California Assemblywoman wants to increase costs for assisted living

Yet another bad idea has washed up on the beaches of the Fruity and Nutty State. Reports a biased article in the Sacramento Bee:

Assembly Speaker-elect Karen Bass recalls scrambling to find a home for her late uncle, Thomas Duckett, after his rent was “unexpectedly jacked up” at the assisted living facility where he lived near Los Angeles.

Assemblywoman Lois Wolk says the facility in Davis where her late mother-in-law, Gertrude Cartino, was living lost power for two days after a storm.

Driven in part by their personal experiences, the two Democratic lawmakers have joined a coalition of seniors, caregivers and the Service Employees International Union, in calling for increased regulation of the fast-growing assisted living industry. The group calls itself the Campaign to Improve Assisted Living.

I’ve had recent experience of this industry with one of my relatives, and can report that regulation is the last thing needed. It only would raise prices and reduce the number of beds in these places.

Doesn’t Ms. Bass realize that rent controls would only force providers out of the assisted living business? And that government itself — her beloved Legislature — is behind much of the high cost of housing for everybody in California? How about cutting regulations on building new houses, apartments, and businesses? How about cutting taxes across the board?

As to the power outage brought up by Ms. Wolk: How could that be blamed on an assisted living home? Does she believe the home also owns the power company?

I’ll tell you how to find a good home for your loved one, if you need it. A good friend told me this, I used it, and it works. You should be able to find a place for $3,000 to $3,500 a month. That’s a lot of money, but it’s the way it is.

1. Find a home with between 8 and 12 residents. Any more and it becomes impersonal.

2. Make sure the home is spotless.

3. Make sure the home is run by a “take charge” Registered Nurse. You don’t want a softie. You want someone who will insist that the staff act properly toward the residents. That way, the staff will respect the R.N. and be inspired to do their jobs with skill and love.

We don’t need a government solution here. We need less government — and more common sense by citizens.