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December 4, 2018
40th Anniversary of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
It has been 40 years since the 1978 Amendments to the Older Americans Act required every state to have an Ombudsman Program and specifically defined Ombudsman functions and responsibilities.
In 1972, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program started out as a public health service demonstration project to meet the needs of residents facing problems in nursing homes. Today, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program consists of 53 state programs and their statewide networks of over 500 local Ombudsman entities. Read the full list of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program’s milestones from 1972 to 2016 as a PDF here and on the NORC website here.
For more information about ombudsman program accomplishments, read the recent issue of NORC Notes.
Long-term care ombudsmen, thank you for your continued advocacy and dedication to achieving quality long-term care for the past 40 years. We welcome you to share pictures, brief comments, or quotes about your work in the long-term care ombudsman program by emailing ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org.
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Free Webinar about the New National Consensus Project’s Palliative Care Guidelines, 4th Edition
The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care is hosting a complimentary webinar on Monday, December 17, 2:30 – 4 pm (Eastern). Speakers will present an overview of the newly published National Consensus Project’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, 4th edition (NCP Guidelines).
Learn more and register here. Early registration is encouraged; space is limited.
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Senate Special Committee on Aging Releases Report on Guardianship
The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging released a report "Ensuring Trust: Strengthening State Efforts to Overhaul the Guardianship Process and Protect Older Americans." The report follows a year-long investigation of guardianship arrangements in the United States. It provides details about the problems facing guardianship and makes recommendations for reform. In response to the report, Senator Bob Casey, Jr. introduced legislation to help expand background checks and improve oversight of guardians.
Read the report here.
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CMS Releases New Resource to Prevent All Cause Harm in Nursing Homes
Telligen, the Quality Innovation Network National Coordinating Center, has released a new resource - a Change Package intended to prevent adverse events nursing homes. This project was funded by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and was designed to include strategies and actions to prevent the types of adverse events identified by a 2014 Office of Inspector General report, which highlighted the need for nursing homes to reduce the incidence of harm among residents and to report allegations of abuse or neglect and investigation results in a timely manner. The Change Package is focused on successful practices of nursing homes identified as high-performing by Telligen based on various data sources, including the CMS five star rating system. The practices identified themes around how the nursing facilities approached prevention of harm and strategies to prevent specific adverse events and abuse.
Access the Change Package here.
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It's National Influenza Vaccination Week
National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 2-8, 2018. The week raises awareness for the importance of continuing flu vaccinations during and after the holiday season. Getting vaccinated later can still be beneficial and should be done as soon as possible before flu begins spreading in your community.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides specific information for People 65 Years and Older and for Health Professionals.
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Spotlight on Resources
 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 and NORC websites to explore all the available resources. Check out this week's highlighted resource:
Consumer Voice Policy Break: New CMS Initiative to Focus on Staffing
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In this Issue
40th Anniversary of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
Free Webinar about the New National Consensus Project’s Palliative Care Guidelines, 4th Edition
Senate Special Committee on Aging Releases Report on Guardianship
CMS Releases New Resource to Prevent All Cause Harm in Nursing Homes
It's National Influenza Vaccination Week
Spotlight on Resources
Calendar of Events
December 2-8: National Influenza Vaccination Week
Tuesday, December 4: Advocating for Residents with Mental Health Needs: What to do When a Resident Threatens Harming Themselves or Others, 3:00pm ET, NORC webinar for long-term care ombudsman
Thursday, December 13: After Receiving Final Statewide Transition Plan Approval: Tackling the Ongoing Systems-Change Work that Remains, 2:00pm ET, Part III of ACL Webinar Series
Monday, December 17: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, 4th Edition, 2:30pm ET, Webinar fron the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care
Join the conversation and follow us on social media!
Last Week's Most Popular Post:
Wednesday, November 28:
How a Paradise nursing home staff saved the lives of 91 patients
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Tuesday, Novmeber 27:
Join us today for the global day of giving #GivingTuesday as we Stand for Quality Care!
Long-Term Care Resources & News
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