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Left in the Dark and
facing thousands in Rent Increases, Elderly
Atria Senior Living Residents Protest, Call
for Improvements
As
Gov. threatens cuts to State Assisted Living
Inspections, rents soar and problems abound
at State's largest Senior Living Provider
DAVIS, Calif., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Elderly residents at Atria Senior
Living's Covell Gardens facility continued
their protests over exorbitant rent
increases on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
Residents and family
members detailed how skyrocketing rents have
affected them, and pointed to recent
problems with care and services at the
facility.
Atria Senior Living is
California's largest senior living provider
and is owned by an investment fund
affiliated with the Lazard group of
companies, including Lazard Ltd., a Wall
Street firm that manages more than $140
billion.
Atria operates more than
130 facilities nationwide, and many
residents question if these increases are
simply going to line the pockets of Wall
Street managers and CEOs.
Atria residents already
pay thousands of dollars per month for
residency, costs that are compounded by
additional fees for basic care like
medication management, bathing, and help
with dressing.
Residents report that this
is the second consecutive year of at least 8
percent increases.
But residents say that
these high costs aren't going to resident
care and safety.
"For two days our family
members lived in the dark and cold because
Atria didn't have a back-up generator," said
Christine Donnelly, whose father lives at
Atria Covell Gardens.
"Costs are skyrocketing,
but the money shouldn't be used to line the
pockets of Wall Street CEOs, we need real
improvements to care and safety."
Amid soaring rate hikes
and problems with care and services at
assisted living facilities like Atria's,
Governor Schwarzenegger is proposing cuts to
the state Department of Social Services,
which licenses the facilities.
The cuts would reduce the
percentage of facilities chosen randomly for
state inspections each year by more than 50
percent.
More at
http://www.improveassistedliving.org/
The Campaign to Improve
Assisted Living is an SEIU Healthcare
campaign that unites assisted living
caregivers with residents, family members,
and senior advocates to stand for quality
services for seniors and a voice on the job
for caregivers.
More than1 million
healthcare workers in hospitals, nursing
homes, and in-home care have united in SEIU
Healthcare for quality care and quality
jobs.
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