The CDC has released a new publication regarding older adults and emergency preparedness, titled "Identifying Vulnerable Older Adults and Legal Options for Increasing Their Protection During All-Hazards Emergencies." Throughout the guide, the CDC provides examples from states, communities, and existing programs that demonstrate practical options for addressing the gaps in preparedness planning. These examples cover topics such as developing plans for rural areas, building community partnerships, leveraging the influence of area agencies on aging, and using technology to plan for older adults’ needs. These examples also serve as models for action and highlight existing resources that might be helpful to professionals working with vulnerable older adults.

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Join the National POLST Paradigm Task Force for a webinar: “POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), Partnering with Professionals to Educate and Empower Patients, Families & Caregivers through Use of Decision-Support Tools”. Many patients with advanced illness need a lot of information in order to understand their prognosis, life expectancy and treatment options. This webinar will teach attendees how to identify the need for effective patient/family/caregiver education and decision-support tools, access available advance care planning tools and resources and use the website compassionandsupport.org.

POLST, Partnering with Professionals to Educate and Empower Patients, Families & Caregivers through Use of Decision-Support Tools
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Registration is required for this webinar and space is limited. Register here.

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Join the National Association of the Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) for a webinar entitled “Are You Ready? Readiness Assessment Guide for Your Agency’s Volunteer Engagement”. This webinar will provide an overview of a readiness assessment tool for agencies looking to determine how prepared they are to connect to the “next generation” of volunteers. The Aging Network must be able to offer opportunities that empower older adults and utilize their leadership skills and knowledge.

Are You Ready? Readiness Assessment Guide for Your Agency's Volunteer Engagement
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

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Last week, The SCAN Foundation launched a redesign of their website. New features on the site include a searchable grants database and easily accessible and reorganized content. The SCAN Foundation website also includes many LTC educational resources and policy information.

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The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and the Center for Personal Assistance Services, Institute for Health and Aging, University of California, San Francisco are carrying out a survey to identify the kinds of tools and information advocates require to work effectively as states move to managed healthcare, long-term services and supports (LTSS) and home and community-based services for people with disabilities and seniors. The survey is open to anyone who is working to ensure that the rights of low-income people with disabilities and seniors are upheld and advanced as some states move to provide services through managed care. The results of the survey will be used to guide the content and direction of further research and will be submitted to several federal agencies that are in the process of identifying technical assistance strategies.

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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”. In addition to speaking about issues related to quality home care, we’ll also be highlighting some of the findings of our Consumer Perspectives for Quality Care report, due to be released September 7th!

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!

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A state appeals court reinstated a lawsuit against the owner of 16 nursing homes in California. The appeals court ruled that patients can sue long-term care facilities for unsuccessfully meeting California’s nursing-staffing standards. The owner, Covenant Care, contended that only state regulators had the authority to enforce the requisite that skilled-nursing homes give nursing care to each patient for 3.2 hours per day. A Superior Court judge ruled in the owner’s favor, but the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco overruled the decision. Presiding Justice Ignazio Ruvolo said that state law authorizes residents of the facilities “to bring actions themselves to remedy violations of their rights,” including the “right to reside in an adequately staffed facility.”

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Last Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Massachusetts signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a demonstration to integrate care for dual eligibles. Massachusetts is the first state to obtain approval from the federal government to start implementing a new system of integrated care for dual eligibles.

For more information, read the summary outlining how the agreement impacts consumers from the National Senior Citizens Law Center.

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At the beginning of August, Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents (AANHR) participated in a Veterans Supporting Veterans Rally on August 9^th. AANHR also recently supported veterans at the Little Rock Veterans Home. This state-owned, state-run veterans home opened in 1980. The home is funded by the AR Department of Veterans Affairs, receiving no Medicare or Medicaid funding. The home is not inspected by federal officals but only state officals. Over the years, the home fell into disrepair and has now been deemed unfixable. Now, all of the residents must move out. AANHR is working to keep the residents, who are now very much a family, together.

For more information on the Veterans Supporting Veterans Rally and the Little Rock Veterans Home, read AANHR’s September newsletter.

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