Seattle Times’ ‘Seniors for Sale’ finds elder abuse by requesting manuals first
Michael J. Berens of The Seattle Times went inside the world of adult family homes to expose mistreatment and lax regulation. His “Seniors for Sale” series found that when people take seniors into their homes to earn money, “thousands of vulnerable adults have been exploited by profiteers or harmed by amateur caregivers.”
The online presentation
has an effective, rotating selection of wrenching quotes, including:
- “I didn’t complain early enough to save her.”
- “Patients, in many instances, can be treated like a commodity.”
- “She said, his bruises were consistent with abuse.”
For the stories, Michael created a database of enforcement actions at the state’s 2,843 adult family homes to determine where the violations occurred.
Today’s Tip: Before you seek specific information through a Freedom of Information Act request, request the organization’s manuals so you’ll know exactly what it tracks.
Michael J. Berens
“Step one is to understand the system,” he says. “You have to learn every piece of paper they generate.”
He says once you have the paper trail, you can find the sources. As indicated in the “About the series” information, Michael interviewed more than 250 people.
Michael is a projects reporter, but he says beat reporters can do parts of the package he produced. For instance, see whether your state relies on adult homes and how it regulates them. Another avenue to explore: organizations that bill themselves as referral agencies. Check to see how referrals are generated to adult family homes.
Tomorrow: Seattle Times reporter Michael J. Berens talks about how to produce compelling videos.
