Editorial: Good start to improve group care

The 1999 Legislature passed a new law, which took effect at the beginning of this year, that toughens the requirements for those businesses that operate group homes for just two people or less. Until Jan. 1 these group homes, which typically care for the elderly, only had to register with state regulators. And as the Sun's Kim Smith reported Thursday, previously the state's Bureau of Licensure and Certification couldn't investigate allegations short of abuse, neglect or exploitation. There also wasn't much state regulators could do if they believed these smaller operators were taking care of patients whose needs far outstripped their level of expertise.

Now, however, even these small care centers must adhere to some basic guidelines. The operators must pay a $200 licensing fee and have a high school diploma or its equivalent. There also is a requirement that mandates more documentation of the care that residents are receiving. In addition, state regulators will inspect these homes once every three years.

This definitely is a promising start, but the next Legislature should re-examine the inspection requirement. A better policy would be to examine these homes more frequently -- three years is a long time to go without an inspection. If it's an issue of manpower, then the Legislature should authorize additional funding for the Licensure Bureau so it can hire more inspectors. While most people would think that these are modest requirements, so far less than 75 of the 300-plus homes that take care of two people or less have bothered to apply for a license. Some of these operators have decided to leave the business because, they say, they don't want to deal with the additional paperwork.

One of the toughest decisions that the children of elderly parents may ever have to make is where to place their fathers or mothers if they no longer can get by on their own. Some might not like the impersonal feel that occasionally is found in larger nursing homes. So they look around for smaller settings, which they hope will be more like the apartment or house that their parents have been used to living in. No matter its size, if a facility is providing care, the owners of that business should have to meet requirements that demonstrate they are offering quality care and aren't doing anything that could result in harm to one of their residents.

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