The Consumer Voice would like to express its regret that CMS Acting Administrator Donald Berwick has resigned effective this Friday. Dr. Berwick had held the position on an interim appointment because he could not get enough Republican votes to assure Senate confirmation.

He took a strong personal interest in ending overmedication and the abuse of antipsychotics, including asking the nursing home and pharmaceutical industries to provide him with a plan of action to address misuse of antipsychotics and asking his staff to review recommendations submitted to him by the Consumer Voice, Center for Medicare Advocacy, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, Long Term Care Community Coalition, and Community Partnership for Improved Long-Term Care in Charlottesville, VA.  

The Obama Administration has nominated his deputy, Marilyn Tavenner, to head the office. Tavenner is a nurse and former official with the Hospital Corporation of American and Virginia secretary of health and human resources. For more information, read the New York Times article.

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It can be hard to ask for help. I know this first-hand. I’m one of those people who tend to always say “yes”, never “no,” and really want to do things myself. I find it incredibly hard to imagine that someday I might need assistance with tasks like bathing, toileting and eating. I don’t even like to burden people now with requests to help me with my new baby (which is silly because everyone wants to hold that gorgeous girl!), let alone support me with such intimate functions of my daily life.

Though the reality is, most of us are going to need to ask for help some day. Also, many of us will be a helper too. My organization, the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, represents people who need and access long-term services and supports (or long-term care as we call it). This year, we launched a new project to provide those who need help and those who are the helpers to navigate the complicated long-term care system. Called, “Piecing Together Quality Long-Term Care: A Consumer’s Guide to Choices and Advocacy,” the publication is both a resource tool and an advocacy tool. Through this project, we set out to inform and to empower – helping consumers, families and caregivers to effectively advocate for quality care. Our goal is not to just help people find services, but to find quality services and to advocate for quality services.

Read the rest of the blog here...

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Death of Frank Williams, former Director of the NIA

Franklin Williams, M.D., a founding father of the field of geriatric medicine in the United States and a mentor and model for dozens of geriatricians, died at his home in Rochester, N.Y., Friday, Nov. 25, the day before what would have been his 90th birthday. The cause was complications from pneumonia.

Dr. Williams is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Carter Catlett Williams. A medical social worker, Carter Williams accompanied her husband on his trips around the world, gathering information on model approaches to aging, including Scandinavian nursing homes' homelike, restraint-free environment. Carter Williams' pioneering work has played a major role in reducing restraints in U.S. nursing homes and making quality of life an equal focus with quality of care in law and regulations.

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Study Says Largest For-Profit Chains Have Lower Quality

A new study says the largest for-profit nursing home chains, which control about 13 percent of nursing home beds, "deliver significantly lower quality of care because they typically have fewer staff nurses than non-profit and government-owned nursing homes." The study says the facilities have "the sickest residents" but 30 percent lower staffing hours, as well as "36 percent more deficiencies and 41 percent more serious deficiencies."  Read a press release about this issue. The study's author is Charlene Harrington of the University of California School of Nursing, a leading researcher on long-term care nursing and quality who is a member of the Consumer Voice Leadership Council.  For more information about this issue, email Janet Wells, Director of Public Policy. 

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