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August 16, 2016
Attend a Pre-Conference Intensive at the Consumer Voice Conference
Expand your conference experience by adding a Pre-Conference Intensive! Scheduled for Wednesday, November 2nd from 1:00pm - 4:00pm, the Intensives will offer an in-depth look at these important topics:
Striking a Balance: LTC Residents' Sexual Rights and Diminished Capacity
This program examines complex issues surrounding the ability to consent to sexual activity among long-term care residents with diminished capacity. Collaborative efforts among government agencies are explored, and recommendations provided for establishing a conceptual framework which protects residents’ rights and addresses the challenges of Dementia-related illnesses. An interactive format is utilized to demonstrate the effectiveness of multi-agency partnerships and the ethical importance of preserving residents’ choice with legal standards of diminished capacity.
Presenters: Merea D. Bentrott, Executive Officer, Iowa Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman; Deanna Clingan-Fischer, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Iowa; David Godfrey, ABA Commission on Law & Aging; and Sadiya Abjani, SAGE.
ABC's of the LTCOP for Ombudsmen
Delve into your heritage as an ombudsman, affirm the strengths of your role, and gain a national perspective on the long-term care ombudsman program. In this session you will explore the program’s roots and how they affect ombudsman practice today. Learn why misunderstanding of the ombudsman role occurs and how to respond. Ethical considerations and core ombudsman principles will be discussed and clarified through examples. Be introduced to national resources and tools for ombudsmen. Gain tips from experienced ombudsmen. This interactive session is open to all advocates; however, it is designed for ombudsmen who have been serving residents two years or less or those wanting a refresher course to revitalize their advocacy efforts.
Moderator and Presenter: Carol Scott, Ombudsman Specialist, NORC
Presenters: Becky Kurtz, Director, Office of Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs, Administration for Community Living; Local Ombudsmen (TBD)
Intensives run concurrently and are $60.
Register for the conference (plus an intensive) here.
(Already registered for the conference but want to add an intensive? Use the same registration form and choose only the option for the intensive without paying for a full registration.)
Find more details about the Consumer Voice Annual Conference on our website.
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Recording Available for Preventing Avoidable Hospitalizations Webinar
Consumer Voice hosted the first in our three-part webinar series. Participants in the webinar were impressed with the expert speakers and important content. Hear what attendees are saying:
"WOW! Great webinar. Kept my attention and I kept saying 'great point!'"
"The content was excellent, practical and presented in an easy to listen to voice(s)."
"Very well done, important information, great presenters, and flow."
Webinar recording ($65) is now available in our online store.
Preventing avoidable hospitalizations starts with early recognition of a slowly developing medical condition, and then escalation of care whereby nursing home staff practice at the top of their license. Through this webinar you will learn about the early indicators of preventable conditions and effective interventions, and the management systems and practices needed to implement them.
Presenters: Barbara Frank, B&F Consulting and Marcia K. Flesner, PhD, RN, Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri
Join us for other webinars in the series:
Obtaining Quality Care for Residents with Dementia
Tuesday, September 13, 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET
Presenter: Jonathan Evans, MD
Piecing Together Quality Long-Term Care
Tuesday, October 11, 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET
Presenter: Robyn Grant, MSW
Each webinar is $65 and includes the live webinar and webinar recording that can be watched/shown as many times as you'd like. Register Now!
Not able to make it to any of the live webinars? Pre-order recordings for the full three webinar series at a discounted price in our online store. Webinar recordings will be emailed to you as they become available.
Consumer Voice members receive a 10% discount on all webinars and webinar recordings. Email info@theconsumervoice.org for the discount code.
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ACL Invites Comments on APS and Ombudsman Data Reporting Systems
The Administration on Community Living (ACL) is collecting comments on reporting systems collecting data on the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and Adult Protective Services (APS) programs. The National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS) provides national data on exploitation and abuse of older adults and adults with disabilities, as reported to state APS agencies. The proposed collection of information for NAMRS was published in the Federal Register. Submit comments here on the propsed data elements, values and definitions. Comments are due September 7th.
Ombudsman programs use the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS) to record their advocacy, education and complaint-resolution to individuals in long-term care. ACL has proposed revisions to NORS to improve the reliability of data and the clarity of instructions and definitions. Comments on the proposed data collection are due on October 7th.
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Consumer Voice, HRET, and SLTCOs Tackle Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
On August 11, 2016 Consumer Voice hosted a webinar, Engaging Ombudsmen, Residents and Families as Partners in Preventing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), which was designed to educate state ombudsmen about a Consumer Voice project focused on infection prevention and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Over the past year, Consumer Voice, in conjunction with the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) of the American Hospital Association, partnered with 8 state long-term care ombudsman programs to equip local ombudsmen with knowledge and tools to educate and engage residents and families in CAUTI and infection prevention.
In this project, Consumer Voice worked with HRET to prepare state ombudsmen for the project, developed training for local ombudsmen, and created consumer education materials (a resident toolkit). From their end, the state ombudsman programs in CA, DC, GA, HI, KY, MI, RI and VT provided input in developing the training and education materials, customized the training to the distinct needs of their specific program, and trained local ombudsmen.
The webinar showcased the experience of Kentucky and California. Both programs were successful in their trainings and used unique approaches to engage participants around some of the clinical aspects of CAUTI. In Kentucky, actual catheter supplies were brought in as visual aids, and ombudsmen who were licensed nurses assisted in educating their peers. The California program partnered with the Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) and their Medicare Quality Improvement Organization to conduct their trainings. This allowed them to tap into the expertise of geriatricians and gerontologists.
As a result of the project, over 300 local ombudsmen were trained. Ombudsmen reported increased knowledge of CAUTI, infection prevention and their role in infection prevention.
A recording of the webinar, consumer information (the resident toolkit), and training materials for LTCOs are available on the Consumer Voice’s Infection Prevention webpage.
State Ombudsmen can use these resources to implement this project in their own states.
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Resources from the Texas LTC Ombudsman Program on Financial Rights and Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics
Several resources are available via the Texas Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. "Your Financial Rights in a Medicaid Certified Nursing Home" is a guide for consumers highlighting their rights, regardless of how much they pay. It is available in English and Spanish. "The Wrong Diagnosis: Did It Happen To You?" was developed as part of the statewide effort to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs. Texas has tracked a number of data points related to the issue and are seeing an uptick of new schizophrenia diagnoses. Ombudsmen can distribute this information to residents, councils, family members, and facility administrators.
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CMS Adds New Quality Measures to Nursing Home Compare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services updated the Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Ratings to incorporate new measures that look at successful discharges, emergency visits, and re-hospitalizations. The five new measures include:
- Percentage of short-stay residents who were successfully discharged to the community (Medicare claims- and Minimum Data Set (MDS)-based)
- Percentage of short-stay residents who have had an outpatient emergency department visit (Medicare claims- and MDS-based)
- Percentage of short-stay residents who were rehospitalized after a nursing home admission (Medicare claims- and MDS-based)
- Percentage of short-stay residents who made improvements in function (MDS-based)
- Percentage of long-stay residents whose ability to move independently worsened (MDS-based)
For more information, visit CMS' website.
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RWJF Accepting Applications for 2017 Culture of Health Prize
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is accepting applications for the 2017 Culture of Health Prize. The winner will be awarded $25,000; the award recognizes the impact of communities that have placed a priority on health. Visit RWJF's website for specific criteria.
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National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making Accepting Applications for State Grant Program
The National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making is accepting applications for the second year of its State Grant Program. Grants will be awarded to state-based projects that use an innovative approach to increase knowledge of and access to supported decision-making by older adults and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Applications are due September 15th. For more information, click here.
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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:
Tips for Older Adults and Summer Heat - Tips from CMS for older adults about staying safe in the summer heat.
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In this Issue
Attend a Pre-Conference Intensive at the Consumer Voice Conference
Recording Available for Preventing Avoidable Hospitalizations Webinar
ACL Invites Comments on APS and Ombudsman Data Reporting Systems
Consumer Voice, HRET, and SLTCOs Tackle Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
Resources from the Texas LTC Ombudsman Program on Financial Rights and Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotics
CMS Adds New Quality Measures to Nursing Home Compare
RWJF Accepting Applications for 2017 Culture of Health Prize
National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making Accpeting Applications for State Grant Program
Spotlight on Educational Resources
Combined Federal Campaign
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Thank you for your support!
Join the Resident's Voice Challenge by September 15th!
As we approach the presidential election in November, Americans are talking about the candidates and issues. Are residents engaged?
Get them started discussing politics and voting by participating in the Resident's Voice Challenge! Residents are encouraged to imagine they are running for "Resident President" and to discuss what types of changes they would make or issues that are important to them. Submissions are due September 15th so start planning your activity now!
We've made it easy to participate with the My Vote Matters Toolkit which includes instructions and everything you need to get your residents engaged in the discussion! You can also check out some of the other voting/election-related products in our online store.
Calendar of Events
August: National Immunization Awareness Month
Tuesday, September 13: Obtaining Quality Care for Residents with Dementia, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from Consumer Voice
October: My Vote Matters, Residents' Rights Month 2016
Tuesday, October 11: Piecing Together Quality Long-Term Care, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from Consumer Voice
November 2-5, 2016: Consumer Voice 40th Annual Conference, Arlington, VA
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Wednesday, August 10:
CMS published a memo last Friday related to photos and video recordings of residents by nursing home staff.
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Friday, August 12:
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