FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 22, 2022

COLUMBIA, SC—The S.C. Department of Social Services (DSS), S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), S.C. Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), S.C. Department on Aging (SCDOA), and Cayce Police Department today provide an update on the residents of Twilite Manor Adult Residential Care Facility in Cayce that were placed into protective custody on Friday, Feb. 18.

“A team of the agency’s professionals have worked non-stop throughout the weekend to transport and secure temporary placement for the 12 residents of Twilite Manor who were placed in Emergency Protective Custody by the City of Cayce Police Department on Friday,” said Michael Leach, DSS State Director. “Working along with the Cayce Police, the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program at SCDOA, and SCDHHS, belongings of the residents will be collected today via a coordinated effort of involved entities as residents will be relocated to longer term placements secured by DSS.”

“The Cayce Police Department is thankful to our State partners for relocating our citizens and for working with us as we move forward with our criminal investigation,” said Cayce Police Chief, Chris Cowan.

DHEC today issued its findings from its Feb. 18 on-site investigation of Twilite Manor. The report is available here. Among the violations found were:

• Twilite Manor did not have sufficient staff to provide adequate supervision, direct care and basic services for all residents as of 7 a.m. on Feb. 18. State law requires one staff member per eight residents, and Twilite Manor has 16 residents. Two staff members should have been present.
• Twilite Manor did not administer medications to residents the morning of Feb. 18.
• Residents were not provided breakfast the morning of Feb. 18.

“DHEC is coordinating with local authorities and partner state agencies to address these residents’ needs as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director. “DHEC’s goal is to help secure outstanding care and a safe place to live long-term for the displaced residents.”

This type of intervention requires inter-agency coordination at the highest level. Every agency is focused on protecting the health and welfare of the residents who lived at Twilite Manor and are working together, around the clock, to minimize the impact of the residents move with the goal of getting them to a safe new home. 

While the number one priority is rehoming the displaced residents, the agencies have committed to an after-action review (AAR) of events in approximately 30 days to determine what process improvements can be made moving forward that are in the best interest of our state’s assisted living residents. Ensuring that all stakeholders are included in the AAR will be key.

###

BACKGROUND:
Twilite Manor is a community residential care facility (CRCF), not a nursing home. CRCFs are commonly referred to as assisted living facilities. Medical staff are not required at a CRCF, and residents at a CRCF are generally capable of a greater level of independence than those at a nursing home.