Kaiser Health News: Texas Winter Storm Exposes Gaps in Senior Living Oversight (March 10, 2021)

Although nursing homes face federal oversight, the licensing and regulatory authority for assisted and senior independent living facilities lies with the states, meaning a patchwork of definitions and guidelines for the facilities. Given that assisted and independent living communities have been the fastest-growing sector in senior living for many years, the disparate definitions and rules often leave residents and their families without a clear understanding of a facility’s offerings and safety guardrails.

In 2019, CMS published final rules with revised emergency preparedness guidance, agency spokesperson William Polglase said, after feedback from the public that those requirements were “overly burdensome and duplicative.” “The facilities push back because of the expense, but what I think recent years have shown us is that we’re not talking about once-in-a-century type of disasters,” said Eric Carlson, directing attorney with Justice in Aging, a national legal advocacy nonprofit.