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May 12, 2015
May is Older Americans Month
The 2015 theme for Older Americans Month, sponsored by the Administration for Community Living, is "Get into the Act." Each May, the Administration for Community Living celebrates Older Americans Month to recognize older Americans for their contributions to the nation. This year, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act (OAA), the focus is on how older adults are taking charge of their health, getting engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others. Older Americans Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of community engagement as a tool for enhancing the wellbeing of older adults. For more information about this year's theme, click here.
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WEAAD Webinar on May 22nd
The National Center on Elder Abuse is hosting a webinar "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD): Toward a Global Framework on its 10th Anniversary" on Friday, May 22nd at 1:00pm ET. The webinar will begin with opening remarks by Edwin Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Aging at the Administration on Aging. The webinar will also include a retrospective on a decade of WEAAD accomplishments and pilot findings from the international study entitled "The Worldwide Face of Elder Abuse." Register for the webinar here.
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NORC Director Lori Smetanka Featured in WEAAD Blog
National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) Director Lori Smetanka wrote a blog for the National Center on Elder Abuse's World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) blog series, leading up to WEAAD on June 15th. Lori's blog provided information on how to ensure quality care for a rapidly aging population, promote individual rights and protect residents from abuse or neglect. Her tips included: 1.) setting the basis for quality; 2.) supporting good practice with strong laws and regulations; 3.) educating residents, families, facility staff and the public; and 4.) knowing where to go for help. Read the full blog article here.
Join Lori as a special guest in NCEA's #WEAADweekly Twitter chat series this Friday, May 15th at 1:00-2:00pm ET. The topic is strengthening long-term care. Follow @NCEAatUSC to participate.
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WHCOA Releases Elder Justice Policy Brief
The 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) has released a policy brief on elder justice. The brief covers the impact of elder abuse, elder abuse response, federal efforts to address elder abuse, Elder Justice Coordinating Council recommendations, and discussion questions. You can provide feedback on the brief on WHCOA's website. Other policy briefs include: Long-Term Services and Supports and Healthy Aging.
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Special Issue of The Gerontologist Dedicated to WHCOA
The latest issue of The Gerontologist is dedicated to the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. Articles cover a variety of topics including re-imagining long-term services and supports, healthy aging and population aging, dementia care, and caregiver issues, among others. All articles can be accessed free of charge until the end of June.
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Save the Date! Webinar on the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Final Rule
Please save the date, May 21, at 3:00 p.m. ET for a webinar on the Long-Term Care Ombudsman final rule. In an effort to clarify ambiguities and resolve long-standing issues within Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs, the U.S. Administration on Community Living (ACL) has been working on developing these regulations since 2011. This webinar will review the provisions and provide an opportunity for questions. To register please click here.
Presented by Becky Kurtz, Director of the Office of Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs for the U.S. Administration on Community Living (ACL)
Facilitated by Robyn Grant, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (Consumer Voice)
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs final rule is now online in the Federal Register and can be viewed here.
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Free Webinar: Supporting Volunteer LTCO and Minimizing Risk; Materials Available
Supporting Volunteer LTCO and Minimizing Risk
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
3:00-4:00pm ET
Join us to discuss how risk management applies to every aspect of managing and supporting volunteer long-term care ombudsmen. Attendees will receive tips for screening volunteers, identifying and removing risk, and responding to situations when the actions, or inaction, of a volunteer LTCO negatively impacts your program.
Presenters: Sarah Hinzman, Volunteer Ombudsman Program & Americorps VISTA Project Coordinator, IA LTCOP; Darlene Cray, Volunteer Program Coordinator, NH LTCOP; and Amity Overall-Laib, Manager, LTCO Program & Policy, NORC.
Please note: We are hosting this webinar again due to the audio issues we experienced during the original webinar on April 30, 2015. The slides and materials from the first webinar are available on the NORC website.
This webinar is free and open to State and Local Long-Term Care Ombudsmen. Registration is limited. To maximize participation, we ask that individuals from the same organization only register one person.
Register Now!
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Resident's Voice Challenge Deadline Extended to May 25th
Thank you for the wonderful submissions to the 2015 Resident's Voice Challenge! Many of the submissions have been posted on our website. To accomodate all those who are still interested in submitting entries, we have extended the deadline to Monday, May 25th. For more information about this year's Resident's Voice Challenge, visit our website.
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Briefly Noted...
- The final version of The LGBT Senior Long Term Care Facilities Bill of Rights Ordinance in San Francisco has been published. Find out more about the ordinance here.
- The Institute of Medicine has released a report entitled "Cognitive Aging: Progress in Understanding and Opportunities for Action." The report studied cognitive aging, a natural process associated with advancing years, and assessed the public health dimensions of cognitive aging.
Spotlight on Giving: Gifts in Honor and in Memory
A gift to Consumer Voice is a great way to honor an important advocate or family caregiver or to remember a special resident, family member or friend. When you make a gift in honor or in memory to Consumer Voice, you are supporting the mission of quality care for all long-term care consumers. Provide contact information and Consumer Voice will send a letter acknowledging your contribution to the person being honored or to the family of the person being remembered. Make a contribution here and click "Memorial/Honor Donation."
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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:
Piecing Together Quality Long-Term Care: A Consumer's Guide to Choices and Advocacy - This consumer guide, developed in March 2011, educates people with disabilities and older adults about their options for long-term services and supports and empowers consumers to be self-advocates for quality long-term care. The guide includes tips from consumers as well as information and resources to assist people currently living in nursing homes to move back into the community. The guide is available as a PDF or for sale in hard copy.
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In this Issue
May is Older Americans Month
WEAAD Webinar on May 22nd
NORC Director Lori Smetanka Featured in WEAAD Blog
WHCOA Releases Elder Justice Policy Brief
Special Issue of The Gerontologist Dedicated to WHCOA
Save the Date! Webinar on the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Final Rule
Free Webinar: Supporting Volunteer LTCO and Minimizing Risk, Materials Available
Resident's Voice Challenge Deadline Extended to May 25th
Briefly Noted
Spotlight on Giving: Gifts in Honor and in Memory
Spotlight on Educational Resources
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, May 14: FEMA Promising Practices: Closing Gaps in Local Emergency Plans and Grassroots Emergency Planning, 2:30pm EST, Webinar from the Pacific ADA Center and the ADA National Network
Wednesday, May 20: Put a Registered Nursing in a Nursing Home Action Day
Thursday, May 21: Webinar on Long-Term Care Ombudsman Final Rule, 3:00pm ET
Friday, May 22: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day - Toward a Global Framework on its 10th Anniversary, 1:00pm ET, Webinar from the National Center on Elder Abuse
Wednesday, May 27: Supporting Volunteer LTC Ombudsmen and Minimizing Risk, 3:00pm ET, Materials available here
Wednesday, May 27: Building Bridges Between Elder Justice Professionals and VOCA Administrators, 1:00pm ET, Webinar from the Office for Victims of Crime
Wednesday, June 10: Achieving Cultural Competence for the Younger Adult in the Long Term Care Setting - Part Two, 3:00pm ET, Nursing Home Social Work Webinar Series
Tuesday, June 30: Delivering Your Message: Utilizing Both Traditional Approaches and Social Media, Advocacy skills training webinar from the Consumer Voice
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
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Wednesday, May 6:
CV supports minimum wage & overtime protections for home care workers. They improve quality of jobs & care for consumers. #WeAllCare
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