pay you. The place looks like the Marriott and why would you think they’re not giving good care? Obviously before the media coverage, we didnt’ hear all this. Everyone is doing their own jobs, trying to have time for themselves, not spending the weekend blogging or researching things like this. Think outside this group and yourself for a moment. Why would the average inspector think this is a longstanding problem? And is it?
Now, this inspector reports back or they send a senior one who reports back, and they assign in my opinion, too small a fine. But the company has Lawyers, Firepower, Political Clout and Connections…. How Can they shut down a 200-bed place and Where do they Place the Residents?? Gov Rick Scott of FL is in the Nursing home business. The Miami Herald did something like this, calling for Federal regulation and more State oversight – The cases ‘exposed’ were up to a Decade old – they went back that far to see significant yellow media fodder…
Scott Cracked Down on ALFs (when most didn’t deserve it) and may be furthering his own agenda. Did you notice the call for Nursing Home care in this piece? It was repeated. Did you Hear the call for Big / More Government – that’s no accident either. Do you see the media taking up that chant more and more in the past Several years? Am I the only one who sees a Pattern here, a Painful and Dangerous one?
Or do we just see each post and article, each incident, as an isolated thing?
It Is painful for me to hear this in our circle. We care deeply for our Residents, and we are much smaller. We don’t make their kind of money. Their Caregivers make more than I do as an ALF owner/administrator. This is a tough economy.
By Doreen Campbell
From LinkedIn Groups
It is so sad that this saga continues for this company. Somehow I hope something good will eventually evolve from this tragic turn of events for this company, and the families that support the share holders bottom line. I said before caring cannot be legislated, either you have ethical standards or you don’t. That is unfortunately the bottom line.
By Carolyn Jackson
From LinkedIn Groups
@Gary…I don’t see your remarks as self-serving, but certainly short-sighted. Throwing more money at a problem is not necessarily going to improve deliverables. Not anymore than putting more people behind the counter at a fast food restaurant will improve the quality of the food, or speed of service. The key is accountability, consistent execution of systems and best practices, and proper oversight coupled with vigilant plans of correction, and unannounced follow-up.
As to the topic at hand which is Fair Labor practices, let’s put the numbers into perspective by remembering the recent Walmart situation, which ended with a settlement of $33.5 million in back wages plus interest to settle a federal lawsuit that accused the company of violating overtime laws involving 86,680 workers.
By Scott Geller, MS
Scott,
To add perspective to your perspective of Walmart’s case, that’s $400,000 per worker…
Except that the lawyers ate up half of the total anyway. Still, that’s a LOT of money, so it includes fines and a lot of bad PR stuff, and the people who brought the suit piled on – I’m sure the company had lots of automated systems, and it’s like anything, high profile cases they figure Walmart can afford it
Like Steve said, Emeritus can also afford it, and it’s not much incentive to change, but there is a Lot of money for those who do this kind of ‘reporting’, as well as the lawyers. Sadly, nothing goes to the Solution but Maybe some incentive to change due to negative publicity,
but as discussed, not much of that either. People shop where they shop. A few may ‘boycott’ but then within a month, it’s forgotten by and large.
– Yes, people see Emeritus’ name and senior care being a serious thing and very personal and individual, that may make a difference – but in today’s reality TV world, who watches PBS? I’m not sure if this has gotten out to the majority of those dealing with these issues – that is, for whom institutional care is not yet a bridge to cross.
Many millions are completely unaware of this issue and again, it will be forgotten soon by the mainstream public.
Emeritus is the worst company I have ever worked for. Not only is it about the bottom line it is about micromanaging every employee’s day and dictating how you get to the bottom line. I worked at a community that was always full and yet the management was not happy because they didn’t think I made enough calls or sent enough emails some days. They told me to ignore the residents. I was told to ignore the families. They need to be exposed and I am afraid they wont be. Oooo those poor residents…
My Mom fell due to overgrown toenails.Emeritus never even apolojized to me or our family.4 days later Mom died with a broken hip,broken pelvis.I miss my Mom.My heart aches.My life has been forever changed.I am so sad.