A California state senator is calling a hearing on the assisted living industry following an investigative series by U-T San Diego that uncovered multiple deaths at communities due to neglect.
The ongoing investigative series, titled “Deadly Neglect,” began Sept. 8 and focused on assisted living communities in San Diego.
Dating back to 2008, at least 27 seniors have died due to documented neglect and abuse in assisted living facilities in the county, U-T San Diego alleges, and hundreds more have suffered other abuses ranging from sexual assaults to medication errors.
“It’s clear from your article that the state and the department are not doing enough,” said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) in an interview with the newspaper. “You can’t have deaths in the state of California and not somehow understand, how did it happen, and how you can prevent it.”
The hearing would take place before the Senate Human Services Committee, which Yee plans to convene in response to the series. The committee oversees the Department of Social Services, the regulatory department that licenses and inspects California’s nearly 8,000 licensed assisted living communities.
“We welcomed the opportunity to meet with Sen. Yee and to provide a realistic view of the valued services provided by assisted living,” said Sally Michael, president of the California Assisted Living Association, in an email to U-T San Diego referencing a recent meeting between the senator and several senior living industry stakeholders.
Read more at U-T San Diego.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
