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April 7, 2015

Join Us April 29th for Our Next Advocacy Skills Training Webinar

Join the Consumer Voice on Wednesday, April 29th for the second advocacy skills training webinar entitled "Delivering Your Message in Person: The Nuts and Bolts of Meeting with a Key Decision Maker." As part of our Consumers for Quality Care, No Matter Where initiative, Consumer Voice is conducting four FREE advocacy skills training webinars throughout the year. We welcome anyone and everyone - long-term care consumers, family members, individual advocates, long-term care ombudsmen, members of consumer advocacy groups, family/caregiving groups, consumer alliances, and community and senior organizations - to register to receive these trainings. It doesn't matter how much or how little advocacy you've done in the past - all are welcome to register!  The second webinar will be held April 29th from 2:00-3:30pm ET. Register here!

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Residents Five n Dime

Residents at Greensprings Healthcare and Rehab, a nursing home in East Hartford, CT have opened the Residents Five n Dime.  Most of the nursing homes 85+ residents receive a personal needs allowance of just $60 a month or $2 a day and spend their days in wheelchairs and can’t go shopping.

How far does $60 go when a 12 ounce soda costs $1 and a candy bar or bag of chips also cost a dollar from the vending machine?  Who doesn’t love a cold soda in the afternoon?  After monthly expenses such as a phone and haircut, it’s hard to afford the little extras that we all enjoy.  There must be a better way to stretch the residents' monthly allowance, so the residents came up with the Residents Five n Dime. 

The Residents Five n Dime currently offers 12 ounce sodas, granola bars, and bags of chips for only 50 cents, and candy bars for 75 cents by shopping at wholesale clubs.  The residents as well as employees support the Five n Dime with their purchases.  Residents have been running the store for 19 months and have raised over $2,700 for the nursing home.  Funds have been spent on a new 70 inch TV for recreation activities, monthly pizza parties, Chinese buffets, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream socials and buffalo wings parties and donations to the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots, during the holidays.

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Fact Sheet on The Grandparent Scam

The National Center on Elder Abuse has develeoped a one-page fact sheet on the Grandparent Scam.  The Grandparent Scam is a scam that targets the elderly in an attempt to steal large sums of money through a wire transfer.  The scam occurrs when a grandparent receives a phone call or email from someone claiming to be their grandchild (or sometimes a police officer, lawyer or doctor).  The person says they are traveling in a foreign country, and they need money wired ASAP.  NCEA's fact sheet provides tips on what to do if you think you've been scammed and other resources.

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One-Page Brief Available on Forensic Markers of Elder Abuse

The National Adult Protective Services (APS) Resource Center, along with project partners the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse  and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, is working to integrate findings from cutting-edge research into everyday APS practices with the Research to Practice (R2P) series. The R2P series includes webinars and publications to assist APS workers and administrators nationwide. Read the R2P one-page brief entitled "Forensic Markers of Elder Abuse," a brief created in conjunction with the webinar of the same name that occurred in January 2015.

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Senate Bill on Observation Status Reintroduced

U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced S.843, the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act, in the Senate on March 24th.  The bill would make patients' time under observation status count towards the required three-day hospital stay to be covered for skilled nursing care.  The bill was introduced as S.569 in the previous Senate session.  The reintroduced bill is supported by LeadingAge and AMDA, along with other advocacy organizations.  Read more here.

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10 Week Countdown to WEAAD

Yesterday, the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) began hosting a "10 Week Countdown to World Elder Abuse Awareness Day" on its Facebook and Twitter sites. Each week will focus on a different elder justice theme based on the Elder Justice Roadmap Project.   NCEA will be sharing blog posts from experts in the field as well as notable research, education, policy and practice efforts pertaining to each week's theme.  Follow NCEA on Twitter @NCEAatUSC on Fridays at 1pm ET for Twitter Chats and use #WEAADweekly.  Director of the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center Lori Smetanka will be sharing her expertise as part of the countdown in blog posts and as part of the Twitter Chats.

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LTCCC Releases Primer on Nursing Home Quality Standards

The Long-Term Care Community Coalition  announced its new primer on nursing home quality standards. The goal of the Primer, produced with funding from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, is to provide useful information on nursing home quality of care and quality of life requirements and a framework for understanding and assessing a nursing home’s quality. The Primer provides general and specific information on the Nursing Home Reform Law and the regulatory standards that LTCCC identified as most critical to quality of care, quality of life and dignity.  Find the Primer here.

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Research Update...

A new study in the European Respiratory Journal found that indoor air quality in nursing homes had a serious effect on elderly residents' lung health.  The study, funded by the EU, collected data on five indoor air pollutants at nursing homes across seven European countries. Data of 600 residents aged 65 and older, with an average age of 82, showed that even low levels of pollutants affect repiratory health in elderly people in nursing homes.  Read the study here.

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Briefly Noted...

  • Save the Date! April 30, 2015, 3-4:30 ET  Risk Management and the LTCOP. Free webinar. Registration information forthcoming.  Join us to discuss how risk management applies to every aspect of managing and supporting volunteer LTCO. Attendees will receive tips for screening volunteers, identifying and removing risk, and responding to situations when a volunteer’s actions (or inaction) negatively impact your program.
  • In Texas, proposed Senate Bill 304, the "Three Strikes Rule" bill, would allow the state to more easily shut nursing homes with repeat violations. Read more.
  • April 6-12, 2015 is National Public Health week - www.nphw.org
  • The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped's new campaign That All May Read - www.loc.gov/ThatAllMayRead

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Spotlight on Giving: Sponsor the Gazette

Consumer Voice is now accepting sponsorship for each weekly issue of The Gazette.  As a benefit of sponsorship, the contributor may honor, remember, or thank an individual or organization.  For more information, click here or contact Richard Gelula at rgelula@theconsumervoice.org

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Spotlight on Educational Resources

The Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center have a multitude of resources available online covering a wide range of long-term care topics.  Visit the Consumer Voice website and the NORC website to explore all the available resources.  Take a look at this week's highlighted resource:

Fact Sheets - Getting Quality Care  - On the Consumer Voice website, find fact sheets for advocates about Getting Quality Care.  Fact sheet topics include Abuse & Neglect, Financial Exploitation, Culture Change and more.

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In this Issue

Join Us April 29th for Our Next Advocacy Skills Training Webinar

Residents Five n Dime

Fact Sheet on The Grandparent Scam

One-Page Brief Available on Forensic Markers of Elder Abuse

Senate Bill on Observation Status Reintroduced

10 Week Countdown to WEAAD

LTCCC Releases Primer on Nursing Home Quality Standards


Research Update...

Briefly Noted...


Spotlight on Giving: Sponsor the Gazette

Spotlight on Educational Resources


4.1 It CAN Be Done!

As part of our nursing home staffing campaign, Better Staffing: The Key to Better Care, Consumer Voice is advocating for a minimum of 4.1 hours of nursing care per resident per day.  To show your support of this campaign, individuals can send us a photo with the slogan "4.1 - It CAN Be Done" by tweeting us pictures @ConsumerVoices, posting on our Facebook or emailing your photos to info@theconsumervoice.org.  Get the word out and encourage consumers to participate by sending in their photos too!


Calendar of Events

Thursday, April 9: Looking at Power Issues from 2 Perspectives: a Utility and the American Red Cross, 2:30pm ET, ADA National Network Learning Session

April 20-22: HealthCare Chaplaincy Network's Caring for the Human Spirit Conference, Orlando, FL

Wednesday, April 22: Supervising Social Work Field Students in Nursing Homes, 3:30pm ET, Nursing Home Social Work Webinar Series

Wednesday April 29: Delivering Your Message in Person: The Nuts and Bolts of Meeting with a Key Decision Maker, Advocacy skills training webinar from the Consumer Voice

Thursday, April 30: Risk Management and the LTCOP, 3:00pm ET, Free webinar from NORC

Tuesday, May 5: Achieving Cultural Competence for the Younger Adult in the Long-Term Care Setting - Part One, 2:00pm ET, Nusing Home Social Work Webinar Series

Wednesday, June 10: Achieving Cultural Competence for the Younger Adult in the Long Term Care Setting - Part Two, 3:00pm ET, Nursing Home Social Work Webinar Series

Tuesday, June 30: Delivering Your Message: Utilizing Both Traditional Approaches and Social Media, Advocacy skills training webinar from the Consumer Voice

Thursday, August 27: How to Grow, Support, and Activate Your Network, Advocacy skills training webinar from the Consumer Voice

October: Residents' Rights Month, CARE Matters

November 5-7, 2015: Consumer Voice 39th Annual Conference, Crystal City, Virginia


Your Car Can Help Promote Quality Care

Do you, a loved one or friend have a car that you or they would like to dispose of?  Now, Consumer Voice can help – and your used car can help Consumer Voice!  By working with our car disposal agency, Vehicle Donation to Any Charity (V-DAC), the proceeds from the sale of your car become a contribution to Consumer Voice.  

Note: We are actually registered with the service as “NCCNHR” so when asked which charity you would like to benefit, just say or type in “NCCNHR.”

Here is a link to our page on the V-DAC site http://v-dac.com/org?id=52-1122531 and you can get started there – or just call 877-999-8322 toll free.   And to discuss your donation with Consumer Voice, just write to us at info@theconsumervoice.org or call (202) 332-2275 x209


Join the conversation and follow us on social media!

Last Week's Most Popular Post:

Sunday, April 5:
Two stories - A proposed law in Texas would close nursing homes that have three serious violations in a two-year period.  Also, the ABC-TV affiliate in Austin found that a nursing home lobbying group donates large amounts of money to Texas lawmakers.

Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:

Sunday, April 5
:
3 strikes & the nursing home is closed


Long-Term Care Resources & News


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About The Gazette

The Gazette is a weekly e-newsletter, published by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care and the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center. If you do not wish to continue receiving this publication, please unsubscribe below. Your contributions and comments are welcome and should be sent to info@theconsumervoice.org. Copyright © 2015.

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The Consumer Voice is the leading national voice representing consumers in issues related to long-term care, helping to ensure that consumers are empowered to advocate for themselves. We are a primary source of information and tools for consumers, families, caregivers, advocates and ombudsmen to help ensure quality care for the individual. The Consumer Voice's mission is to represent consumers at the national level for quality long-term care, services and supports.


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