In 2023 over 72% of assisted living facilities in Wisconsin received zero complaints

There’s no question that Wisconsin’s aging population will present challenges in the healthcare industry in the coming years, including the state’s assisted living industry, which is experiencing a steady increase in seniors utilizing services at more than 4,000 facilities throughout the state.

According to the Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services, “The state’s population aged 65 and older is expected to grow by 640,000, or 72%, between 2015 and 2040, which is six times higher than the projected overall Wisconsin population growth of 12%.”

Many of those seniors can expect to find quality care in assisted living facilities throughout Wisconsin, which are already serving well over 40,000 individuals with very diverse needs, ranging from relatively independent seniors to those experiencing advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, developmental and physical disabilities. It’s an important industry and one that is highly regulated.

Journal Sentinel series focused on small percentage of facilities

Providing care to such a vulnerable population warrants government oversight and understandably draws attention from the media and public at-large. A recent series of stories published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel focused on challenges facing a small percentage of assisted living facilities in Wisconsin, highlighting some unfortunate and tragic circumstances involving residents.

To be sure, our industry is committed to providing safe and quality care to its residents, and while those situations highlighted in the Journal Sentinel’s coverage should not be downplayed, they are also in the minority. In 2023 over 72% of facilities received zero complaints. And, of the complaints received, over half were unsubstantiated.

Exceptional investigation on assisted living care forces uncomfortable conversations

Anyone interested in learning more about Wisconsin’s assisted living industry can access  the most recent report from the Department of Health Services Division of Quality Assurance titled the “State of Assisted Living,” it reviews the 4,005 assisted living providers in Wisconsin. Our state has a two-pronged regulatory approach that incorporates unannounced survey visits and investigating complaints.       

In short, the vast majority of Wisconsin’s assisted living providers are doing a tremendous job of providing quality care and services.

It is also important to clarify that assisted living facilities are meant to be an individual’s home that can help provide activities of daily living.  Admission into an assisted living facility requires an assessment that involves input from the resident (or legally authorized individual), and the resident’s physician. The state holds providers accountable to that assessment. 

The state can grant waivers to allow for additional hours of nursing/specialized care, but approval is on a case-by-case basis. The assessment dictates what and how care services will be provided and staffed. As in other healthcare facilities, failure to follow through would lead to regulatory action from DQA.

Medicaid funding is top challenge for assisted living facilities

The top challenges facing assisted living today are competing in the labor market for quality caregivers and a woefully underfunded state Medicaid long-term care program, i.e., Family Care.  Further, the need for assisted living will grow as Wisconsin’s population continues to age.           

An increasing number of seniors are having to rely on Family Care to obtain their long-term care services. Family Care pays much less than the actual cost of providing care – a situation that puts providers at a further disadvantage of being able to offer competitive wages and benefits compared with the service and light industry sectors. For example, the Family Care program has assumed caregiver wages are $13.02 per hour wherein reality, caregiver wages average $17 per hour. 

The Family Care program was not designed to quickly react to economic market fluctuations compared with other industries that can simply raise prices to offset higher costs. Therefore, it is impossible for assisted living providers to compete with other industries and companies such as warehousing, restaurants, retail, gas/convenience stores, etc. when hiring workers.

Finding hope while friends faced loss. We feared for dad’s life after selling our dairy herd.

The state needs to continue instituting much needed changes to its Medicaid Family Care program to recognize actual costs, such as caregiver wages and inflation on goodsservices. On Aug. 1, Gov. Tony Evers directed DHS to invest $258 million into the Family Care program. The funding will raise caregiver wage assumptions from $13.02 to $15.75 per hour. This investment is desperately needed and will be a lifeline to assisted living providers who are struggling to make ends meet – and in particular, avoid assisted living facilities from shutting down or exiting the Family Care program.

Overall, assisted living facilities are committed to providing outstanding quality and compassionate care required to meet the ever-changing needs of Wisconsin’s frail elderly and disabled citizens. While the state’s recent investment in Family Care is greatly needed and appreciated, more work will need to be done to support the growing care and living needs of Wisconsin’s aging population.    

Michael S. Pochowski is president and CEO of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.