June 5, 2018
Now Accepting Nominations for the 2018 Leadership Awards
Are you looking for a way to recognize a long-term care consumer, long-term care ombudsman, family caregiver, citizen advocate, or another individual for their advocacy on behalf of long-term care consumers? We encourage you to nominate individuals you know that are dedicated to “quality now” and have made significant contributions to improving the lives of long-term care consumers.
Based on your nominations, the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (Consumer Voice) will recognize people who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to improving the lives of long-term care consumers.
Visit our website for additional information about the awards and nomination process.
There are 3 easy steps to submit a nomination!
1. Review the award categories and criteria.
2. Complete the nomination form via SurveyMonkey.
3. Submit a letter of recommendation.
Individuals and organizations may nominate people for an award. Awards will be presented at our 42nd Annual Conference, October 22-24, 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Nominations are due by Friday, July 6! Reminder: Now is the time to get the best possible deal on registration for the Consumer Voice Annual Conference. Register by July 31st to save up to $55 on our early bird rate; become a member to access the special member rate; and check out our additional discounts for groups and individuals also attending the National Aging and Law Conference. Back to Top ProPublica Updates Data and Online Tool Comparing Nursing Home Deficiencies and Penalties by State
ProPublica has published new data on deficiencies cited by regulators and the penalties imposed in the past three years on nursing homes. The online tool, Nursing Home Inspect, compares nursing homes by state and includes over 60,000 nursing home inspection reports. The data includes information about federal sanctions against nursing homes, including fines and payment suspensions.
Access the tool here. Back to Top Attorneys General Condemn Federal Action to Rollback Protections for Nursing Home Residents
Last week, 17 Attorneys General submitted a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services condemning federal actions that would delay the enforcement of protections for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries who receive care in skilled nursing facilities. Leading the coalition was California Attorney General Xavier Becerra who held a press conference highlighting their concerns. The federal actions, including a memorandum to decrease the amounts of Civil Money Penalties imposed against a facility, and an 18-month moratorium on enforcement of certain requirements, in effect, weaken the 2016 CMS regulatory reforms that would improve the safety of nursing home residents by providing protections against abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The letter was sent in anticipation of the June rule-making period that will revisit requirements deemed to be burdensome for facilities. For more information, read the press release from the Office of the Attorney General. See Consumer Voice's statement on the Attorneys General action. Back to Top 2018 Residents' Rights Buttons Now Available
Spread the message of Residents' Rights Month 2018 - Speak Up: Know Your Rights and How to Use Them - with buttons! Promote residents' rights and residents' right to speak up about their care. Perfect to give to volunteers, residents or other advocates! Buttons are available for purchase in packs of 20, 50 and 100.
Remember: Consumer Voice members receive 10% off of store purchases. Email info@theconsumervoice.org to inquire about your membership status and to receive the discount code. Find more resources and information about Residents' Rights Month on our website. Back to Top New Journal on Resident-to-Resident Incidents in Long-Term Care Homes Resulting in Deaths
Eilon Caspi published a new journal titled, The circumstances surrounding the death of 105 elders as a result of resident-to-resident incidents in dementia in long-term care homes. Using publicly available information, patterns were identified pertaining to the circumstances surrounding the death of 105 elders as a result of resident-to-resident incidents. This is the first study in U.S. and Canada on these fatal incidents. The preliminary findings from this pilot exploratory study could inform long-term care homes and other stakeholders' efforts to prevent injurious and tragic incidents in similar circumstances. Read the abstract here. New Brief on Understanding and Working with Adult Protective Services This brief is part one of a three part resource developed by the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) in collaboration with the National Center on Elder Abuse. The goal of this resource is to provide information for understanding and collaborating with Adult Protective Services (APS) in order to benefit older adults and adults with disabilities who are subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation (ANE), including sexual violence. Read the brief here. U.S. House of Representatives Seniors Task Force Hold Nursing Home Briefing on Capitol Hill On Monday, June 4, the Seniors Task Force, co-chaired by Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9) and Doris Matsui (D-CA-6), hosted a briefing, “Protect Seniors Through Improving—Not Eroding-- Nursing Home Quality Standards.” Panelists included: (1) Janet Wells, Consultant, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, (2) Richard Mollot, Executive Director, Long Term Care Community Coalition, (3) Toby Edelman, Senior Policy Attorney, Center for Medicare Advocacy, (4) Charlene Harrington, Ph.D., Professor, University of California- San Francisco, and (5) Robyn Grant, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. Panelists highlighted both positive changes in the revised federal nursing home regulations ensuring quality care for nursing home residents, as well as problems that continue to occur in nursing facilities. Many of the speakers discussed the lack of information available to consumers regarding the number and quality of staff available. Richard Mollot noted that while a federal study indicated that the average resident needs 4.1 hours of direct care to meet their basic clinical needs, 82% of nursing homes report total direct care staffing at 4.0 hours per resident per day or less and 30% of nursing homes report total direct care staffing of 3.0 hours per day per resident or less. Our very own Robyn Grant outlined policy solutions and encouraged advocates to ask Congress to pass federal minimum staffing standards for Medicare and Medicaid-funded nursing facilities. In addition to establishing new standards, panelists also highlighted the importance of adequate enforcement of current standards and the need for greater accountability from nursing homes. Back to Top
Spotlight on 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: NORC Notes: Elder Mistreatment and Responding to Allegations of Abuse - NORC Notes is a monthly email reminder of available resources on the NORC website and tips for how ombudsman programs can use them. If you are a Long-Term Care Ombudsman Representative and would like to sign-up to receive the NORC Notes, email ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org. Back to Top | In this Issue
Now Accepting Nominations for the 2018 Leadership Awards
ProPublica Updates Data and Online Tool Comparing Nursing Home Deficiencies and Penalties by State
Attorneys General Condemn Federal Action to Rollback Protections for Nursing Home Residents
2018 Residents' Rights Month Buttons Now Available
New Journal on Resident-to-Resident Incidents in Long-Term Care Homes Resulting in Deaths New Brief on Understanding and Working with Adult Protective Services U.S. House of Representatives Seniors Task Force Hold Nursing Home Briefing on Capitol Hill
Spotlight on Resources
Calendar of Events Wednesday, June 13: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Celebration: Leveraging National Resources to Build Strong Support for Older Adults, 4:00pm ET, Webinar from Elder Justice Initiative Friday, June 15: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day Tuesday, June 26: Ending Nursing Home Violence Between Residents: Prevention, Intervention, and Advocacy, 3:00pm ET, NORC Webinar October: Residents' Rights Month, Speak Up: Know Your Rights and How to Use Them October 22-24: Consumer Voice Annual Conference, Alexandria, Virginia
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Last Week's Most Popular Post:
Thursday, May 31:
AARP Public Policy Institute has published an article entitled "Off-label Antipsychotic Use in Older Adults with Dementia: Not Just a Nursing Home Problem."
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Wednesday, May 30:
CA AG hosting press conference regarding new multistate effort to oppose Trump Administration's rollback of critical nursing home protections
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