Delaware
Vetting an assisted living facility in Delaware, nationwide: What to look for, ask
Why Delaware struggles to investigate long-term care facilities
Delaware has struggled for about a decade to investigate long-term care complaints – particularly for assisted living facilities.
Wochit
The decision to place a loved one in a long-term care facility can be a difficult one.
It may be obvious they can no longer live on their own, but they don’t quite need the level of care nursing homes provide. Assisted living facilities can be a good in-between option.
But with not-infrequent news reports of deaths or serious injuries occurring at these facilities, how are families expected to know what questions to ask to ensure safety and the proper level of care?
Eilon Caspi, a gerontologist and elder mistreatment researcher who teaches at the University of Minnesota, has some suggestions.
Do your research
Search both a facility and its parent company online, Caspi said. But don’t just look up the name − make sure to include keywords that will show news articles and potential lawsuits.
Including a local news outlet’s name in the search bar can be very helpful. Additionally, using words such as “inspection” can yield important results.
When to tour a facility and what to look for
Touring a facility at both peak and non-peak times is essential, Caspi said.
“It’s a recipe for disaster for people with dementia to have no meaningful engagement in the evening,” Caspi said. “In many places, it’s four o’clock and they’re done, and these are the hours that are critical.”
During tours, keep an eye on the facility’s layout, especially in its dementia units.
Labyrinth-like facilities can be a nightmare for those with dementia. Additionally, staff in dementia wards should be able to have a view of an entire floor at all times, Caspi said.
Ask for staffing ratios and turnover rates
The healthcare field has a workforce crisis, Caspi said. Assisted living facilities are no exception.
Thus, families should ask for the facility’s actual staffing ratios, not their ideal ones. Turnover rates can also be an indicator of workplace environment.
Consistency is key for those with dementia, Caspi said, so having an established caregiver can result in better outcomes.
Inquire about training requirements
The reality of the workforce crisis is that some facilities must hire caregivers with only the minimum required qualifications, Caspi said.
But in those cases – and just as a general practice – the facility should require supplemental training.
Caspi noted that cosmetics technicians in some states need 400 hours of training, which includes hands-on work, before being allowed to provide services.
Yet some assisted living facilities require only 10 or 12 hours of classroom training.
“These are people who are for our elderly – we have to decide where our priorities are,” Caspi said.
Ask the state for inspection reports
Assisted living facilities are not regulated by the federal government, so it’s left up to states to determine the frequency of inspections and facility requirements.
But this also means that families should ask the state’s health department or whatever agency oversees facilities for inspection reports for any centers they’re interested in.
Some states publish their inspection reports online, such as Delaware. But The First State doesn’t always provide the most up-to-date reports or a complete list, so requesting them through Delaware Health and Social Services is important.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_
Date Posted: Saturday, June 20th, 2026
The Delaware State Police Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit (SOAR) is issuing the following public notifications of homeless and wanted sex offenders.
Wanted Sex Offenders
SOAR is currently looking for the following wanted sex offenders after they either failed to register or re-register at their current address. If anyone knows the location of these individuals, please call (302) 739-5882. Information may also be provided by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333. The individuals shown represent only a portion of the current wanted sex offenders. Please see the Delaware Sex Offender Registry website for the complete list.
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Homeless Sex Offenders
The following individuals are not wanted for failing to register or re-register at their current address. This is a homeless sex offender public notification. If you have information that the listed individuals are occupying a residence, please call (302) 739-5882. Information may also be provided by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333. The individuals shown are those recently reported homeless and represent only a portion of the current homeless sex offenders. Please see the Delaware Sex Offender Registry website for the complete list.
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What is Delaware’s Kalmar Nyckel ship?
Here’s the history of Delaware’s Kalmar Nyckel ship explained in 36 seconds.
The Delaware history column features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and The Evening Journal. See the archives at delawareonline.com.
100 years ago, The Evening Journal, June 21, 1926
Jealous man kills woman, wounds boy
Oliver K. Higgins, aged 33 years, of Washington Street, in a fit of jealousy late Saturday night, is alleged to have pumped seven bullets from an automatic revolver into Mrs. Edna M. Martin, 40 years old, of Spruce Street, killing her.
Charles Brown, the 15-year-old of Mrs. Gladys Brown, was shot in the jaw and shoulder by Higgins but will recover. Mrs. Brown, also of the Spruce Street address, is the sister of the slain woman. …
Mrs. Martin, who was employed by the Home Baking Company on Market Street, left the store at a late hour Saturday night, accompanied by Paul A. Crawford of Marshallton and went home. They found Mrs. Brown sitting in the dining room with Julius K. Bowman of Newport.
The women and men sat around the table for a short time. At 11:45 o’clock, hearing someone taking out a window screen in the parlor, Mrs. Brown went to the hall to see what caused the noise.
She saw Higgins step in the window with a gun in his hand. She opened the door and ran off the porch.
Higgins failed to see Mrs. Brown and continued to the dining room where Mrs. Martin and the two men were sitting. He leveled the revolver at their heads and said, “Stick your hands up everybody, and I don’t mean maybe.”
Higgins then asked for Mrs. Brown. Learning she had gone out the front door, he ran after her, passing her as she crouched behind a hedge a few feet from the doorway. He returned to the dining room, but the men had fled. He then turned to Mrs. Martin and fired as she ran. …
Leaving the dead woman at the head of the steps, Higgins rushed in the back room in search of Mrs. Brown. Charles Brown, who had been sleeping, awoke because of the noise. …
Hearing the boy going down the stairs, Higgins stepped to the stair rail and shot him twice. …
Mrs. Brown went to the drug store of Otto H. Miller at 22nd and Pine streets to telephone police. …
Officers surrounded the Brown house … and arrested Higgins. …
Higgins met Mrs. Brown several months ago when he was in the employ of the United Cigar Store, and Mrs. Brown was working nearby. He is said to have become jealous over the attention of other men to Mrs. Brown, who is divorced. She asked him to stop annoying her and appealed to police.
After Higgins threatened Mrs. Brown with a gun, she told her employer who called the United Cigar Company and made a complaint to the manager. Shortly after this, Higgins was discharged.
50 years ago, The Morning News, June 23, 1976
Bill would jail parents of delinquent kids
A tough measure that provides for jailing the parents of delinquent children or requiring them to spend weekends with delinquents at juvenile detention centers has been introduced in the Delaware Senate.
The bill is the brainchild of the community-based services staff of the juvenile corrections bureau.
“This gives a way to coax them (the parents),” said John J. Mulvena, juvenile corrections chief. “If not to coax them, to require them. If not require them, jail them.”
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Herman Holloway Sr., D-Wilmington.
Mulvena said it is “directed at parents who are reluctant to participate in the responsible supervision of their children.”
He said due to “stubbornness, ignorance or neglect,” his staff often ends up acting as “mother, father, aunt, uncle or surrogate” for children “while the parents get off scot-free.”
20 years ago, The News Journal, June 26, 2006
Storms wallop Sussex with 6-8 inches of rain
Jack English knew he was in trouble early Sunday morning.
He kept waking up to the sound of his Seaford basement sump pump trying to keep up with the downpour outside….
At first, he found a few inches of water on his basement floor. Then, all of a sudden, his backyard was completely flooded and the rising water blew out his basement window. …
“I was evacuated by the fire department,” he said. …
In six to eight hours, 7 inches fell in Bridgeville, more than 8 inches in Georgetown and nearly 6 inches in Laurel….
The Seaford Fire Company had its first sign of trouble at 7:30 a.m., when a crew responded to a person trapped in a car by rising water. As the morning went on, rescue crews turned to boats.
An estimated 300 people were evacuated from homes at three mobile home parks southeast of Blades.
Meanwhile, in Seaford, concern grew as water levels rose in the Nanticoke River and Williams Pond. As a precaution, 110 residents of Lifecare at Lofland Park rehabilitation center were evacuated to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital. …
At the Seaford Walmart, a team of swift water rescuers from Salisbury, Maryland helped people trapped in the parking lot, with water up to the top of some cars. …
Bridges at Craigs Mill Road and Woodland Road washed out. …
The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Woodbridge High School in Bridgeville. About 30 people were staying there Sunday night.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
DELAWARE COUNTY, Ind. — All lanes closed on I-69 in the southbound direction in Delaware County on Friday morning.
Authorities with the Indiana State Police were dispatched to the 240.5 mile marker on a report of a crash involving a semi at approximately 8:08 a.m.
All lanes are now open.
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