Question: Where can I find a listing of privately owned assisted-living facilities? I am not referring to the large company-operated facilities, but a house that has been converted to handle two or three patients and is also licensed.
Answer: The state Department of Health’s Office of Health Care Assurance website has information about licensed facilities in Hawaii. Here’s a summary of residence types from DOH spokesperson Katie Arita-Chang, with links to lists of licensed homes of each type:
>> Adult residential care homes are privately owned residential homes, usually with about five beds, although some are licensed for more. A nine-page list at 808ne.ws/ARCH Opens in a new tab shows ARCH possibilities statewide, listed alphabetically by city or town.
>> Community care foster family homes are privately owned residential homes, mostly for persons on Medicaid who need a nursing level of care. These homes have a maximum of three beds, two of which must be for Medicaid residents. A 34-page document at 808ne.ws/CCFFH Opens in a new tab lists CCFFH possibilities statewide, the vast majority of which are on Oahu.
>> Assisted-living facilities are privately owned buildings with apartments for rent and the provision of some care. These facilities are generally larger than you seek, but the one-page list at 808ne.ws/ALF Opens in a new tab may be useful for other readers.
The lists contain the name, address and phone number of each licensed facility, along with some other information.
Q: I am overdue a Costco rebate card for adding a line to my cellphone. The kiosk inside Costco where I bought the phone shut down. What do I do now?
A: Costco did not respond to our repeated queries on this topic, raised by customers who had purchased mobile phones and service plans from third-party kiosks within Costco stores that abruptly shut down earlier this month.
The wireless industry monitor FierceWireless.com reported that kiosks operated by Wireless Advocates LLC shut down Dec. 5 in hundreds of Costco stores nationwide. The company had operated as a “store within a store” for wireless sales and service.
A sign at the closed kiosk at the Hawaii Kai Costco advises customers to call their carrier for questions about their wireless account. The numbers posted were 833-950-4599 for AT&T; 800-937-8997 for T-Mobile, or 611 from your TMO phone; or 800-922-0204 for Verizon.
However, the questions we’ve received are about Costco Shop Cards, not wireless service. Cards were promised for adding or upgrading lines through the kiosks.
A notice posted at mypromochoice.com, where Costco customers track rebates for wireless purchases, says, “We are aware that some Costco members have not received the promotional Shop Card associated with a purchase and activation of a mobile phone through Costco. We are working on a resolution to the issue. Shop Cards will be issued to all eligible members as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please continue tracking the process of your rebate(s) on our website. If approved and issued, your status will be updated to reflect the date your rebate(s) were mailed via USPS.”
The website also says approval for any rebate is needed from Wireless Advocates, but that detail may have predated the shutdown. We sought information from Wireless Advocates but did not hear back by deadline. The company’s customer service email address was working as of Tuesday.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the angel who accompanied me for approximately an hour to find my car at Waipio Costco on Dec. 2. I did not panic because of your kind gesture. — Grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
