RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia Board of Social Services will meet on October 19 to consider upping staffing levels in dementia units at assisted living facilities.
According to a revision of the Standards for Licensed Assisted Living Facilities, the state wants to require two direct care staff members when 20 or fewer residents are present in a dementia unit, and an additional staffer for every additional 10 residents.
Currently, state rules mandate a minimum of two direct care staff members in a dementia unit no matter the number of residents.
A recent CBS 6 investigation profiled Carol Garbo, whose mother fell five times in the 11 weeks she lived at Brookdale Midlothian, an assisted living facility specializing in memory care.
She told us the facility did not have proper levels of staff to care for the residents, and after our investigation, the state ended up citing Brookdale Midlothian for numerous staffing violations.
Jesselle Christenson, whose father had dementia, said the current rules are “ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.”
Her dad, Jesse Mayes, served as one of the first black officers in the Army. He taught at Virginia State University and he was the first African-American elected to the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors.
“He was quite a guy,” Christenson said.
Jesse Mayes
But, by the time his grandson graduated from high school, dementia had taken over his brain.
Christenson put him in an assisted living facility, and then a memory care unit.
She said the care he received was sub-par at best.
“From assisted living... him running away and showing up at a motorcycle dealership… which was about two miles away and across a busy road,” Christenson said. “If staffing had been sufficient, they would have known where he was.”
She said staffing levels at assisted living facilities need to be higher, and the proposed changes do not go far enough.
“It seems like it’s something to placate the noisemakers, but I don’t think enough thought has gone into what will give us person centered care,” Christenson said.
Jesselle Christenson
At Westminster Canterbury Richmond, spokesperson Gayle Haglund said they believe more staffing is necessary in a dementia unit.
She said they require one direct care staff member per 4.5 residents during the day, and one direct care staff member per six residents at night.
“We feel that they need quite a bit more one on one staff and they also need the stimulation we can provide with that level of staffing,” Haglund said.
But, that additional staffing comes with a cost.
Westminster Canterbury is one of the most expensive care facilities in the region.
Christenson said she is very aware that not everyone can afford such a high level of care.
She said quality care and cost need to be addressed at the national level.
“If you’re going to say we need to take care of our elderly, than how are we going to do that, how are we going to fund that,” Christenson asked.
Amy Hewett, Vice President of Strategy and Communications at Virginia Health Care Association-Virginia Center for Assisted Living, said they worked closely with DSS on the proposed changes.
Hewett’s organization represents the interests of assisted living facilities in the state.
“We’re not opposed to the proposed language for increased staffing as it acknowledges the special support needed for residents living in memory care units,” Hewett wrote in an email.
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