In contrast to other reports on assisted living, we closely scrutinized the internal mechanics of the nation’s largest provider, Emeritus Senior Living, which is emblematic of the industry’s transformation from grassroots movement to major industry. We reported on the company’s intense drive for profits and cases of suffering of frail seniors in its roughly 500 facilities, revealing for the first time the circumstances surrounding the death of George McAfee, an NFL Hall of Famer with dementia who died after accidentally drinking poisonous dishwashing liquid in what was supposed to be a safe, secure building.
We found the company’s top executive nurse instructing employees to break California law – apparently in an attempt to pump up profits – and documented widespread understaffing at Emeritus facilities as well as a chronic failure to properly train workers. Looking at the regulators tasked with overseeing assisted living facilities, we revealed California’s failure to collect $1 million in fines and the loose laws governing the industry (five states do not require regular inspections; six cannot impose fines).