ElderWeb

Attorney General Mike Fisher announced that his Bureau of Consumer Protection has obtained a nearly $400,000 judgment against a Pittsburgh home care company and its owner, who were accused of selling non-medical in-home services to more than 90 elderly Pennsylvanians even though they had no ability or intention of providing the services.

"These defendants are permanently barred from having any business dealings with older Pennsylvanians," Fisher said. "The judgment forever bans them from advertising or selling any goods or services to Pennsylvania residents age 60 or older. In addition, they are required to pay nearly $400,000 in consumer restitution, civil penalties and investigation costs."

Fisher said the judgment was obtained against Amfed Homecare Corp., 100 Wise Hill Rd., Fox Chapel, and its president, William Livorio. The defendants were sued by Fisher's Office in February 2000 for numerous violations of Pennsylvania's Consumer Protection Law.

People who care for the 4 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease consider quality of life just as important as efforts to prolong the patient's life when choosing treatment options, according to researchers in a study reported in the October 10th issue of Neurology. Lead author Dr. Jason H. T. Karlawish, of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia, and his team interviewed 40 primary caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients, none currently living in a nursing home. The caregivers were asked how their choice of treatment was affected by the potential to lengthen their charge's overall survival, to slow the progression of the disease, or to delay the transfer of the patient to a nursing home. The investigators also measured the caregivers' willingness to risk the development of negative side effects from a treatment in order to affect the overall course of the disease's progression.

Over 50% of caregivers said that improving the patient's quality of life was a more important treatment benefit than either lengthening survival time or delaying a move to a nursing home. Other benefits similarly valued included preserving the patient's memory; ability to communicate and recognize the family; improving the patient's mood; and improving the ability to manage basic daily physical activities. Karlawish and his colleagues also found that the caregivers' ability to assess quality-of-life issues was influenced by his or her own level of depression and burden--so that their judgment when choosing treatment might be affected by a desire to alleviate their own related stresses.

Overall, most caretakers were willing to risk possible side effects in order to delay the disease progression by 1 year--with the goal of delaying a move to a nursing home playing a major role in the caregivers' assessment of quality of life.

HB 1930, The Assisted Living Licensing Act, was referred to the Appropriations Committee May 1, 2000. This is an Act requiring the Department of Public Welfare to develop and implement a State plan for regulating and licensing assisted living residences and for coordination with other State and local agencies having statutory duties relating to assisted living residences and providers of assisted living services; providing for the Intra- Governmental Council on Long-Term Care, for appeals and for relocation; and prescribing penalties.

The prelude to the Act states, "In Pennsylvania, assisted living is a private market phenomenon. There is no uniform assisted living definition; no required public oversight of entities which hold themselves out as providing assisted living, although many are licensed as personal care homes; no uniform way of assuring assisted living quality; and limited access to assisted living except for persons with higher incomes. It is in the best interest of all Pennsylvanians that a system of licensure and regulation be established for assisted living residences and providers of assisted living services in order to ensure accountability and a balance of availability between institutional and home and community-based long-term care for older persons and persons with disabilities."

Pennsylvania expects to receive about $11 billion over the next 25 years from its share of the tobacco settlement. Governor Tom Ridge has announced his intention to use all of the proceeds on healthcare needs in the state, and the legislature supported his efforts by enacting the Tobacco Settlement Act. About 15% of the $11 billion will be targeted for home and community-based care, and other moneys will go to medical research and insurance for the uninsured.