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July 28, 2015
Celebrating Our History and Honoring Our Gems: Citizen Advocacy Groups and Family Members
As Consumer Voice celebrates our 40th anniversary we want to take this opportunity to reflect on our past and recognize the individuals who shaped our organization. In honor of the 40-year ruby anniversary we will highlight Consumer Voice’s Gems which include key leaders, organizations, and special moments that have made a significant impact on our organization’s development, mission, and advocacy.
For this month’s gem we celebrate
Citizen Advocacy Groups (CAGs) and family members
Citizen advocates receiving awards in 1999 with Elma Holder
Family members and citizen advocacy groups (CAGs) have been instrumental to the advocacy of Consumer Voice since its founding. In fact, representatives of citizen advocacy groups were part of the group of advocates brought together by Elma Holder, Consumer Voice founder, to present concerns and recommendations for reform to the attendees of a nursing home industry conference in 1975. Following the meeting, the advocates recognized the need for a national organization to represent the voice of consumers and address substandard nursing home care leading to the founding of Consumer Voice.
The membership and support from citizen advocacy groups and individual family members of long-term care consumers over the past 40 years has provided Consumer Voice with a valuable perspective of caregiving and family member advocacy. Representatives of citizen advocacy groups have always been a vital part of Consumer Voice leadership, both on the Governing Board and Leadership Council, and of our advocacy as part of the Consumer Voice Action Network.
Visit our website for more information about citizen advocacy groups and for information and support for family members.
You are invited to join us in celebrating 40 years of making quality care matter by signing this e-card, sending a congratulatory message to info@theconsumervoice.org, becoming a member, and/or supporting our current and future work with a contribution.
Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and visit our 40th Anniversary webpage for additional information and opportunities to celebrate with us.
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Proposed Voluntary Guidelines for Adult Protectives Services Released
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) recently released proposed voluntary guidelines for Adult Protective Services (APS) systems. These guidelines were developed to provide a core set of principles and common expectations to encourage consistency in policies and practices of APS across the country. Within the guidelines the Ombudsman Program is mentioned in collaboration and investigation.
Through these guidelines ACL seeks to:
- Help ensure that adults are afforded similar protections and service delivery, regardless of which state or jurisdiction they live in.
- Assist states in providing effective, efficient, and culturally competent services to victims and responses to perpetrators.
- Enhance partnerships and interagency coordination between APS and other state and local aging, disability, and adult service providers, by providing a consistent approach and thorough understanding of APS' responsibilities and role.
- Demonstrate the value this nation places on its older adults and adults with disabilities as contributing members of society.
The proposed guidelines are scheduled to be finalized in December 2015. To view the draft set of guidelines, click here.
ACL strongly encourages the public to provide feedback to refine and improve the Voluntary Guidelines for State APS Systems by commenting via electronic form on the ACL website by October 13, 2015.
ACL will also convene at least 12 listening sessions with general and targeted guidelines. Listening sessions will be held via conference call and in person at some national conferences.
Questions? Contact NORC at ombudcenter@theconsumervoice.org.
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Retirement Congratulations to Sherilyn Moe
When Minnesota Long-Term Care Ombudsman Sherilyn Moe announced her retirement following 26 years of advocacy for long-term care residents, she asked that instead of a gift to her, that her colleagues pool their contributions for a gift to Consumer Voice, We congratulate Sherilyn on her service and retirement -- and thank her for her thoughtfulness and support for Consumer Voice. Shown in the photo with an enlarged check are Consumer Voice staff members Amanda Celentano and Richard Gelula.
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Justice in Aging's Updated "20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them"
Many common nursing home practices are, in fact, illegal. In order to receive the best possible quality of care, a resident or resident’s family member should be familiar with the protections of the federal Nursing Home Reform Law, and understand how to use the law effectively.
Here is a resource that can help consumers and advocates alike navigate the legalities of nursing home practices, and offer practical tips on how to resolve issues that come up. Our friends at Justice in Aging have updated their guide, 20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them, and they are making it available for FREE download to anyone who needs it.
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Last Call! Bulk Orders of Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There
$15.00 plus shipping and handling
Consumer Voice’s widely acclaimed classic consumer guide includes dozens of specific advocacy strategies, checklists and standards of care. A “must-read” for residents, family members, and advocates who seek the best possible care in nursing homes. Also a great training tool for all paid and volunteer ombudsmen.
Want to know more about this book? Read the Preface here.
We are placing a new order for Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There books from the publisher. If you are interested in making a bulk purchase (25 or more books), please email info@theconsumervoice.org by July 31st. Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There will be available again for smaller purchases in August and is available immediately for iPad and Kindle.
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The Commonwealth Fund Releases Brief on a Medicare Benefit Option for Older Adults with Complex Care Needs
The Commonwealth Fund has released a brief, as part of their Medicare at 50 Years series, entitled "Serving Older Adults with Complex Care Needs: A New Benefit Option for Medicare." The brief covers how, as lifespans lengthen, Medicare must adapt to serve beneficiaries with substantial long-term physical or cognitive impairment who need personal care assistance. The brief proposes a complex care benefit option that would include home and community services, and describes how it might be structured to balance the goals of improving care for beneficiaries and ensuring affordability.
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Feeding America Reports on "Facing Hunger After Fifty"
Given the multitude of challenges facing older Americans, proper nutrition is vital because it can reduce or eliminate symptoms in addition to outright prevent ailments for occurring in the first place. Unfortunately, a recent report, as a part of Feeding America's Hunger in America research series, found that the number of older Americans that require food assistance has been growing in recent years, presently standing at 13 million. "Baby Boomers and Beyond: Facing Hunger After Fifty" focused on the economic conditions of food insecure individuals and households, finding, for example, that older Americans are less likely to receive or apply for SNAP (formerly Food Stamp) benefits. The study also identified some of the worrying coping strategies and tradeoffs that older Americans rely on to not go hungry. Sixty-three percent of older Americans, for example, report having to choose between paying for medical care or paying for food.
Despite the report's troubling findings, some promising policies are in the pipeline. SNAP is exploring ways to expand outreach to, and streamline application for, older Americans. The USDA is also looking to expand the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which benefits anyone in hunger, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which targets Americans 60 and older. The Senate's recent vote to reauthorize the Older Americans Act bodes well for the Meals on Wheels program, so long as the House follows suit. There's also talk of expanding the enhanced food donation deduction to incentivize food donations from small businesses and groceries. Finally, healthcare providers are starting to see nutritious food as medicine that has the potential to reduce healthcare costs and increase quality of life and care. Hospitals, for example, are increasingly relying on food banks to screen new patients for hunger and to refer them to the support services (such as SNAP) that they need.
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New Resources Available on Brain Health and Dementia
The Administration for Community Living and its grantees have several new resources available on the topics of promoting brain health and coping with symptoms of dementia:
- The New Jersey Geriatric Education Center is presenting a free, 5-module, web-based program on dementia care running from Aug. 5 to Sept. 30. The modules cover the inter-professional approach to assessment and management of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
- Dementia-capable States and Communities: the Basics is an issue brief which defines dementia-capability and explores how to create “dementia-capable” long-term services and supports at the state and local levels.
- Dementia-capability quality assurance assessment tools have been developed for both states and community-based entities.
- Responding to the Wandering Behavior of People with Dementia describes the needs of people with dementia who wander and discusses how to use person-centered approaches to address the challenges of wandering.
- IDD and Dementia is a new paper by ACL’s National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center. The report provides a broad overview of the services and support system for persons with IDD affected by dementia, as well as their caregivers.
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Conference Call on Proposed Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities
A MLN Connects National Provider Call will be held on Tuesday, August 11th at 2:30pm ET on Proposed Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities. These requirements are the federal health and safety standards that long-term care facilities must meet in order to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. This presentation provides background for updating these requirements and briefly walks through many of the changes included in the proposal. A question and answer session follows the presentation. Register now.
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Briefly Noted...
- At the White House Conference on Aging, Uber announced the launch of a pilot program for community-based senior outreach. The program will offer free technology tutorials and free rides at select retirement communities and senior centers. Read more here.
- Doug Pace, Executive Director of Advancing Excellence in Long-Term Care Collaborative, has announced his resignation effective August 14, 2015. He will become Director, Dementia Care Services and Support at the Alzheimer’s Association, based in Washington, DC.
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Spotlight on Giving: 40th Anniversary Special Gifts Campaign
A critical focus of the Consumer Voice board of directors is ensuring that the organization is able to address effectively the long-term care challenges affecting people today and in the years ahead. A key focus is to fully fund Consumer Voice public policy and advocacy initiatives which are critical at a time like now when new rules are being written and when cost pressures further threaten the commitment to quality, person-centered care and the rights of long-term care consumers. The board has started the year with its own fundraising campaign seeking double the level of annual contributions from each member and now it is reaching out to all members of the Consumer Voice constituency to ask that each person consider making a special contribution to the organization this year. Contributions can be made online here, monthly, as a gift of stock, in recognition of an individual, organization, or in other ways. To discuss your gift and how you would like it recognized, please contact Richard Gelula at rgelula@theconsumervoice.org or (202) 332-2275 x209. And for more information about the 40th Anniversary Campaign, click here.
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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:
Giving Voice to Quality Project - This project, made possible by funding from the Retirement Research Foundation, aimed to provide nursing home residents and family members with the information they need to recognize and insist on qualiy and the strategies necessary for achieving quality, resident-directeed practices at their own facilities. The project also provided information and materials to long-term care ombudsmen and community advocacy organizations to bolster their work with residents and family members.
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In this Issue
Celebrating Our History and Honoring Our Gems: Citizen Advocay Groups and Family Members
Proposed Voluntary Guidelines for Adult Protective Services Released
Retirement Congratulations to Sherilyn Moe
Justice in Aging's Updated "20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them"
Last Call! Bulk Orders for Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There
The Commonwealth Fund Releases Brief on a Medicare Benefit Option for Older Adults with Complex Care Needs
Feeding America Reports on "Facing Hunger After Fifty"
New Resources Available on Brain Health and Dementia
Conference Call on Proposed Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities
Briefly Noted...
Spotlight on Giving: 40th Anniversary Special Gifts Campaign
Spotlight on Educational Resources
Ombudsmen - Sign Up Now to Continue Receiving The Voice
Ombudsmen - you have been receiving The Voice weekly e-newsletter automatically. If you would like to continue to receive The Voice, including important policy updates, consumer resources, and long-term care news, you must subscribe for FREE on our website or you must sign up as a member.
To continue receiving The Voice uninterrupted, you must sign up by August 4, 2015.
Note: If you are already a member of Consumer Voice, you will continue to receive The Voice automatically. If you are unsure of your membership status, email info@theconsumervoice.org.
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, 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
Register Now for the Consumer Voice Annual Conference November 4-7, 2015
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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:
Friday, July 24:
Our friends at Justice in Aging have made an updated version of their practical guide, 20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Saturday, July 25:
Cost of Elder Care Soars
Long-Term Care Resources & News
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