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After weeks of rumors, the company that operates Eddie Bauer stores in the United States and Canada has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the proceedings, Eddie Bauer LLC, which is owned by Catalyst Brands, is planning to wind down operations and close all of its remaining stores. Catalyst also oversees operations for brands including Lucky Brand, Aéropostale, Nautica, Brooks Brothers, and JCPenney. The company is currently on the lookout for a buyer that could potentially acquire some portion of the Eddie Bauers stores. In the meantime, though, a total of 175 Eddie Bauer locations will close their doors in the coming weeks. Here’s what you need to know: Whats happened? According to a court filing, Eddie Bauer has faced significant financial strain at its retail locations for years. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company was saddled with supply-chain issues, followed by persistent inflation and reduced discretionary spending on outdoor apparel. Catalyst acquired Eddie Bauers retail operations back in January 2025. In a press release, Catalysts CEO, Mark Rosen, said that the brands challenges have only worsened since then. Even prior to the inception of Catalyst Brands last year, [Eddie Bauer] was in a challenged situation, with declining sales, supply chain challenges and other issues, Rosen said. Over the past year, these challenges have been exacerbated by various headwinds, including increased costs of doing business due to inflation, ongoing tariff uncertainty, and other factors. Eddie Bauer joins a long list of retail chains that have recently shuttered some or all of their brick-and-mortar operations due to the ongoing retail apocalypse, including Party City, Big Lots, Joann, Claires, Saks Off 5th, and Francescas. As Fast Company previously reported, these bankruptcy proceedings will not impact Eddie Bauers locations overseas or its e-commerce and wholesale operations, which are led by separate companies. Whats next for Eddie Bauer? In the next few weeks, as Eddie Bauer LLC’s Chapter 11 proceedings move forward, the company plans to try to find a bidder to take over some or all of its stores and remaining assets. As of February 9, Catalyst said it had received two indications of interest from different companies. The brand plans to accept final bids on March 3 and proceed with any potential sale hearing on March 12. While those negotiations are underway, Eddie Bauer has already begun to wind down its physical presence. Per the bankruptcy filing, 49 of the companys leases were allowed to expire at the end of January and all of those stores are now closed. The remaining 175 stores have all begun the process of liquidating their inventory, furniture, and fixtures in preparation for a final closure, which is expected to take about 13 weeks. Which Eddie Bauer stores are closing? The impacted retail locations include about 25 Canadian locations and the remaining 150 in the U.S. The full list is as follows: Alaska Anchorage, 320 West 5th Ave, Suite #C44A, Anchorage, AK, 99501 Alabama The Outlet Shops at Grand River, 6200 Grand River Blvd E, Suite 118-G, Leeds, AL, 35094 Tanger Outlet at Foley, 2601 S McKenzie St Ste 260, Foley, AL, 36535 California San Clemente Outlet, 101 W Avenida Vista Hermosa Suite 158, San Clemente, CA, 92672 Shasta Outlet, 1699 Hwy 273, Anderson, CA, 96007 Factory Stores at Vacaville, 131-F Nuttree Rd, Vacaville, CA, 95687 Village at Topanga, 6256 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Space #1240, Canoga Park, CA, 91303 Galleria at Roseville, 1151 Galleria Blvd., Ste. 133, Roseville, CA, 95678 Gilroy Outlet, 8325 Arroyo Circle, Bldg. D, Sp 28, Gilroy, CA, 95020 Great Mall Outlet, 447 Great Mall Drive Space 155A, Milpitas, CA, 95035 Fig Garden Village Shopping Center, 738 W. Shaw Ave., Fresno, CA, 93704 Folsom Factory Outlet, 13000 Folsom Blvd., Space 1450, Folsom, CA, 95630 Petaluma Outlets, 2200 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma, CA, 94952 Viejas Outlet Center, 5001 Willows Road, Space J101, Alpine, CA, 91901 Colorado Colorado Mills, 14500 W. Colfax Avenue, Space 160 A, Lakewood, CO, 80401 Castle Rock Factory Outlet, 5050 Factory Shops Blvd Suite 850, Castle Rock, CO, 80108 Silverthorne Outlet, 145A Stephens Wy, Silverthorne, CO, 80498 Centerra, I-25 and Eisenhower Blvd., Loveland, CO, 80538 Connecticut Tanger Outlet at Foxwoods, 455 Trolley Line Boulevard Suite 280, Mashantucket, CT, 06338 Westbrook Factory Stores, 314 Flat Rock Place, Suite C-105, Westbrook, CT, 06498 Delaware Rehoboth Ocean Outlet, 36502 Seaside Outlet Drive Suite 1250, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 19971 Florida Citrus Park Town Center, 7911 Citrus Park Town Center Mall, #520, Tampa, FL, 33625 St. Augustine Outlet Center, 2700 State Road 16, Suite 103, St. Augustine, FL, 32092 Silver Sands Factory Stores, 10562 Emerald Coast Parkway Space 10-14, Destin, FL, 32550 Lake Buena Vista Outlet, 15813 State Road 535, Orlando, FL, 32821 Georgia Commerce II Outlet, 800 Steven B Tanger Blvd Ste 809, Commerce, GA, 30529 North Georgia Premium Outlets, 800 Hwy 400 South, Suite 835, Dawsonville, GA, 30534 Discover Mills, 5900 Sugarloaf Pkwy #280, Lawrenceville, GA, 30043 Outlet Shops at Atlanta, 915 Ridgewalk Pkwy Suite #620, Woodstock, GA, 30188 Iowa Southern Hills Mall, 4400 Sergeant Road, Suite 08, Sioux City, IA, 51106 Outlets of Des Moines, 801 Bass Pro Dr NW Suite 110, Altoona, IA, 50009 Coral Ridge Mall, 1451 Coral Ridge Ave., Ste 232, Coralville, IA, 52241 Valley West, 1551 Valley West Dr., Ste 110, West Des Moines, IA, 50266 Lindale Mall, 4444 First Ave NE #124, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52402 Tanger Outlet at Williamsburg, 236 Tanger Drive, Williamsburg, IA, 52361 Idaho Boise Town Square, 350 N. Milwaukee, #1321, Boise, ID, 83704 Illinois Woodfield, Woodfield Shopping Center E-329, Schaumburg, IL, 60173 Burr Ridge, 750 Village Center Drive, Burr Ridge, IL, 60527 Village Plaza, 7232A Dempster, Morton Grove, IL, 60053 Chicago Premium Outlet, 1650 Premium Outlets Blvd. #325, Chicago, IL, 60502 Indiana Heritage Square, 7135 Heritage Square Drive Suite #320, Granger, IN, 46530 Edinburgh Outlet, 3000 Outlet Drive, Space F120, Edinburgh, IN, 46124 Lighthouse Place Outlet, 1105 Lighthouse Place, Michigan City, IN, 46360 Clay Terrace, 14395 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel, IN, 46032 Kansas NewMarket Square, 2441 N Maize Rd, Ste 805, Wichita, KS, 67205 Legend Outlet, 1813 Village West Pkwy #Q116, Kansas City, KS, 66111 Kentucky Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, 1155 Buck Creek Rd., Suite D-406, Simpsonville, KY, 40067 Massachusetts Burlington, 75 Middlesex Turnpike Space 1068B, Burlington, MA, 01803 Wrentham Village Outlets, One Premium Outlets Blvd Suite 640, Wrentham, MA, 02093 Prime Outlets @ Lee, 270 Premium Outlets Blvd, Lee, MA, 01238 Maryland Queenstown Outlet, 126 Outlet Center Dr, Queenstown, MD, 21658 Prime Outlets of Hagerstown, 500 Premium Outlets Boulevard, Hagerstown, MD, 21740 Arundel Mills, 7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Ste 476, Baltimore, MD, 21076 Maine Maine Mall, 364 Maine Mall Road, Space E-113, S. Portland, ME, 04106 Marketplace at Augusta, 8 Stephen King Dr. Suite 1, Augusta, ME, 04330 Michigan Twelve Oaks, 27394 Novi Road #A-203, Novi, MI, 48377 Kensington Valley Factory Shops, 1475 N Burkhart Rd, Ste G340, Howell, MI, 48855 Village of Rochester, 388 N. Adams Rd., Rochester Hills, MI, 48309 Tanger Outlet at West Branch, 2990 Cook Rd. Suite 113A, West Branch, MI, 48661 Birch Run Outlet, 12150 S. Beyer Road, Sp F-20, Birch Run, MI, 48415 Partridge Creek, 17420 Hall Road, SPC 133, Clinton Township, MI, 48038 Great Lakes Crossing Outlet, 4720 Baldwin Rd., Sp 210, Auburn Hills, MI, 48326 Minnesota Ridgedale, 12715 Wayzata Blvd Ste 2280, Minnetonka, MN, 55305 Medford Outlet Center, 6750 W Frontage Rd. Suite 321, Medford, MN, 55049 Outlets at Albertville, 6415 Labeaux NE, Space B-290, Albertville, MN, 55301 Eden Prairie, 8251 Flying Cloud Drive, Space #1136, Eden Prairie, MN, 55344 Twin City @ Eagan, 3945 Eagan Outlets Parkway Suite 1030, Eagan, MN, 55122 Miller Hill Mall, 1600 Miller Trunk Hwy, Duluth, MN, 55811 Mall of America, 214 South Avenue, Bloomington, MN, 55425 Missouri Osage Beach Premium Outlet, 4540 Highway 54, Suite J1, Osage Beach, MO, 65065 Tanger Outlets of Branson, 300 Tanger Blvd., suite 313, Branson, MO, 65616 Columbia Mall, 2300 Benadette Dr., Sp 432, Columbia, MO, 65203 St Louis Galleria, 1115 Saint Louis Galleria Space 1113, St. Louis, MO, 63117 Saint Louis Premium Outlet, 18501 Outlet Blvd. Suite 300, Chesterfield, MO, 63005 Montana Rimrock, 300 South 24th St.West, Billings, MT, 59102 North Carolina Nags Head Outlets, 7100 South Croatan Hwy, Nags Head, NC, 27959 Concord Mills Outlets, 8111 Concord Mills Blvd., Space 614, Concord, NC, 28027 Carolina Outlet Center, 1205 Outlet Center Drive STE 1239, Smithfield, NC, 27577 Asheville, 3 South Tunnel Road, Sp A-14, Asheville, NC, 28805 North Dakota West Acres, 3902 13th Ave. SW, Ste 228, Fargo, ND, 58103 New Hampshire Settler’s Green, OVP-D2; Route 16 Box 54, North Conway, NH, 03860 Tilton Outlet, 120 Laconia Rd., Ste 225, Tilton, NH, 03276 New Jersey American Dream, 1 American Dream Way, Suite B237, East Rutherford, NJ, 07073 Garden State Plaza, 1 Garden State Plaza Space T7, Paramus, NJ, 07652 Rockaway, 301 Mount Hope Ave #1082, Rockaway, NJ, 07866 Gloucester Premium Outlet, 100 Premium Outlets Drive Suite 330, Blackwood, NJ, 08012 Jersey Store, 1 Premium Blvd, Suite 830, Tinton Falls, NJ, 07753 New Mexico Santa Fe Premium Outlets, 8380 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM, 87507 ABQ, 2240 Q Street Space 10H, Albuquerque, NM, 87110 Meadowood, 5108 Meadowood Mall Circle, Reno, NV, 89502 New York Walden Galleria, 2000 WALDEN AVENUE #G-107, Cheektowaga, NY, 14225 Adirondack Outlet Mall, 1444 State Road 9, Space 23, Lake George, NY, 12845 Eastview, 781 Eastview Mall #159, Victor, NY, 14564 Northway Mall, 1440 Central Ave, Colonie, NY, 12205 Tanger Outlet Center at Riverhead, 602 Tanger Mall Drive Spc 602A, RIVERHEAD, NY, 11901 Destiny Outlet, 306 Hiawatha Blvd. W Space J217, Syracuse, NY, 13204 Waterloo Premium Outlet, 655 Route 318, Space #95, Waterloo, NY, 13165 Ohio Jeffersonville Outlet, 8195 Factory Shops Blvd, Jeffersonville, OH, 43128 Town Center at Easton, 4047 Gramercy Street, Space A-125, Columbus, OH, 43219 Summit Mall, 3265 W. Market St., Sp 430, AKRON, OH, 44333 Aurora Premium Outlet, 549 S. Chillicothe Rd., Route 43 #630, Aurora, OH, 44202 Oregon Clackamas, 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Suite 2076, Portland, OR, 97086 Woodburn Company Stores, 1001 Arney Road, Suite 600, Woodburn, OR, 97071 Lincoln City Outlet, 1500 SE East Devils Lake Road, Suite 312, Lincoln City, OR, 97367 Seaside Factory Outlet Center, 1111 North Roosevelt #100, Seaside, OR, 97138 Bend Outlet, 61338 S Highway 97 Ste 210, Bend, OR, 97702 Columbia Gorge Outlet, 450 NW 257th Ave, #200, Troutdale, OR, 97060 Pennsylvania Gettysburg Village, 1863 Gettysburg Village Dr. Suite A6, Gettysburg, PA, 17325 Montgomery, 248 Montgomery Mall Space 2128, North Wales, PA, 19454 South Hills Village, 301 South Hills Village Blvd., Sp 1340, Pittsburgh, PA, 15241 Shoppes at Susquehanna, 2603 Brindle Road Space G, Harrisburg, PA, 17110 Crossings Factory Stores, 1000 Premium Outlets Dr. Sp#C09, Tannersville, PA, 18372 Tanger Outlet Center Lancaster, 1140 Stanley K. Tanger Blvd, Lancaster, PA, 17602 The Arena Hub Plaza, 417 Arena Hub Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA, 18702 Grove City Outlet, 1911 Leeburg Road, Sp 900/PO Box 1101, Grove City, PA, 16127 Philadelphia Premium Outlet, 18 Light Cap Road #1099, Philadelphia, PA, 19464 Tanger at Pittsburgh, 2200 Tanger Blvd, Suite 805, Pittsburgh, PA, 15301 The Shoppes at Brinton Lake, 961 Baltimore Pike, Concord Township, PA, 19342 South Carolina Hilton Head Outlet, 1414 Fording Island Rd Ste G-140, Bluffton, SC, 29910 Myrtle Beach Factory Stores, 4620 Factory Store Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29579 South Dakota Rushmore, 2200 N. Maple, Ste 466, Rapid City, SD, 57701 The Empire, 1580 W Empire Mall Sp 116, Sioux Falls, SD, 57106 Tennessee Hamilton Place, 2115 Gunbarrel Rd, Chattanooga, TN, 37421 The Pinnacle Outlet, 554 Pinnacle Parkway, Space #749, Bristol, TN, 37620 Texas Southlake Town Square, 1402 Main St., Southlake, TX, 76092 Tanger Factory Outlet San Marcos, 4015 I-35 South, Ste 640, San Marcos, TX, 78666 Round Rock Outlet, 4401 I 35 N Frontage Rd #0793, Round Rock, TX, 78664 Rio Grande Outlet, 5001 East Expressway 83 Building 8, space 820, Mercedes, TX, 78570 Traverse Mountain Outlet, 3700 North Cabelas Blvd Ste 440, Lehi, UT, 84043 Zion Factory Stores, 250 N. Red Cliff Dr. Suite 12, ST. GEORGE, UT, 84790 Virginia Valley View Mall, 4802 Valley View Blvd., Ste LB50, Roanoke, VA, 24012 Williamsburg Outlet, 5715-75 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA, 23188 Fair Oaks, 11715-U Fair Oaks Mall, Sp J225, Fairfax, VA, 22033 Leesburg Corner, 241 Fort Evans Rd. NE, Ste. 1257, Leesburg, VA, 20176 Vermont Manchester Designer Outlet, 135 Depot St #82, Manchester Center, VT, 05255 Washington Factory Stores at North Bend, 661 S Fork Ave. SW Suite 4-C, North Bend, WA, 98045 University Village, 2690 N.E. University Village St. – Space A, Seattle, WA, 98105 Supermall of the NW Outlet, 1101 Supermall Wy., Sp 1336, Auburn, WA, 98001 Westfield South Center Mall, 670 Southcenter Mall, Tukwila, WA, 98188 Alderwood, 3000 184th St SW Space #294, Lynnwood, WA, 98037 Spokane Valley Plaza Outlet, 15635 East Broadway, Spokane, WA, 99037 Centralia Outlet, 1404 Lum Road, Centralia, WA, 98531 Columbia Center, 1321 N Columbia Center Blvd #537, Kennewick, WA, 99336 Woodinville Outlet, 13910 NE Mill Pl, Woodinville, WA, 98072 Seattle Premium Outlet, 10600 Quilceda Blvd. #340, Tulalip, WA, 98271 Wisconsin Johnson Creek Factory Shoppes, 595 West Linmar Lane, Ste B-40, Johnson Creek, WI, 53038 Mayfair, 2500 North Mayfair Road, Sp 432, Wauwatosa, WI, 53226 Oshkosh Mfg Outlet, 3001 S. Washburn, Ste #E-80, Oshkosh, WI, 54904 Fox River, 4301 West Wisconsin Ave #128, Appleton, WI, 54913 Wisconsin Dells, 210 Gasser Road Spc 581, Wisconsin Dells, WI, 53913 Pleasant Prairie Outlet, 11601 108th St Unit 554, PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI, 53158 Oakwood, 4800 Golf Rd, Space 822, Eau Claire, WI, 54701 Alberta Kingsway Garden, 109th and Princess Elizabeth Ave Spc 628, Edmonton, AB, T5G 3A6 West Edmonton, 8770 170 St NW # 1992, Edmonton, AB, T5T 4M2 Market Mall, 3625 Shaganappi Trail NW #40R, Calgary, AB, T3A 0E2 Chinook Centre, 6455 McCloud Trail SW Space 1229, Calgary, AB, T2H 0K8 British Columbia Coquitlam Centre, 2929 Barnet Highway, Coquitlam, BC, V3B 5R5 Woodgrove Centre, 102-6631 Island Hwy North #80, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 4T7 Government Street, 1254 Government St., Victoria, BC, V8W 1Y3 Park Royal, 2002 Park Royal S. Space 997, West Vancouver, BC, V7T 2W4 Mayfair, 638 Mayfair Shopping Centre, Victoria, BC, V8Z 6E3 Tsawwassen Outlet, 130-5000 Canoe Pass Way, Tsawwassen, BC, V4M 0B3 New Brunswick Champlain Place, 477 Paul St., Sp W4, Dieppe, NB, E1A 4X5 Nova Scotia Mic Mac Mall, 21 Mic Mac Blvd., Sp 137A, Dartmouth, NS, B3A 4N3 Ontario Tanger Outlets Cookstown, 3311 Simcoe Road 89 Ste #H40, Cookstown, ON, L0L 1L0 Bayshore Shopping Centre, 100 Bayshore Dr., Ottawa, ON, K2B 8C1 Station Mall, 293 Bay St Space #K5, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 1X3 Lime Ridge Mall, 999 Upper Wentworth Street, Unit 411, Hamilton, ON, L9A 4X5 Don Mills, 32 Karl Fraser Rd CRU J10, TORONTO, ON, M3C 0E8 Vaughan Mills Outlet, 1 Bass Pro Dr. Ste 713, Vaughan, ON, L4K 5W4 Place d’Orleans, 110 Place d’Orleans Dr, Space 700, Ottawa, ON, K1C 2L9 Upper Canada Mall, 17600 Yonge St #DD16, Newmarket, ON, L3Y 4Z1 The Outlet Collection @ Niagara, 300 Taylor Rd Unit#317 Bldg 300, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, L0S 1J0 Tanger Outlets Ottawa, 8555 Campeau Dr Unit#380, Ottawa, ON, K2T 0K5 Quinte Mall, 390 North Front St, Belleville, ON, K8P 3E1 Saskatchewan Midtown Plaza, 21 1st Ave. S., Saskatoon, SK, S7K 1J5
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E-Commerce
Most days, an email lands in my inbox with the promise to amplify my growthmy newsletter subscribers, the reach of my podcasts, the number of client leads, etc. I’ve gotten used to random people pitching me on their services, and some of the messages expertly prey on my insecurities as a business owner (“you’re leaving so much on the table,” et al.). I never answer any of them, but I sometimes wonder which ones might actually be legit. A few months back, I opened up the Assistant sidebar in my AI-powered browser when I was browsing one of these emails and asked if it looked suspicious (I think “this look sus?” was the actual prompt). It replied that yes, the message, which pitched finding funding for The Media Copilot, was missing key information that an established organization would include, plus it was sent by someone with an email address from a nonexistent domain and no LinkedIn profile. I thought about my experience as I read in Time about how a team at MIT maintains an online portal that chronicles how harmful AI incidents have risen over the past few years. The TL;DR is that the use of AI to cause harm, whether deliberately or accidentally, has increased significantly over the past few years. The incidents include everything from simple mistakes to deliberate violations, and the broad categories that have increased the most have to do with misinformation and malicious actors. That sadly makes sense: Those looking to mislead, misinform, or outright scam people have never had better tools for doing so. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/mediacopilot-logo-ss.png","headline":"Media CoPilot","description":"Want more about how AI is changing media? Never miss an update from Pete Pachal by signing up for Media CoPilot. To learn more visit mediacopilot.substack.com","substackDomain":"https:\/\/mediacopilot.substack.com\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}} One of the roles of the news media is to provide a check on misinformation, and most high-profile incidents connected with AIlike when those Biden robocalls were making the roundsare debunked pretty quickly. But incidents that rise to that level are the exception, not the rule. Deepfakes may never fool enough people to swing an election, but the numbers suggest the number of lower-profile incidents are accumulating rapidly. At the same time, the number of journalism jobs is shrinking, and the reporters who are left have only so much bandwidth. Skepticism isn’t strategy As misinformation from AI scales up, it’s creating a world where everyone is increasingly skeptical of what they read, see, and hear. Last year, a paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that exposure to AI-driven misinformation led to less trust in media in general. But skepticism alone isn’t productive. Where journalists can help the most isn’t in trying to debunk every deepfake or scam (clearly a losing battle), but in educating their audience on how to properly channel that skepticism. As with my email assistant, the tools of verificationwhich can very quickly check sources, analyze claims, and discover supporting evidenceare now conveniently available to everyone. That’s not to say everyone should immediately trust what an AI chatbot says about a particular story. But AI is a tool, and when used as a journalistic lens, it can be a powerful one. The key is treating the AI as an assistant to skepticism, not an authority. To return to the email example, my back-and-forth with the browser found in seconds what would have taken me minutes, looking up subjects, flagging inconsistencies, and suggesting new questions to follow up on. This all aligns with the principles of good journalism, and by passing some practical guidance on that, readers will be empowered not just to spot bad info, but potentially not immediately dismiss the good info that’s out there. How to avoid the cynical trap So what does a good “AI verification layer” look like? It starts with understanding that skepticism is a starting point, not the goal. Using it effectively means leveraging AI to both interrogate the information and avoid reinforcing your own suspicions in an unproductive way. Here are three habits, based on journalistic principles, that can be applied to any AI tool. Ask the same question twice: Many incidents where AI has caused harm started innocently enough, but eventually the user was led down some kind of rabbit hole, sometimes ending tragically. A helpful habit that might avoid this in some cases is to ask the same question a second time, just rephrased or with different framing. Check how the answers compare, following up on any significant inconsistencies. Force specificity: All good interviewers apply this one in targeted fashion. When a person makes a broad claim or declaration, ask AI to make it more specific. What supports that claim? Who was involved, what were the facts of the underlying evidence, when did it happen? Any vague answers should be treated as a red flag. Spot-check sources: If any claim is based on a link on the internet, it should not take long to verify it. When you can’t verify something in a minute or two, that should make you think twice, though keep in mind there could be reasons some true claims are difficult to verify (anonymous sources, for example). The world is increasingly fuzzy. Between AI hallucinations, deliberate disinformation, and the prevalence of meme culture, it’s understandable that everyone’s adopted a lot more skepticism of what they see. Without principles and habits to guide you to good information, though, that skepticism will too often slide into cynicim. Journalists might not be able to verify all the things we want them to, but their principles can help a new generation of news consumers tell the good from the badat scale. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/mediacopilot-logo-ss.png","headline":"Media CoPilot","description":"Want more about how AI is changing media? Never miss an update from Pete Pachal by signing up for Media CoPilot. To learn more visit mediacopilot.substack.com","substackDomain":"https:\/\/mediacopilot.substack.com\/","colorTheme":"salmon","redirectUrl":""}}
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Sometimes it’s a fall that brings a broken hip and a loss of mobility. Or memory problems that bubble into danger. Or the death of the partner who was relied upon for care.The need to move to a nursing home, assisted living facility or another type of care setting often comes suddenly, setting off an abrupt, daunting search. It’s likely something no one ever wanted, but knowing what to look for and what to ask can make a big difference.What to do when looking for a long-term care facility: Start with government ratings Regulation of assisted living facilities varies greatly from state to state, meaning there’s no centralized standards or source for information. If you’re looking for a nursing home, though, they are monitored by the federal government.The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services maintains records on nursing homes, including data on who owns the facility, how robust its staffing is and what types of violations it might have been fined for. It assigns homes a star rating, from one to five.Sam Brooks, director of public policy for the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, says while the star rating “can be notoriously unreliable,” due to its reliance on self-reported data, it can still provide some clues about a home.“One or two stars, expect it to be bad,” Brooks says.Ratings can be a resource to rule out the worst options, but not necessarily to find the best. Still, Brooks suggests taking a closer look at four- and five-star facilities and to consider a home’s ownership, too. Nonprofit homes are often better staffed.You could scour inspection reports and online reviews for clues, too, but eventually you’ll need to make a list of potential candidates and start making visits.“The data,” Brooks says, “only goes so far.” Look past the lobby When visiting a home on your list, be careful not to be too swayed by decorative touches that might be designed to lure you in, like a lobby’s furniture, dangling chandeliers or vases of flowers.“When I tour a building, I listen first. Is it loud? Are call bells ringing nonstop?” says Mark Sanchez, CEO of United Hebrew, a nursing home in New Rochelle, New York.After that, Sanchez says, switch your senses. Do you detect an odor? Do you see residents clustered around the nurses’ station, perhaps clamoring for help? Are staffers speaking respectfully to residents? Are they making eye contact? Are they rushed?“Culture shows up in small moments,” Sanchez says, “and it matters.”Seeking input from families of current residents can be insightful. Another resource may be your local long-term care ombudsman. Ombudsmen, funded by the federal Older Americans Act and present in every state, investigate long-term care residents’ complaints.With all the available information on each home, it can be easy to feel like you’re drowning in data. So pay attention to how a place feels, too, and pair that with concrete facts.When Jennifer Fink was making the “stressful, grief-inducing, hard and scary” decision on what memory care community was right for her mother, she didn’t consult state databases or Google ratings. She went with her gut reaction and luckily, it was right.“Trust your gut. Keep top of mind that the salesperson wants your loved one’s money,” says Fink, of Auburn, California. “If it’s giving you the ‘ick,’ then move on.” Staffing matters most More than any other single thing, experts on long-term care stress that a facility’s staffing is most important. That means both the quality of the care you witness workers giving residents during your visit and the average staffing levels shown in the reported data.A home providing an average of three hours of nursing care to each resident each day may not look all that different on paper from one providing three-and-a-half hours. But those minutes matter dearly, meaning the difference between a person getting a shower, having help at mealtime, or being discovered if they’ve fallen.During a visit, pay attention to how quickly call bells are answered and whether it seems like residents are engaged in activities. Ask staff how long they’ve worked there. A home that holds on to its workers for years may offer your loved one more continuity.Evan Farr, an elder law attorney in Lorton, Virginia, who wrote “The Nursing Home Survival Guide,” says visiting a facility at night or on the weekend can be particularly revealing.“These are the times when staffing is reduced and the true operation of the facility becomes apparent,” Farr says. “It is entirely possible to have a five-star rated facility that is woefully under-staffed from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Monday morning.” Keep a long-range view When faced with an urgent decision, it can be difficult to focus on anything beyond the factors in front of you. But it’s important to choose a home with a long-range view.At the start, many long-term care residents are able to pay for the cost of their bill. But what happens if their money runs out? If it’s a nursing home that accepts Medicaid, how many beds are allocated to such residents? Would your loved one get that slot? If it’s an assisted living facility, do they even accept people on Medicaid?Assisted living facilities often have complicated billing structures that require a bevy of questions to understand. Ask how costs may change as a person’s needs increase. Some places tack on separate charges for tasks like helping a person to the bathroom.“Four-thousand dollars a month can become $8,000 overnight,” says Geoff Hoatson, founder of the elder law practice Family First Firm in Winter Park, Florida.Another fact of long-term care that few understand is how often facilities seek to remove residents seen as undesirable, often due to a change in their financial circumstances or in their health. Dementia patients in particular with challenging care needs and symptoms that can sometimes bring aggression are targeted with orders to leave.“Ask specifically what conditions would require transfer,” Hoatson says. Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://x.com/sedensky Matt Sedensky, AP National Writer
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