Can an assisted living center refuse to share non-medical information with his wife or sister? We are too far away to visit.

Skip, I hope this all works out well for you, and thanks for sharing the update.

The only relative in the area is a son that lives 2 hours away. He was placed in AL by the state of SC; a state employee has POA. He is bipolar and may have dementia. He has indicated that he would be in favor of his information being shared. After posting this, I spoke with a SC ombudsman who told me that he should give a list of people to the AL facility. Going to have his son do that this week. Thanks for your input.

If there's no dementia involved, you might try to work with the social worker to get a HIPPA authorization signed so you can get information. Generally, if you present a good, legitimate plan, and the facility has proactive and compassionate staff, something could probably be worked out, such as that the social worker has an authorization signed, after confirming that the man wants his wife and/or sister to be able to get medical information on his condition.

If he doesn't want to share, though, that's another issue.

Who arranged for him to be in AL? Are there any other relatives, or close friends, in the area?

Can you provide more details so we can attempt to give you a more informed answer? I believe AL facilities are bound by the same HIPPA privacy regulations as doctor’s offices. If the person did not indicate that they can share information and with whom, they won’t be able to.