MichaelB wrote : ** I’ve had numerous meetings and discussions with the ALF staff over costs and PT. It’s difficult to challenge them because the ALF makes it clear if we complain too loudly they will simply terminate her contract and ask her to leave. For most residents this would be a terrible situation, it’s difficult to find a new ALF when the patient has limitations performing ADLs. ** So I am not the only one noticing ripoffs going on in assisted living. My mom is in AL and pays approx $7,500 for residence and an extra $1,500 for 'level 1 care'. So $9,000 per month. But yes, they are adding on extra fees, which are delayed in billing by at least a month, so you have to remember back then to dispute them. My mom likes the place, but the people in charge of billing are very lowlife, and were lowlife even when she was in independent living at the same outfit. The first (of many to come?) ripoff was 'laundry aide' fees. Even though we did not request laundry to be done, they are doing it once per week at a fee of $18 per load. Tiny loads, of course. The intake person told us that we were not required to have laundry done, but once mom was in, they decided to rip her off anyway. I was there once when a laundry aide popped in to take the laundry. I said no thanks. She was very aggressive, and I had to almost yell at her to not take the tiny amount of laundry. I told her they were charging $18 per load, and the aide said no, it was included in 'level one care'. I was able to prevent that ripoff, on that day, but they later billed Mom for 4 loads at $18 each, equals $72, for that month. I have the right to do Mom's laundry myself in their machines, at no charge, which is what the intake coordinator told us. I hate confrontations with professional ripoff artists like this, but of course I had to say something after seeing the bill. The 'residential coordinator' who has an office there, said Mom needed lots of laundry since she has some bleeding from the bladder. All bs, of course, since the depends take care of it. All the staff are in on the ripoffs, unfortunately. Not an honest one amongst them, as far as I can tell. When I have disputed bill padding in the past, the person who is supposed to take care of that sort of thing says oh yes, I will look into it and get back to you, but nothing happens. This is even after going one level above that person, to complain. Mom is sort of oblivious to it all, being 100 years old, and just believing what the staff tells her. The current state of affairs with the laundry is that the 'residential coordinator' agreed to stop doing the laundry, but would not refund any of the $72. We'll see. I expect to see another $72 laundry fee, and I guess I'll have to escalate to some third party, like a state ombudsman of some sort. What a huge PITA all because of greedy little people who think they can get away with it. My sister and I are trying to get a long term care policy to kick in, and we need the cooperation of the 'business manager' to prepare bills a certain way, and send them to my sister so she can forward them to the ltc company. This 'business manager' (an ass, of course) is the person we have to complain to about the overcharging. What a cluster.
