Coroner questions number of deaths at assisted living facilities
November 19th, 2008 by Jennifer Walker-Journey
Richland, S.C., County Coroner Gary Watts is raising questions about the quality of care at Midlands-area assisted living homes, according to The State. Watts referred to three deaths in the past two years in the area. One of those deaths, which Watts is investigating, occurred after an unqualified staffer gave a 50-year-old man an overdose of insulin that ultimately killed him.
Assisted living facilities differ from nursing homes in that they provide less skilled nursing care and in general have fewer state and federal regulations under which they must operate.
Watts is questioning whether there are enough state inspectors to oversee the assisted living homes in South Carolina, placing the most blame on the state Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Mental health advocates and the Sheriff’s Association agree that more needs to be done to ensure residents are well cared for and out of harms way.
Complaints have soared in the area, so much so that the DHEC last month hosted a meeting with home operators, state agency representatives and advocates. DHEC turns blame back on the operators, stating in a Sept. 26 memo that home operators are “often unable to achieve the level of care necessary” to comply with state laws, according to The State story.
A DHEC spokesman says that more inspectors are needed to sufficiently oversee the homes on a regular basis. For the past two years, DHEC has asked the General Assembly for funds to hire more inspectors, but those requests were turned down.