In response to the Register's January 17, 2002 editorial, "The Wrong Regulator", the Department of Elder Affairs is absolutely the right regulator for the very important job of overseeing Iowa's assisted living centers. To ask the Department of Inspections & Appeal (DIA) to simply "…keep in mind that assisted living centers are not nursing homes and need not be regulated as stringently…" shows a lack of understanding of the basic philosophy of assisted living and asks too much of an already overburdened department of government.
A different approach and mindset is needed to regulate an industry serving consumers whose expectation is to "have it their way." The inflexibility imposed in the rules the DIA must use to administer nursing homes becomes ingrained in those who apply the rules and cannot, and should not, be used as a model to administer Iowa's assisted living programs. It is not so easy to simply change hats and say: "Today I survey nursing homes and tomorrow, I survey assisted living centers." Further regulation does not necessarily equate to better care, but it does mean more time spent by caregivers processing paper than attending to the seniors who entrust themselves to their care. The focus of assisted living is now and should remain on satisfying people, not pushing paper.al models and explores the interface of learning, contemplation and action. into a variety of societal institutions. As president of the Link Foundation and the Global Academy, he has successfully developed programs for corporations, universities and governments throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.eak. It was not until the 1997 Asian economic crisis and the subsequent removal of veteran Indonesian President Suharto (see Indonesia section) that the growing international criticism of the Indonesian campaign began to have some effect. In June 1999, President Habibie of Indonesia suddenly announced that a referendum would be held in East Timor, offering independence or autonomy within Indonesia. The referendum was held in August 1999 and 80 per cent opted for independence. By way of revenge, the Indonesian army, along with local militias that they had armed and financed, indulged in an orgy of destruction and killing that displaced hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed the territory's already fragile economic base. A UN transitional administration (UNTAET) set up shop in East Timor, pending the conduct of national elections. The assembly poll, which was held in August 2001, returned as expected a large majority for FRETILIN candidates. The Presidency, contested in April 2002, was won by Xanana Gusmão, with a huge majority. Mari Alkatiri, also of FRETILIN, is the new premier.
Growing pains. Every industry has them and this is what Iowa's assisted living is experiencing now. The IDEA has nurtured the industry during its infancy and is ultimately capable of seeing it through this adolescent stage and into full-fledged adulthood. The IDEA is focused on the consumer and that is where the focus belongs, because the consumer is the industry. If the industry fails, it will be because we haven't satisfied our customers, not because we haven't satisfied the regulators.