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Gigikilt Posted August 2022

My parents independent living facility forced them to pay assisted living rates unnecessarily.

The independent living facility my parents moved into forced them to sign up for assisted living services although they don’t need any help. They said they “only had assisted apartments available” at the time. They needed a place to live so they moved in. The facility director said they’d tell them when an independent unit opened. Well, it never happened so after several months my dad said they were moving because of the cost. Hmmm…all of a sudden they were able to move to independent status. But told to stay in their same apartment! It was then we realized they were trying to meet some quota or something and had lied to my parents to extort more money from them. Is this legal? Do they have any recourse? They got nothing for the extra $1000 a month they had to pay and in fact were also forced to pay to eat more meals in the dining room than they wanted or needed. Ugh….makes me so angry to feel like they were scammed!

MJ1929 Aug 2022
Read their contract before calling lawyers. What they signed is what was legal. If they didn't read what they signed, they may well be out of luck.

lealonnie1 Aug 2022
If I were your dad, I'd start by telling the management at this facility that I'm getting my lawyer involved immediately for the obvious FRAUD that was perpetrated here. I'm seeking a full REFUND of all the fees I was charged for food and lodging above & beyond what the IL charges would have been had I been charged legally for my apartment, as I'd never used ANY "AL" services I was forced to pay for. In other words, he's only seeking a refund of the overpayment, not 'pain & suffering' or a refund of ALL the rent he's paid for all these months. Let that idea swirl around the managements minds for a bit. They may come back to your dad and offer him the refund he seeks so he won't involve an attorney, you never know. I personally believe they might just DO that!

Otherwise, tell dad to definitely call a lawyer to see what can be done about this FRAUD. But have him use the ATTORNEY word before he does anything else. It's often enough to scare them into action, especially when they KNOW they were fraudulent in the first place.

GOOD LUCK and I'm sorry your poor folks were scammed like this.

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XenaJada Aug 2022
I would definitely see a lawyer about this!

AnnReid Aug 2022
I’d seek the opinion of a lawyer trained in geriatric/family court issues, then move on to filing a complaint with any governmental agencies responsible for oversight of the specific type of living arrangements in your area.

Where my LO lives, there was some degree of fluidity with IL, AL, MC, SNC, but I never saw any instances that went against the individual residents.

She herself moved through AL and MC during COVID, and that may have made a difference in how the financials were managed in her hot spot.

Try to maintain a business approach to your dealings. Sounds like at least a semi scam to me, but COVID in my area ruined everything.

Listen to all sides, then act accordingly.

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