Independent living facilities for seniors do not face the same stringent oversight as nursing homes or assisted living centers.
Rosie Powell, 71, has been without air conditioning in her apartment for nearly a month. “I’m sitting here in the living room now with my little portable fan that I bought from Walmart,” she said one June afternoon. Her thermostat read 87 degrees Fahrenheit.
Powell moved to Palisades of Inwood, a senior living complex in North Houston, a decade ago. She chose it because living in a senior community is cheaper and easier than maintaining her own property, and she enjoys the camaraderie with other elderly people. However, she noted the tradeoff: the facility she lives in comes with little oversight.
Independent living facilities, unlike nursing homes and assisted living centers, don’t face the same regulation. Texas Health and Human Services mandates strict guidelines for how centers that offer medical care should be prepared for emergencies. These regulations do not extend to independent living communities like Palisades of Inwood.
Complexes categorized as independent are typically not required to provide special care to seniors, though they are marketed to people older than 55. “It’s just like a regular apartment complex,” said Houston City Council Member Amy Peck. Residents at these complexes can be low-income, on medication, and unable to walk on their own.
Peck worries many seniors aren’t as independent as those in specialized care facilities, especially with an active hurricane season ahead. “A lot of times, there are senior citizens living in an apartment complex with no accountability for what could happen in a disaster situation or any other kind of situation,” she added.
Powell said her AC went out on June 7, with nearly a dozen of her neighbors also affected. She is concerned about them, given some have more serious health conditions. Their landlord gave them portable AC units, but they aren’t enough to cool their homes during Houston’s triple-digit summer heat. “I just try to brace myself and have enough food or water to take care of me… It’s just not what we were told it was going to be.”
Latasha Washington, manager of Palisades of Inwood, declined to comment.
Seniors living independently often have chronic health problems and rely on power to keep life-saving devices charged and medications at the right temperature, making power outages dangerous. State Senator Molly Cook, who holds a Master’s in Public Health, said as people age, they’re more at risk of dehydration, especially in humid conditions, which can be lethal.
Storms in May, particularly the derecho, left many Houstonians without power or AC for days, including senior care communities. It highlighted gaps in care. Centers that offer medical care are required by the state to have generators, enough food and water for each resident for at least three days, and an evacuation plan.
Chuck Lalonde, senior vice president of operations for Belmont Village Senior Living, which has two assisted-living and memory care facilities in Houston, said, “It’s a pretty strict list that we follow, so we’re not reinventing the wheel every hurricane season.”
However, these centers can cost up to $7,000 a month, which few seniors can afford. Independent living communities are much cheaper. At Houston Heights Tower, rent for a one-bedroom apartment is around $750 a month.
Linda Holder, executive director of The Housing Corporation, a nonprofit with eight independent living communities in Houston, including Houston Heights Tower, said, “We really can’t take care of people’s medical needs. There’s always 911; we are very high profile with the fire department.” Despite this, they do stock extra food and water and provide a cooling center when power goes out.
Power at Houston Heights Tower was out for four days after the derecho on May 16. Property manager Hope Aguirre brings residents from the building’s top floors to lower levels during power outages. “I bring them down so they won’t get scared or anything,” she said.
Peck is considering drafting local policies to regulate independent living communities. “There needs to be some changes to our city ordinances and possibly the state law as well that says there has to at least be some kind of minimum standard of care at these apartment complexes,” she said.