Maryland Agency Fails to Inspect More Than Half of Assisted-Living Facilities
According to a state audit, the agency in charge of assisted living facilities and group homes in Maryland failed to perform annual inspections on 53% of the assisted-living facilities in the state last year. It also failed to inspect more than 75% of the group homes for developmentally-disabled adults under its supervision.
State law requires that assisted-living facilities, which serve the elderly, and group homes, which serve developmentally and mentally disabled adults, be inspected annually. However, the audit revealed that 725 of the state's 1,367 assisted-living facilities and 154 of its 201 group homes had not had an annual inspection in the last year.
The Office of Health Care Quality, which is responsible for the inspections, has had problems keeping up with its inspections for much of the past decade and blames the problem on a heavy workload and understaffing.
This incident highlights an important problem in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and group homes. Residents and their families often assume state inspections and regulations will prevent abuse and neglect, but this is often not the case. Instead, family members and residents must be vigilant in detecting and reporting abuse and neglect and taking legal action if necessary.
