Part 3: Writing their own rules - 02/27/2007

Drive for change left Pa.'s personal-care industry at the wheel.

By Ken Dilanian, Inquirer Staff Writer

Third of four parts. In the predawn hours of Aug. 14, 2004, a fire swept through the Twin Spruce home for the elderly near Sunbury, Pa.

Part 4: A dysfunctional system - 02/28/2007

A jumble of state-by-state rules let a chain of horrors grow.

By Ken Dilanian and Nancy Phillips, Inquirer Staff Writers

Last of four parts Daniel S. Paglione lived through gun battles with the Japanese navy as a young sailor in World War II. He died, at age 80, after two miserable years at a Bucks County assisted-living facility where he was sometimes left to lie in his own feces, his family says.

 

What Homes Are Supposed to Do, and Who's Supposed to Run Them - 02/26/2007

Inquirer Staff

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare defines personal-care homes as residences that provide "shelter, meals, supervision and assistance" to between four and several hundred people. The term assisted living is commonly used to describe some of these homes.

Consumer Watch | Assisted Living Homes: How to Do Your Homework - 02/25/2007

By Jeff Gelles, Inquirer Columnist

Pennsylvania government makes it difficult to check up on assisted-living facilities, also known here as personal-care homes. Unlike other states, it does not post complaints and violations online. But if you're considering placing a relative in one, here are some things you can do to investigate its history.