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June 2, 2015

Registration is Now Open for the 2015 Consumer Voice Annual Conference

The Consumer Voice Annual Conference is back in Washington, DC from November 4-7, 2015, and we can't wait to see you there! 

Register now!

At the 2015 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 acquiring tools and resources;
  • Specific information and takeaways to help put your systems or individual advocacy into action!

Register before July 10th and receive $60 off regular registration!

For more information about the agenda, pre-conference intensives, registration rates, and travel, click here.

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Call for Session Proposals for Consumer Voice Annual Conference

Consumer Voice invites you to submit a proposal for a concurrent session at the 2015 Consumer Voice Annual Conference.

Click here for the Proposal Form

Proposal Guidelines:

  • The Conference will be November 4-7, 2015 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA. Most conference sessions will be on November 5-7.
  • All proposals must include speaker names, contact info, and a short bio of credentials.
  • All speakers must register and pay the applicable conference rate by August 1, 2015.
  • Travel expenses cannot be reimbursed.
  • Speakers must provide electronic versions of any PowerPoints, reference materials, or handouts by October 15, 2015.
  • Speakers are responsible for bringing handouts if any will be used.  PowerPoint capability will be available in all workshop rooms (screen, projector, computer). If you require additional AV support, there may be an additional charge.
  • Proposals may be submitted for more than one session, but you must submit a separate form for each proposal.
  • Sessions will be either 75 minutes or 90 minutes in length.
All proposals must be received by June 26, 2015 to be considered.  Sessions that include more than one perspective or speakers from more than one program are encouraged.

Submit proposals as Word or PDF documents to the Consumer Voice at info@theconsumervoice.org.

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Consumer Voice Briefing on H.R. 952 is Well-Attended on Capitol Hill


Attendees listen to the panel of speakers.

On Thursday, May 28th, Consumer Voice hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill in partnership with the Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations and the American Nurses Association, which focused on the need for twenty-four hour registered nurse (RN) coverage in nursing homes. Currently, federal law only requires Medicare and/or Medicaid certified nursing homes to have a RN on duty 8 hours per day. Consumer Voice, along with partner organizations, is currently advocating for passage of H.R. 952, the Put a Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act, which was introduced by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) earlier this year and would require a RN 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in nursing homes receiving Medicare and/or Medicaid coverage.

The briefing held on May 28th discussed the critical importance of passing H.R. 952 and was well-attended by Capitol Hill staff. Speakers included Robyn Grant, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy at the Consumer Voice; Charlotte Eliopoulos, Executive Director, American Association for Long Term Care Nursing; Diane Carter, President & CEO, American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination (AANAC); Susan M. Hargreaves, Adminstrator, Lisner Louise Dickson Hurt Home, Washington, D.C.; and Eileen Bennett, Montgomery County Maryland Long-Term Care Ombudsman. To learn more about the issue of twenty-four hour RN coverage and H.R. 952 (including how you can ask your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor this bill), visit the Consumer Voice website here.

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WHCOA National Conference to Be Held July 13

The White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) 2015 national conference will be held on July 13th at the White House. The July event is part of a year-long effort to listen, learn, and share with older adults, their families, their caregivers, community leaders, and experts in the aging field on how to best address the changing landscape of aging in the coming decade. According to Nora Super, Executive Director of the WHCOA, “The 2015 Conference seeks to embrace the transformative demographic shift occurring in the United States to recognize the possibilities, rather than the limitations of aging.” Watch the video announcement on the WHCOA website.

Last week, the fifth and final WHCOA regional forum was held in Boston, MA.  For more information and to watch recordings from the event, click here.

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VOYCE Conference in St. Louis on Changing the Landscape of Long-Term Care

VOYCE is holding an all day conference on Friday, June 12 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. The conference is entitled, "The Changing Landscape of Long Term Care," and features information relevant to both professionals in long-term care and the general public, with CEUs available for nursing home administrators and social workers.
 
The conference is divided into two tracks geared toward professionals and community members, with featured keynote speakers for both tracks. Keynote speakers include Dr. Pearson from Mercy's Virtual Hospital discussing virtual medicine; the founders of SmartCare discussing the use of technology to collect and interpret data related to activities of daily living to improve quality of care; and Jack Baker of Real Home Communities, LLC discussing bringing the Green House Model to Missouri.

For more information, view the flyer.  To register, visit VOYCE's website.

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Spotlight on Giving: Sponsor The Voice

Consumer Voice is accepting sponsorship for each weekly issue of The Voice.  As a benefit of sponsorship, the contributor may honor, remember, or thank an individual or organization.  For more information, click here or contact Richard Gelula at rgelula@theconsumervoice.org

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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:

Round-the-Clock RN Coverage: A Step Towards Better Nursing Home Care  - This Consumer Voice webpage provides detailed information on H.R. 952, the Put a Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act.  Information covers what H.R. 952 would do if enacted, why 24 hour RN coverage is important, how RNs improve nursing home care, and resources for H.R. 952.

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In this Issue

Registration is Now Open for the 2015 Consumer Voice Annual Conference

Call for Session Proposals for Consumer Voice Annual Conference

Consumer Voice Briefing on H.R. 952 is Well-Attended on Capitol Hill

WHCOA National Conference to Be Held July 13

VOYCE Conference in St. Louis on Changing the Landscape of Long-Term Care


Spotlight on Giving: Sponsor The Voice

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

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

Friday, June 12: Changing the Landscape of Long-Term Care, 7:30am-4:30pm, Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel in St. Louis, MO, All-day conference from VOYCE

Monday, June 15: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

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


Join the conversation and follow us on social media!

Last Week's Most Popular Post:

Thursday, May 28:
Save the Date! The White House Conference on Aging will be on Monday, July 13th.

Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:

Thursday, May 28
:
Diane Carter of @aanac_ltc: patients transferred from hospitals to nursing homes are very sick & need RNs 24 hours/day


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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 © 2015.

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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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