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June 16, 2015
Consumer Voice Responds to WHCOA's Briefs on Long-Term Services and Supports and Elder Justice
Consumer Voice has submitted a response to several discussion questions posed by the 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) in their policy brief on Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS). LTSS is one of WHCOA’s four topic areas. Consumer Voice responded by making five recommendations to complement the WHCOA’s brief on the topic.
- Person-Centered Care – It is not now and will not be sufficient to define care by its provision, but the meaning of care must be defined by a culture and commitment that puts the person receiving the care at the center of the services.
- Quality of Care – In order to ensure quality care, we must fully enforce the nation’s laws and regulations governing nursing homes. In addition, poor care conditions are not limited to nursing homes but are prevalent across long-term care, including assisted living programs and facilities as well as care provided in the home; the regulation and oversight of these settings must be strengthened as well to protect consumers and enhance their quality of life and quality of care.
- Long-Term Care & Direct Care Workforce - Another critical component of quality long-term care is having sufficient nursing staff, having direct care workers adequately trained to address the complex health and behavioral conditions they will face, having staff compensated with a living wage and reasonable health and time-off benefits so they can remain on the job, and having staff supported in their work by administrators and supervisors who ensure that the direct care workers can focus on quality outcomes for residents and consumers.
- Assisted Living - These burgeoning services are designed to fill a vital need for people who may have only modest medical requirements but who require assistance with activities of daily living and around the clock supervision or care. Yet the reality is that without standards defining these facilities and the services they offer, there is great potential for misunderstanding and conflict about service expectations and the services actually made available.
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program - Long-Term Care Ombudsmen resolve complaints raised by or on behalf of individual residents, empower residents to advocate for themselves, and address issues systemically to improve care and conditions for all residents. Appropriations to adequately fund the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program are necessary to ensure that all residents have access to an ombudsman.
Read Consumer Voice’s full statement here.
In addition, Consumer Voice submitted comments on WHCOA's Elder Justice brief, responding to the five questions the brief posed for discussion on the topic. Consumer Voice's comments, which can be read in full here, addressed ways to increase the public's awareness of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation; support innovative practices designed to prevent elder abuse; improve the effectiveness of elder justice programs; use technology and other tools to help prevent exploitation of elders and help elders stay connected with families and caregivers; and improve partnerships to support efforts to prevent and address elder abuse and exploitation.
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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Yesterday was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). WEAAD was established by the United Nations in 2006 to bring people together from around the world to shine a spotlight on the mistreatment of older adults. Each year in the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of older people are abused, neglected, and exploited. Yet it is estimated that only about one in 24 of those crimes are ever discovered. Every year on June 15, communities and people around the world participate in WEADD to increase awareness of the problem and encourage and empower more people to help solve it. President Barack Obama issued a proclamation. In Florida, after an effort spearheaded by advocate Debbie Dahmer, Governor Rick Scott issued a proclamation.
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Elder Bullying Webinar: Save the Date!
Identifying, Preventing, and Responding to Bullying in
Long-Term Care Facilities Webinar
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
3:00 - 4:15 ET
Save the date to join a discussion about the prevalence of bullying among residents in long-term care facilities and learn how to identify, prevent, and respond to these incidents.
Dr. Robin Bonifas, John A. Hartford Faculty Scholar in Geriatric Social Work, Associate Professor with the School of Social Work at Arizona State University, has years of experience working with older adults in long-term care settings and she will discuss her recent work regarding bullying among residents in LTC settings.
Following Dr. Bonifas’ presentation, NORC staff will share resources regarding resident-to-resident mistreatment and advocacy tips and strategies to increase awareness of these incidents, ensure the rights of all residents are respected, and demonstrate how individualized care is critical to preventing and responding to bullying in long-term care facilities.
Registration information will be available soon!
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Care Planning Act of 2015 Introduced in Senate
Last week, legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate that would give people with serious illness the freedom to make more informed choices about their care, and the power to have those choices honored. The Care Planning Act of 2015 would create a Medicare benefit for patient-centered care planning for people with serious illness. Healthcare professionals would be reimbursed for providing a voluntary, structured discussion about the patient’s goals, illness, and treatment options. Under this legislation, a written plan would reflect the informed choices made by patients in consultation with their health care team, faith leaders, family members and friends. For more information, read the article in the Augusta Free Press.
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NAPSA Announces National Institute on Elder Financial Exploitation
The National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) announced it is launching the National Institute on Elder Financial Exploitation (NIEFE) to serve as the first national think tank on elder financial abuse. NAPSA executive director Kathleen Quinn said: "Victims of elder financial exploitation are forced to live out their last days in fear, worse health, indignity and often poverty. NIEFE will raise awareness of the problem, develop and disseminate best practices and recommend national policy and legislative initiatives to stop the abuse and bring its perpetrators to justice." For more information, read the press release.
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Report Published on Section Q and People with Developmental Disabilities
The Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY recently published a report entitled "Wanting to Go Home...Waiting to be Asked: Section Q and People with Developmental Disabilities" by Cynthia Rudder, PhD. and executive director Susan M. Dooha, J.D. The report examines how New York's ability to achieve its deinstitutionalization goals would be supported by effective administration of the federal survey requirement that reflects the nation's long-term care policy: Section Q of the federal government's assessment the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The report looked at the current approach to implementing the Section Q referral question and whether and how it might be improved, and it found that the system had major problems implementing the requirements of the Section Q referral question. Read the full report here and find the appendices here.
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MERS: CDC Issues Updated Guidance
With a recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in South Korea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued an updated Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The updated guidance recommends standard, contact and airborne precautions. Plus, it emphasizes additional elements of infection prevention and control programs that should be in place to prevent the transmission of any infectious agents including respiratory pathogens such as MERS-CoV in healthcare settings.
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Briefly Noted
- LeadingAge and Sodexo collaborated with singer-songwriter Lionel Cartwright to write an original composition and to capture the importance of the older generation, based on conversations with LeadingAge members. Read more and listen to the song here.
In the News
- The Sacramento Bee published a comprehensive, multi-article report on nursing homes in California.
Research Update
Spotlight on Giving: 40th Anniversary Campaign
For 40 years, we have been the national Consumer Voice calling for quality of care, dignity, and human rights for nursing home residents and all who depend on long-term care services. We have come so far in our fight to achieve quality care, and yet many challenges remain. We invite you to contribute to our special campaign to ensure that all persons who will be dependent on long-term care services are not alone and have advocates and a voice speaking up for their needs and their rights. For more information about the campaign, click here. To donate, click here.
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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:
Need Help Finding and Advocating for Quality Nursing Home Care? - Selecting a good nursing home and monitoring ongoing care can be challenging. The purpose of the information presented on this webpage is to help consumers and others in obtaining quality nursing home care.
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In this Issue
Consumer Voice Responds to WHCOA's Briefs on Long-Term Services and Supports and Elder Justice
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Elder Bullying Webinar: Save the Date!
Care Planning Act of 2015 Introduced in Senate
NAPSA Announces National Institute on Elder Financial Exploitation
Report Published on Section Q and People with Developmental Disabilities
MERS: CDC Issues Updated Guidance
Briefly Noted
In the News
Research Update
Spotlight on Giving: 40th Anniversary Campaign
Spotlight on Educational Resources
Consumer Voice Annual Conference Update
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, June 18: Money Smart for Older Adults Train-the-Trainer, 1:00pm ET, Webinar from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Friday, June 26: Session proposals for Consumer Voice Annual Conference due
Tuesday, June 30: Delivering Your Message: Utilizing Both Traditional Approaches and Social Media, Advocacy skills training webinar from the Consumer Voice
Tuesday, July 28: Identifying, Preventing and Responding to Bullying in Long-Term Care Facilities, 3:00pm ET, Webinar from NORC
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 4-7, 2015: Consumer Voice 39th Annual Conference, Crystal City, Virginia
Your Car Can Help Promote Quality Care - It's Easy!
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.
Donating your car is easy - V-DAC comes to the location of the car and picks it up (whether the car can be driven or not). Provide the car's registration and title, and V-DAC will send you a contribution letter with the amount of the donation that was made.
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:
Wednesday, June 10:
How many people depend on their phone for outside contact and support - or to call doctors, pharmacies, etc.? Yet these otherwise benign and helpful devices are used to prey upon elders.
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Thursday, June 11:
15M more people will depend on #LTC in 35 years. Will Medicaid Managed Care be a solution or problem?
Long-Term Care Resources & News
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