Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced seven cooperative agreement awards partnering with 145 nursing facilities to implement the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents. The initiative will test models to improve the quality of care and help decrease avoidable hospitalizations among nursing facility residents by funding organizations that offer enhanced on-site services and supports to nursing facility residents.

“We are excited about this partnership and the programs these seven organizations are putting in place to work with nursing facilities to ensure the best possible care for their residents. We view this initiative and the enhanced level of collaboration it will generate among a variety of providers as the key to reducing costly and avoidable hospitalizations for this population that often has the most complex health care needs,” said Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

For more information, read the press release on CMS’s website.

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We've created a private listserv for Ombudsmen that manage volunteers. The purpose of the LTCO Volunteer Management Network listserv is to promote discussion among peers, share challenges and successes regarding Ombudsman volunteer management and allow NORC staff to respond to questions and highlight resources. To join, please email Amity Overall-Laib.

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Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs...

Do you have an open position? Send your job posting or position description to Alia Murphy at the Ombudsman Resource Center at amurphy@theconsumervoice.org. We'll post it to our website at http://www.ltcombudsman.org/about-ombudsmen/job-opportunities.

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The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (Consumer Voice) is pleased to announce the availability of grants to two citizen advocacy groups (CAGs) in the amount of $4,000 each. The grants are part of phase two of the Consumer Voice's project Quality Care, No Matter Where: Consumer Guides for Self-Advocacy, funded by the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation. The goals of this project are as follows: (1) to empower individuals with disabilities and older adults to be self-advocates for quality long-term services and supports as well as to educate them about the various options available across the long-term care spectrum; (2) to strengthen citizen advocacy groups that work on behalf of long-term care consumers; and (3) to forge new and meaningful partnerships with national and state disability groups.

CAGs will utilize these grants to develop state/local long-term care consumer guides and/or factsheets, as well as conduct a consumer outreach campaign to the aging and disability communities over the course of six months.

The Request for Proposals can be found here. The due date for proposals is October 22, 2012 at 5:00 pm EST. All proposal submitters will receive a notification via email (or postal mail, if an email address is not provided) regarding the acceptance or denial of their proposal by November 12, 2012. We look forward to receiving your proposals!

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The Consumer Voice’s Executive Director Sarah Wells recently talked with the Direct Care Alliance’s Elise Nakhnikian about the Consumer Voice’s new report “Consumer Perspectives on Quality Home Care.” Sarah highlighted some important points addressed in the report. She emphasized the importance of the relationship between direct care workers and consumers and explained how these relationships are often very personal. She also recounted some of the ideas that consumers expressed over and over again. Consumers want their workers to get better pay and benefits; consumers want their workers to have more training.

Read the full interview with Sarah on the Direct Care Alliance’s website.

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Support Senate Bill 3604; Informed Consent for Antipsychotics in Nursing Homes

Action Alert for Advocates in the following states: AZ, DE, FL, ID, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, SD, TN, TX, WA, WV, WY

If you reside in one of the states listed above, the Consumer Voice urges you to reach out to your senators in support of Senate bill S. 3604, the Improving Dementia Care Treatment for Older Adults Act. This important legislation would require nursing homes to obtain informed consent before an antipsychotic medication is prescribed for a resident with dementia. 26% of all nursing home residents are given antipsychotic medications; 88% of these residents are elderly people with dementia who are being given antipsychotic medications that the FDA warns put them at serious risk of medical complications and death. Requiring “informed consent” would mean that patients would have a choice and know the risks and benefits of antipsychotics before being prescribed these medications.

Senators in the states listed hold key positions in influencing the progress of this crucial legislation. We need your help! CLICK HERE to send a message to your senators urging their support of S. 3604!

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