DisElderly Conduct

The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice

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Pub Date May 13 2025 | Archive Date Not set

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Description

The book is a personal account of unmet needs in assisted living and hospice aiming to spark discussions about new approaches for America’s aging population and family decision makers. There are 30 thousand assisted living facilities in the US, but most are unaffordable for middleclass Americans and fraught with staffing deficiencies and mismanagement. Chapters on the author’s experience helping her mother move from an age-restricted community in Florida to independent living in Wisconsin to assisted living will interest seniors and their family members who know the struggle of finding long term affordable care. The chapter on hospice care distinguishes it from assisted living through the author’s experiences and misconceptions, then moves to a broader discussion of Medicare spending, and finally a meditation on dying of old age. The author strikes an effective balance between the personal, political, and cultural aspects of aging. Karofsky dedicates the last chapter of the book to a discussion of recent failures to protect long term care patients during the COVID19 pandemic.

The book is a personal account of unmet needs in assisted living and hospice aiming to spark discussions about new approaches for America’s aging population and family decision makers. There are 30...


Advance Praise

“A compelling narrative that passionately cries out for a better way to safeguard our most vulnerable. We learn the ‘better way’ is significantly hindered when the profit motive is the driving force. DisElderly Conduct shows in a most powerful way the need for national reform of care for the elderly.” —Martin Schreiber, Former Governor, State of Wisconsin, and author, My Two Elaines

"Judy Karofsky provides a portrait of the elder care system in the United States that is both intricate and intimate. By sharing the story of her mother’s end of life, Karofsky helps readers navigate the complexities faced by children trying to help parents in their final years of assisted living and hospice. Karofsky’s search for comfort and dignity for her mother is often hampered by an industry that is frequently unresponsive and poorly regulated. This is a book that asks the question: ‘Why can’t we do better?’” —Norman Stockwell, Publisher, The Progressive

“The author’s elderly mother’s journey through independent living and six assisted living facilities and hospice exposes the scam of long-term care in America. Assisted living facilities are 98 percent for-profit—earning 10 to 20 percent profit—have very few regulations, high staff turnover, and no onsite professional staff. Hospices are 70 percent for-profit with a 15 percent profit margin—a Medicare benefit, they are poorly monitored and their bright promise of a ‘good death’ is greatly dimmed by fraud and incompetence.” —Melanie G. Ramey, JD, MSW, Former Executive Director, Hospice Organization and Palliative Experts of Wisconsin (HOPE)

“A compelling narrative that passionately cries out for a better way to safeguard our most vulnerable. We learn the ‘better way’ is significantly hindered when the profit motive is the driving force...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781613322673
PRICE $24.00 (USD)
PAGES 248

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