Complaint Review: Claudine D. Alexander

 Claudine Alexander-Leger is one of the most knowledgeable people in the Senior Housing Industry. She is dedicated and loyal to the residents and the families of the communities she works in. Claudine is known for going into problem facilities and fixing run down and neglected properties. She has worked through many unique nursing and dietary issues along with many operational and marketing problems in an effort to raise the standards in the buildings she works in and improve the quality of life in the residents that reside in those buildings. Unfortunately, by being such a forceful advocate and having to go into these properties and filter through employees that have what it takes to work in this industry and get rid of those who just weren't willing to step up to the plate, Claudine's name appears on this site. But rest assured she couldn't have accomplished all she has and worked for some of the biggest names in the industry if there was any substance to their comments. Claudine was born into this industry. Her grandparents owned and operated a rest home in upstate New York. She started her career in Senior Housing with Alterra in 2004. She wanted to work with Alterra in the Marketing Department, but they only had a position as the Activities Director. Claudine took that position and started learning the Alterra way.

Alterra soon saw something in Claudine and quickly promoted her to the Marketing Director position she originally wanted. Alterra Healthcare was one of the largest Senior Housing Companies in the early 2000's. They recognized that America’s senior population was experiencing unprecedented growth. As the “Baby Boom” generation ages, that market segment is expected to continue to expand. Consumer awareness and acceptance of senior living alternatives have also risen dramatically in recent years. The resultant market conditions have added more choices and availability to today’s senior living options. As demand for senior living continues to grow, those in the marketplace will continue to seek affordable and practical living choices for themselves and their loved ones. Alterra Senior Living Resources provides general information and a dedicated pathway to a full range of lifestyles and care options for today’s seniors. They specialized int: Independent Living, Assisted Living, Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, Continuous Care Retirement Communities, Life Care Retirement Communities Alterra Senior Living was a resources way ahead of the game that provided exclusive links to senior living companies and its communities that offer a full range of senior lifestyles, services and care options. Unfortunately, Alterra had some financial troubles and sold several of their properties throughout the United States, one of them being the property that Claudine worked in. The new owners of Alterra Sterling House, renamed it Benton House. The management company, Principal Senior Living was based out of Georgia and they really saw some strong leadership skills in Claudine. They told her they were going to be letting the Executive Director go and would love for her to become the new Administrator at Benton House.

Claudine accepted their offer and immediately enrolled in CORE Training. The Core Training is designed for prospective assisted living facility administrators in preparation to take the state mandated competency exam and meets the requirements in Florida Statute 429.52 and Florida Administrative Code 58A-5.0191. This program is approved for 26 hours of nursing home administrator and nursing continuing education credits and is reported directly to CE Broker. The core competency exam is administered by the University of South Florida (USF). Administrators and managers, must successfully complete ALF Core training within three months from the date of becoming a facility administrator or manager. Successful completion of ALF Core training includes passing a competency test. ALF Core training is a prerequisite for the competency test. In addition, persons must register and pay for the test in advance. No walk-ins will be permitted to sit for the test. Claudine passed her CORE Training Exam at the University of South Florida the first time taking it and has been certified as an ALF Administrator since 2005. While she was the Administrator at Benton House, she saw a huge need for a secured Alzheimer's Unit. She went to the management company and they gave the go ahead.

Claudine worked diligently at getting the unit secured and ready for this new clientele. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s. Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions. Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.

Claudine Alexander-Leger developed a huge passion for Alzheimer's Disease and became very involved in the Memory Walks. She eventually became a certified Alzheimer's Facilitator with the American Alzheimer's Association in 2014. Principal Senior Living took over management of Alafia Village ALF and asked Claudine to help out with this "problem" building. While there Claudine recognized an employee who worked with her at Alterra Sterling House. She quickly went to the Regional Team and asked if they were aware of a medication problem at this building. They said no. Claudine uncovered a nurse who worked at Alterra and was fired for medication mishandling was now the Director of Nursing their. They quickly found the same thing was going on at Alafia Village. The sheriffs office was brought in and the nurse was arrested. She was found with residents medication in her desk, purse and car. Soon after Claudine had this facility cleaned up and running properly, the owner, Ed Fusia had his daughter-in-law Gloria Fusia take over Claudine's position at Benton House. Gloria's personality could never bring the warmth that Claudine could to that building. Claudine then went to work at a much larger facility, recently purchased by Pacifica Senior Living and managed by Sovran. Sun City Retirement had been owned by the same man for over 20-years. The Administrator had run it for 18-years. Unfortunately she was injured and had to take an extended amount of time off to heal.

Claudine was brought in to run the building until its original Administrator returned. While working as the Acting Administrator Claudine found several issues with the nursing department, dietary department and housekeeping. The employees were so mad at Claudine that many walked out on her in the middle of their shifts. When Claudine found expired meds from the 90's sitting in unlocked cabinets, she didn't have to terminate anybody, the nurses walked. When she cleaned the canned good shelves that in 2007 had items that expired in 1999 6-dietary workers left. Claudine put on a hair net and helped get dinner on the tables along with her Business Office Manager and Receptionist and when 3-Housekeepers walked out because they weren't willing to clean the Memory Care Community to Claudine's expectations, Claudine showed the staff she was not afraid to put on a pair of gloves and get down and dirty. The employees who once hung their heads like beaten puppies, soon were smiling throughout the hallways, residents who just existed in the building were laughing and smiling. The Census which was low soon grew and reached the licensed capacity of 110 residents, Pacifica Senior Living was thrilled with Claudine's hard work and dedication, they applied for an increase in their license to 120, it was soon reached another license increase to 135 and Claudine was able to fill those beds. Then the management company hired a Regional Manager who came into Claudine's building and slept with one of her employees. When Claudine reported this to the Management Company, Claudine's days were soon numbered and she was let go. Claudine went on to co-author a book called "My Personal History and Healthcare Journal" a guide to help people organize their Medical, Financial, Legal and End of Life wishes. Pacifica called Claudine, as their census was falling quickly and asked if she would come back to work for them. She couldn't come back as the Administrator as her book was just being released. So, Claudine went back to the building as the Marketing Director.

Claudine was winning all kinds of awards from Pacifica Senior Living and its new Management Company, Senior Management Advisors. She was a rock star in their eyes, filling beds. Pacifica soon was asking Claudine to go to St. Augustine/Jacksonville and look at potential ALF sites. She was hired to research the areas to see if they had the median age needed and the finances to afford higher end Assisted Living. Working side by side with the owners and upper management teams, Claudine was loving her job. However, the Administrator she was working under couldn't help but feel she was trying to get his job. He made up several stories and complaints to the management company and because of the friendship he had with the Regional's Claudine was then let go. Claudine Alexander-Leger went on to work in Home Health but her passion was in Assisted Living. She took a job with Emeritus Senior Living. Another problem building that had been run down, that she worked hard to turn around and fill. Emeritus Corporation doing business as Emeritus Senior Living is a provider of independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and skilled nursing for seniors living in Emeritus communities throughout the United States. The company was founded in 1993. Emeritus specializes in assisted living services for seniors who need help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meals and medications management. Most communities also provide expert care for Alzheimer’s and memory care residents, and offer respite stays for seniors who need short-term stays.

As of the February 20, 2014 merger with the world's largest provider of senior living solutions, Brookdale Senior Living, NYSE (BKD) Emeritus joins the largest provider in the senior living industry.[1] Emeritus has locations in 47 states, with several facilities within each state. Emeritus was soon purchased by Brookdale Senior Living and Claudine went through Brookdale's extensive Marketing and Sales Training. Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Brookdale Senior Living Inc. agreed to buy Emeritus Corp. for about $1.4 billion in stock, building a network of housing for the elderly across 46 U.S. states. Investors in Seattle-based Emeritus will receive 0.95 shares of Brookdale for each share they own, the companies said in a statement yesterday. That values Emeritus at about $28.56 a share, a 33 percent premium to yesterday’s closing price. Including debt, the transaction is valued at about $2.8 billion. The deal strengthens Brookdale’s platform as the country’s population ages and the number of residents living in senior-housing communities climbs. Brookdale, based in Brentwood, Tennessee, said the deal will create the “only national full-spectrum senior-living solutions company,” with more than 1,100 locations. “This combination will improve our ability to deliver the best high-quality solutions for the growing demographic of aging seniors and their families,” Brookdale Chief Executive Officer Andy Smith said in the statement. “With still only 10 percent market share post-merger, we are confident of our prospects for driving further long-term revenue growth.” The deal will increase Brookdale’s presence in high-population states in the West and Northeast, more than doubling its units in California, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The combined company’s properties will offer services including assisted living, dementia care, skilled nursing, outpatient therapy, home health and hospice care. The deal will expand Brookdale’s units by more than two-thirds to 112,700. Smith will be CEO of the combined company. Emeritus CEO Granger Cobb will join the board and continue in a consulting role, the companies said. Fortress Investment Group LLC, a New York-based private-equity firm, acquired Brookdale in 2000 and took the company public five years later.

The firm remains Brookdale’s largest shareholder, with a stake of about 14 percent as of Dec. 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The acquisition is scheduled for completion in the third quarter, the companies said. Brookdale is an incredible company to work for. They sent Claudine through their Culanary Art Institute program and extensive Sales and Marketing Training. Claudine loved working with Brookdale, ironically she was brought full circle from the company she started her career in Senior Housing in, Alterra. As of June 29, 2005, Alterra Healthcare Corporation was acquired by Brookdale Senior Living Inc. Alterra Healthcare Corporation, is an assisted living company, that operates in assisted living residences and provides assisted living services. The company was formerly known as Alternative Living Services, Inc. and changed its name to Alterra Healthcare Corporation in April 1999. Alterra Healthcare Corporation was founded in 1981 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Claudine no longer works for Brookdale Senior Living, as she reported the Director of Nursing at her building "fixing" level of care assessments to the Executive Director and the ED took the Nurses side. Claudine couldn't work with the Nurse who was determining how much a person paid for their care not dependant on their needs, but rather on if she liked the resident and their family or not. Claudine resigned from this position when given the choice to either resign or be fired. She looked at the Administrator and stated, you have the wrong employees back, got up and walked away. Claudine is willing to lose her job instead of do a senior wrong. Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power.

Further research found that in 2007, Claudine lost her job and applied for Food Stamps for her and her family of five, which she supported on her own. When she returned to work she reported it to the agency. They gave her two months additional support that she was not entitled to and it was discovered in a 2010 audit of their records. The courts noted this was an "Agency Error" and had Claudine pay the money back to the State of Florida and then dismissed this case.