Life and Death in Assisted Living

By: Stephen Engelberg, A. C. Thompson, Jonathan Jones

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Joan Boice, a retired school teacher afflicted with dementia, hoped to hang on to her dignity and safety when she checked into Emerald Hills, a facility run by America’s largest assisted living company. What she and her family got was an introduction to what many think is the country’s next great health crisis.

©2013 A. C. Thompson and Jonathan Jones (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Got Parents?

This is a must read, and happens all over the US.

Please read and help keep a vigilant eye on ALL our super important vulnerable older population!

We were fortunate

We were able to keep Mom in her home with the care of private staff at times when we were unable to care for her ourselves.
Hearing this story just reinforces that our decision was the right one for our family.
During her two short stays in rehab facilities, my brother Johnny and I learned to read every entry in every chart and question everything. If your loved one is ever placed in a facility, be proactive. Her or his life may depend on it.
Thank you, audible, for making this available.

Sad story

However, don't doubt for a minute there's an Emeritus in every state in this country doing business under a different name.
I was a CNA for 20+ years and there was nothing in this narrative that surprised me.
Elder care is a difficult, draining,physically taxing,thankless job and its rare to find a facility with enough staff to ADEQUATELY deal with residents needs,not to mention the high turnover.
What it really amounts to is our lack of empathy and concern for our elder population and how easily their care is turned over to these places whose main concern is their bottom line.

Must read if you are considering placing a loved one in a big assisted living complex!

I run a small care home for the elderly and I'm always educating people on the myth that the big assisted living memory unit is good for their parent with dementia. They look pretty and busy, but that doesn't add up to qualified/trained staff. People with special needs require more specialized care. This book tells how a loving attentive family was deceived by marketing, and manipulating what was really going on with their mother. In the end she was robbed of the last years of her life and suffered in pain unable to talk anymore could not communicate her needs.

Revenue Over Responsibility: The Awful Truth

A heart-wrenching, yet accurate portrayal of how our elderly are being exploited and marginalized.