Thanks to an investigative report called Selling Seniors by Michael Berens, Seattle Times Reporter, the state of Washington will be the first state to pass legislation requiring the unregulated elder care referral businesses that often call themselves FREE to meet minimum standards. Most consumers are unaware that free eldercare referral services are paid fees ($3500 per person in King County, Washington) by retirement and assisted living communities to refer older adults to live at their communities.
The practice of “referrals” is common in what’s called the placement industry. Our program, Precious Cargo has been the only program in Denver to not accept or require referral fees from the communities with whom we work. The free referral industry has driven up costs for retirement communities by forcing them to add entrance and community fees to pay the charges required by the free referral sources who often refer families to the “highest bidder.”
