Assisted Living or a Nursing Home – License is under scrutiny

An Iowa care facility run by one of the nation’s largest senior living companies could face criminal charges for falsely claiming to be a state-licensed assisted living center.

Emeritus at Silver Pines is a Cedar Rapids home licensed as a residential care facility that can provide personal assistance and supervision, but no nursing care.

Over the past 2½ years, however, the owners of the 72-bed facility have allegedly promoted the home as an assisted living center that is authorized, equipped and staffed to provide residents with a relatively high level of medical assistance and care.

According to the state, disabled Iowans – some near death and in need of constant supervision or skilled nursing care – signed contracts with the home that specifically described the facility as “licensed by the state of Iowa as an assisted-living facility.” In some cases, residents were referred to Emeritus by physicians who mistakenly believed the home was licensed to provide skilled nursing care
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