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Regulations Sought for Alzheimer's Care

Regulations Sought for Alzheimer's Care Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News February 06, 2004 Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - February 06, 2004 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The two daughters of Charles Klaer, who live on opposite ends of Florida, saw each other last month at their father’s funeral. There were together again on Thursday to tell state legislators that their beloved father might still be alive if the state had stronger regulations for assisted living centers housing Alzheimer’s patients. Last month, Klaer, 72, wandered away from the Willow Manor center in Dania Beach and was killed by a car when trying to cross Federal Highway about 1 1/2 miles away. The staff never reported him missing, and the electronic monitor that was to have been placed on his ankle later was found in Klaer’s drawer. "Our father would want us to do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else," Beverly Fletcher, of Gulf Breeze, said during a break in the 2004 Alzheimer’s Summit. Convened by House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, the all-day gathering brought policy makers, Alzheimer’s agencies and medical professionals together to discuss how to better serve Florida’s 400,000 Alzheimer’s patients. The Klaer sisters and their mother, who wore handmade buttons bearing a picture of Charles Klaer, did not get a chance to tell their story to Byrd, whose own father has Alzheimer’s disease, or to the roughly two dozen other lawmakers attending. But they hope to testify during the 2004 session and talk about what they think Florida needs: routine head counts of residents in Alzheimer’s units, mandated reporting of missing residents to police, and secured doors with alarms. The state does not require assisted living centers to do these things, although many do. While the family is suing the facility, they say advocacy is their new mission. The Klaers have joined forces with the state branch of the national Alzheimer’s Association. "It’s a wake up call for Florida," said Dorothy Klaer, of Fort Lauderdale. She thinks her husband slipped out of Willow Manor to try to get back home to their waterfront condo or to Port Everglades, where they both once worked. Several speakers at the summit discussed the need for police officers to form coalitions with social service agencies and care facilities. Melissa Otto, an investigator and elder abuse specialist with the State Attorney’s Office in Brevard County, said police recruits spend about four hours learning about abuse and neglect in the academy and never receive any further training throughout their careers. "We’re requiring police to be social workers without degrees," she said, suggesting that mandatory refresher courses on dealing with seniors be required. Byrd, R- Plant City, was noncommittal about the chances for new regulations or additional police training, but said he would support more money for the state’s memory disorder centers, which run research, diagnostic and caregiver support programs. "Anything extra we can give to them will be good," he said. Gov. Jeb Bush also has pledged $11 million in his budget for Byrd’s pet project, a research center at the University of South Florida in Tampa. A big chunk of time at the summit was devoted to how to keep Alzheimer’s patients safe and prevent them straying from care facilities or their own homes -- the primary legislative push for the Alzheimer’s Association this year. Meredith Rowe, a University of Florida professor and researcher who has studied wandering, said the majority of Alzheimer’s patients who die before they are found are located within a mile of where they last were seen. Usually they have been missing for more than a day and appear to have been trying to hide in brush or under leaves, she said. One woman’s body was discovered about 400 yards from her care facility, four years after she disappeared. "We need to educate law enforcement how to more effectively search for these people," said Rowe, who advocates mandatory Alzheimer’s training for police, similar to the regular refreshers they take on domestic violence. To see more of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel -- including its homes, jobs, cars and other classified listings -- or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sun-sentinel.com. (c) 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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