A statewide taskforce in Oregon unveiled a report centering on how to manage the growing population of those who suffer from memory impairments, including a requirement for all caregivers to get training about dementia. As the US population ages, Alzheimer’s disease is becoming more prevalent, and the need for caregivers is expanding rapidly.

“Unless the disease can be effectively treated or prevented, the number of Oregonians with ADRD (Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias) will increase significantly in the next two decades, “ says the taskforce in the report.

The report set out five goals: 1.) Boost public awareness and engagement 2.) Improve care quality and efficiency 3.) Protect individuals with dementia 4.) Improve access to quality care 5.) Understand, prevent and effectively treat dementia and its impact.

The plan’s element of mandatory training for guardians of those with dementia is expected to decrease abuse of guardianship roles, which often brings about costly abuse investigations along with costs to families and state and county legal systems.

Back to top

A recent study showed that consumers can have a false sense of security when working with caregiver providers. As need for home health care grows, some home care agencies are employing under-qualified individuals who often do not go through background checks or drug testing. The study found that many agencies falsify the abilities of their caregivers and use websites like Craigslist to recruit employees. Fifty-five percent of agencies researched performed federal background checks on employees, and only one-third administered drug tests.

For more information, read the story on HomeHealthCareNews.com.

Back to top

As a part of Residents’ Rights Month, Consumer Voice asked residents to submit stories and entries to express this year’s theme – “My Voice, My Vote, My Right.” Consumer Voice received numerous thoughtful responses. Some of these responses have been shared on the Consumer Voice website. Check back often as the page will continue to be updated.

Back to top

Facebook First Friday is a fun and interactive way to chat monthly with advocates, consumers and others about hot topics in long-term care. To get involved in the discussion, head to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theconsumervoice and “Like” our page. You can check in throughout the day to comment on our wall. Feel free to jump into one of the questions we pose, pose your own question, or just observe. The Consumer Voice will hold their next Facebook First Friday on September 7, 2012 from 9:00-3:00 pm ET. The topic for September is “Quality Home Care: Making it Work”. Until then, please spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues about our monthly events so that we can continue to grow this wonderful dialogue!

Back to top

On July 31, 2012 the Consumer Voice hosted a national conference call for homecare consumers, titled “Long-Term Services and Supports: Consumer Input Call.” This event was open to any consumer who receives care, services, and supports in their home. Our goal for the call was to better understand what is important to consumers who receive care and services in their own homes. We posed a series of ten questions and received feedback from consumers on each question. The questions ranged from how consumers feel about their workers, their care and services, the kind of choices they’d like to make, and finally what they think the government can do to improve/ensure quality care.

We were incredibly pleased with the outcome of the conference call and thrilled with the responses and participation we got directly from consumers. We feel this type of advocacy, where you go directly to real consumers to get an understanding of what they’re experiencing, is innovative and critically important. We want to thank everyone in our network who helped spread the word. It was a direct result of your efforts that our call was such a success.

A recording of the call will soon be posted on our website. Also, a more detailed analysis of the conference call will be incorporated into our Consumer Perspectives on Quality Home Care report, due to be released in September. Stay tuned!

Back to top

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) shared with the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (Consumer Voice) and other leading long-term care advocates that burden reduction is not the agency’s priority in its current review of federal nursing home regulations. CMS stated that they will review the regulations for the sole purpose of improving quality and safety standards for residents. These regulations were promulgated to implement the landmark Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 and are standards that CMS requires long-term care facilities to meet in order to begin or continue participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Both the law and the rules have played an integral role in helping to protect and ensure quality of care and life for residents over the past twenty-five years.

Advocates have been very concerned about this review, based on earlier indications that CMS would focus on reducing the burden to nursing home providers (this was the case with hospitals, which resulted in a weakening of certain safety and health standards). The Consumer Voice applauds CMS for putting residents’ needs first and is proud to have played a role alongside other important advocacy groups to ensure there is no weakening of the regulations. Furthermore, the Consumer Voice has urged CMS to convene a diverse stakeholder group to discuss and recommend improvements for residents and hopes to see CMS implement recommendations to improve quality of care and life for residents that we developed with input from consumer advocates around the country. Read our recommendations here.

Back to top

Registration is now open for Friday Morning Collaborative’s webinar “State Advocate Experiences in Managed Long-Term Services and Supports.” More and more, states are planning to establish or expand Medicaid managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs. This webinar builds upon topics covered in a previous Friday Morning Collaborative that provided an overview of key issues and principles for aging and disability advocates. It will highlight state advocate experiences in states with existing MLTSS programs or states actively pursuing.

"State Advocate Experiences in Managed Long-Term Services and Supports"
Friday, August 17, 2012
2:00pm-3:30pm EST

Register now.

Back to top