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May 24 2016

Join the Resident's Voice Challenge

As a part of Residents' Rights Month, Consumer Voice is pleased to announce the 2016 Resident’s Voice Challenge!  Creative writing and artistic expression are meaningful and compelling ways to communicate the importance of residents’ rights and how these rights can be carried out in all long-term care settings.  

Entries submitted for the Resident’s Voice Challenge will be compiled and shared in a variety of formats.  Submissions may appear on the Consumer Voice website, be featured at the 2016 Annual Conference, be highlighted in our weekly e-newsletter - The Voice, or be used in additional forums. Every resident who submits an entry will receive a certificate for participating in the 2016 Resident’s Voice.

We are asking residents and consumers to participate in one of the following activities:

  1. Resident President:- For residents and consumers: Pretend you are running for President and your platform is long-term care consumers’ rights.  Create a campaign poster or write a stump speech (or record a video of you giving your stump speech).  Campaign posters are available for purchase in the Resident’s Voice Activity Toolkit or can be downloaded here.  Find specific instructions for this activity here.  For an example of a completed Resident President poster, click here and here.
  2. Most Memorable Election - Write an essay, create a poem, or express yourself artistically sharing the most memorable election in which you voted.
  3. What Would You Tell the Current Presidential Candidates? - Imagine you got a meeting with one of the current presidential candidates.  Which candidate would you speak to and why? What types of questions would you ask them?
For more information and for submission guidelines, click here.  Submissions are due by September 15, 2016.

Get Your Resident's Voice Activity Toolkit!

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Registration is Now Open for the Consumer Voice Conference!

The Consumer Voice Annual Conference is back in Washington, DC from November 2-5, 2016, and we can't wait to see you there!  

Register now!

At the 2016 Conference, attendees will enjoy:

  • One-on-one dialogue with consumers of long-term services and supports;
  • The latest policy updates directly from key experts at the federal level;
  • Learning about best practices nationwide;
  • Attending skills trainings and acquire tools and resources;
  • Specific information and takeaways to help you put your systems or individual advocacy into action!

We're back at the Renaissiance Capital View Hotel in 2016! The Conference hotel boasts:

  • Complimentary shuttle service to National Airport and Crystal City Metro station
  • Central location between downtown DC and Old Town Alexandria
  • On-site coffee shop, on-site sit-down restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and room service available
  • Fitness center and pool
  • Wifi available in guest rooms, lobby and public areas
  • On-site modern hotel rooms, with one of the lowest conference room rates in the area for the busy fall season!

Register before July 31st and receive $50 off regular registration!

For more information about the agenda, registration rates, and hotel accommodation, click here.

Interested in a group discount? Find out more here.

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ABA Develops New Tool for Lawyers for Decision-Making Options for Persons with Disabilities

The American Bar Association has developed a new resource to help lawyers identify and implement decision-making options for persons with disabilities that are less restrictive than guardianship. The PRACTICAL Tool is a product of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging, Commission on Disability Rights, Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice, and Section on Real Property, Trust and Estate Law, with assistance from the National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making. PRACTICAL is an acronym for nine steps lawyers can use to identify legal and practical approaches to heighten self-determination before moving ahead with guardianship. The four-page Tool can be used in the case interview process and assist in case analysis. The 22-page Resource Guide expands on the steps and includes links to key resources.  The tool is available for free at www.ambar.org/practicaltool.

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Advocate Pens Letter-to-the-Editor in Response to New York Times Article on Leaving the Nursing Home

In response to the recent New York Times article "Confined to Nursing Homes, but Longing (and Ready) for Home," advocate Cynthia Rudder wrote a letter-to-the-editor.  Her letter pointed to a report published in New York on Section Q and the requirement that nursing homes ask all residents if they want to speak to someone about leaving the nursing home.  The report found that the majority of nursing home staff do not think it is a good idea to ask the question and many do not ask the question at all.  The report recommended more training for nursing home staff members, residents and family members about the need to ask if someone would like to receive care in the community, and it recommended holding nursing homes accountable for asking the question in a way that encourages residents to consider receiving care in the community.  Read the letter-to-the-editor here.

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Long-Term Care Facilities Sought for Influenza Vaccine Study

The Foundation for PA/LTC Medicine is seeking long-term care facilities to participate in a study on the impact of the annual influenza vaccine choice on residents' hospitalization risk for the 2016-2017 influenza season.  Nursing facilities selected for this national quality improvement study will be allocated either the standard annual trivalent influenza vaccine or the adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine, Fluad.  Both of these vaccines are recommended by the CDC for annual protection against influenza infection in adults. Facilities will receive a free supply for vaccine for the 2016-17 annual vaccination, compensation for data entry, and free supply of vaccine for facility staff. The Foundation will receive a small donation for each facility it has referred and that participates in this study.  For more information, call Insight Therapeutics, LLC at (757) 625-6040 or email H. Edward Davidson, PharmD, MPH, at edavidson@inther.com.

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Spotlight on Educational Resources

The Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) 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:

Transfer/Discharge - Transfer and Discharge continues to be one of the top complaints that ombudsmen report encountering, and these cases can be extremely complex.  This NORC Issue page provides information on federal law, state resources, ombudsman best practices and resources for transfer/discharge in assisted living facilities.

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In this Issue

Join the Resident's Voice Challenge

Registration is Now Open for the Consumer Voice Conference

ABA Develops New Tool for Lawyers for Decision-Making Options for Persons with Disabilities

Advocate Pens Letter-to-the-Editor in Response to New York Times Article on Leaving the Nursing Home

Long-Term Care Facilities Sought for Influenza Vaccine Study


Spotlight on Educational Resources


Support our Spring Campaign to empower and engage residents! Use #myvoicematters to share on social media.


Combined Federal Campaign

#10552

Thank you for your support!


Residents' Rights Month 2016

Find more information on our website.

Join the Resident's Voice Challenge!


Calendar of Events

May: Older Americans Month

Wednesday, May 25: Progress and Challenges in California Assisted Living, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from Justice in Aging

Tuesday, May 31: Effective Training, Oversight, and Communication: Key Practices to Support Volunteer LTCO and Minimize Risk, 3:00pm ET, NORC Webinar

Friday, June 10: Changing Landscape of Long-Term Care, VOYCE Conference

Wednesday, June 15: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

Sunday, July 31: Last day to register for Consumer Voice Annual Conference at early discounted rate

October: My Vote Matters, Residents' Rights Month 2016

November 2-5, 2016: Consumer Voice 40th Annual Conference, Arlington, VA


Join the conversation and follow us on social media!

Last Week's Most Popular Post:

Tuesday, May 17:
Ohio woman tied to theft in twelve nursing homes and assisted living facilities

Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:

 
Friday, May 20
:
Registration is open for the CV Annual Conference!


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About The Voice

The Voice is a weekly e-newsletter, published by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. 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 © 2016.

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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. Consumer Voice's mission is to represent consumers at the national level for quality long-term care, services and supports.


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