DisElderly Conduct
The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice
by Judy Karofsky
A personal account of unmet needs in assisted living and hospice aiming to spark discussions about new approaches for America’s aging population and family decision makers. There are over 30 thousand assisted living facilities in the U.S., but most are unaffordable for middle-class Americans and fraught with staffing deficiencies and mismanagement. Chapters on the author’s experience helping her mother move from an age-restricted community in Florida to independent living in Wisconsin to assisted living will interest seniors and their family members who know the struggle of finding long term affordable care.
Publisher: New Village Press
Distributor: NYU Press
Publication Date: May 2025
Pages: 224
Trim: 5.50 × 8.50 inches
ISBN: 978-1-61332-267-3
Price: $24.00
Primary edition: paperback
Also available in ebook and hardcover
About Judy Karofsky
Judy Karofsky was one of Wisconsin’s first women mayors. During her term of office in the city of Middleton, she established a now-thriving senior center and emergency medical services. She served on the executive staff of a governor and held multiple roles in housing and economic development for a state agency, a nonprofit housing development organization, and her own research firm. Karofsky has authored numerous op-eds, articles, and papers on affordable housing, historic preservation, and regional growth. More recently she has written on institutional investing in seniors housing. She’s delivered keynote speeches, public meeting testimonies, and conference introductions, and she’s contributed on a range of issues for women’s networks and service organizations. In her role with the Wisconsin Elder Economic Security Initiative, she led discussions with labor union retirees.
“A compelling narrative that passionately cries out for a better way to safeguard our most vulnerable. We learn the ‘better way’ is significantly hindered when the profit motive is the driving force. DisElderly Conduct shows in a most powerful way the need for national reform of care for the elderly.”
—Martin Schreiber, Former Governor, State of Wisconsin, and author, My Two Elaines
“Judy Karofsky provides a portrait of the elder care system in the United States that is both intricate and intimate. By sharing the story of her mother’s end of life, Karofsky helps readers navigate the complexities faced by children trying to help parents in their final years of assisted living and hospice. Karofsky’s search for comfort and dignity for her mother is often hampered by an industry that is frequently unresponsive and poorly regulated. This is a book that asks the question: ‘Why can’t we do better?’”
—Norman Stockwell, Publisher, The Progressive