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November 17, 2015

Save the Date: 2016 Consumer Voice Conference

The Consumer Voice’s 40th Annual Conference will be held
November 2nd through 5th, 2016
again at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Stay tuned for more details.  We hope to see you there!

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Consumer Voice and NASOP Send Letter to Congress Requesting Funds to Support LTC Ombudsman Program and Adult Protective Services

Consumer Voice and the National Association of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs (NASOP) sent a letter to the Senate and House Subcommittees on Labor/HHS/Education requesting to focus on residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities and those who have been victims of elder abuse, when determining appropriate funding levels for the remainder of fiscal year 2016.  The letter asks to provide additional resources to the long-term care ombudsman services and Adult Protective Services.  The letter specifically asks for:

  • Pre-sequestration funding levels of Title VII programs within the Older Americans Act;
  • $5 million authorized under the Elder Justice Act for Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program services and training to fight elder abuse; and
  • The President's FY 2016 request of $25 million for the Elder Justice Initiative.

Read the full letter here.

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Consumer Voice Launches Project with HRET on Infenction Prevention in Nursing Homes

Consumer Voice, in collaboration with the Health Research and Education Trust (HRET), is beginning a new project concerning infection prevention in the nursing home setting. The purpose of the project is to raise education and awareness of infections that can arise in nursing homes (healthcare associated infections, known as "HAIs"), focusing in particular on urinary tract infections caused by catheters (catheter-associated urinary tract infections, referred to as "CAUTI"). The project is also designed to increase understanding of infection prevention and resident safety practices.

By equipping long-term care ombudsmen with information and resources on these topics, Consumer Voice and HRET hope to increase the knowledge of CAUTIs and HAIs among nursing home residents and their family members, as well as their involvement in reducing these types of infections in our nation's nursing homes.

To get us started, we need to know what you know. This is where...
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

If you are an ombudsman, a resident or the family member of a resident:

Please take a few minutes to complete our online survey by clicking HERE so we can gather information about your current knowledge of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), as well as your preferred learning style.
The survey will close on November 30th. Thank you in advance for your participation!

*If you have questions or need additional information, contact Marybeth Williams at 202-332-2275, ext. 225 or mwilliams@theconsumervoice.org

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Free Webinar Tomorrow - Put a STOP to Poor Care

Wednesday, November 18 3:00-4:15pm ET
Put a STOP to Poor Care: Advocating for Quality Care

Join us for a webinar hosted by Consumer Voice in collaboration with the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) to learn how to advocate for quality, individualized care. The webinar is specifically for long-term care consumers and their family and friends.

Regardless of where an individual receives long-term care services and supports they are entitled to receive quality, person-centered care.

During this webinar we will:

  • Identify indicators of quality care and warning signs of poor care;
  • Provide communication tips, and share advocacy strategies to help consumers, family members, advocates, and others advocate for individualized care;
  • Share resources available to assist in your advocacy, including advocacy with and on behalf of, individuals with limited capacity; and
  • Review the role of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) Program and how and when to seek LTCO assistance.

Please register and share this registration invitation with long-term care consumers, family members, Resident Councils, Family Councils, and advocates that would benefit from this information.

If you have any questions or issues registering for the webinar, please email info@theconsumervoice.org

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NCEA Flyer on Protecting Veterans from Abuse

The National Center for Elder Abuse published a flyer designed to provide information on what to do if you suspect you or a veteran you know might be victim of abuse.  Some veterans seeking benefits are victims of scams which can wreak havoc on their financial futures.  The flyer can be used to fight for and protect our veterans from this abuse.  Access the flyer here.

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This Week is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week

November 16-22 is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week.  This week raises awareness of the threat of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic use across all health care settings. The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor which contributes to antibiotic resistance, and up to one-third to one-half of antibiotic use in humans is either unnecessary or inappropriate. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed creates additional health risks by increasing the chances a patient will experience a bad drug reaction, and also leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which affects everyone in the community. Join an all-day global Twitter chat on Wednesday, November 18th with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (@ECDC_EU).  The US CDC will host the chat live from 2:00pm-4:00pm ET (@CDC_NCEZID).  CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrFriedenCDC) will be tweeting during the chat.  For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/getsmart.

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Join the Matching Campaign

Sing along again with the “Consumer Voice Chorale Singers” who led us through the beautiful Song of the Soul at Consumer Voice's 40th Anniversary Party …

As our founders affirmed in their remarks at our closing session of the 2015 Consumer Voice Annual Conference, our organization has always drawn strength from our network. Your support allows us to support you.  As often occurs in small mission-driven organizations, we face cycles where our need for this support is more immediate.

This is one of those times.

We are asking our friends, partners, and networks to support the Matching Campaign we launched on the last day of the conference. Conference participants, including board members, donated $7,900 in ONE HOUR on Saturday! It meant so much to all of us to see participants at the conference rally to generate incredible support for us.  We have momentum! Please be part of helping us reach our goal.

We need your active engagement in generating support for our shared work.
Please help us reach our goal of:

$40k to start our next 40 Years of Advocacy

  • For those of you who donated during the conference, we express our whole-hearted thanks.
  • For those of you who haven’t donated yet, we ask you to consider joining in this effort.
  • For all of you who are part of our community, we ask that you spread the word as we enter the holiday giving season. Share this note with others who share our mission, and add your note of encouragement for their donations.

Please Support Us

What will that money do?......

  • Support our policy and advocacy work – such as supporting a strong Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, promoting more effective oversight of long-term care facilities, and ensuring that the consumer voice is heard by legislators
  • Support increased and re-invigorated outreach to consumers of long-term services and supports – including regular dialogues with current and former residents from around the country
  • Support the development of a new generation of leadership (advocates) – to continue raising the voices of consumers for future decades

We couldn’t do this work without your support--and we still need your help.

Join us Today!

… In our efforts to promote quality and empower consumers.


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:

Citizen Advocacy Group Center - Groups of concerned citizens who advocate for quality long-term care, services and supports and quality of life for residents and consumers in their locality, state or region sometimes self-identify as "citizen advocacy groups" (CAGs).  Visit the Citizen Advocacy Group Center page on the Consumer Voice website for resources specifically for CAGs.

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In this Issue

Save the Date: 2016 Consumer Voice Conference

Consumer Voice and NASOP Send Letter to Congress Requesting Funds to Support LTC Ombudsman Program and Adult Protective Services

Consumer Voice Launches Project with HRET on Infection Prevention in Nursing Homes

Free Webinar Tomorrow - Put a STOP to Poor Care

NCEA Flyer on Protecting Veterans from Abuse

This Week is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week

Join the Matching Campaign


Spotlight on Educational Resources


Combined Federal Campaign

#10552

Thank you for your support!


Get Your CARE Matters Buttons and Wristbands

CARE Matters wristbands and buttons are sold in packs of 20, 50 and 100.  See the Consumer Voice online store for more information.


Calendar of Events

Wednesday, November 18: Put a STOP to Poor Care: Advocating for Quality, 3:00-4:15pm ET, Free webinar from Consumer Voice in collaboration with the National Center on Elder Abuse

November 2-5, 2016: Consumer Voice 40th Annual Conference, Arlington, VA


Join the conversation and follow us on social media!

Last Week's Most Popular Post:

Friday, November 13:
Thank you to so many of you who joined us at the Annual Conference and 40th Anniversary Party last week! It was one of our most successful conferences ever!

Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:

 
Friday, November 13
:
Thank you to those who joined us at the Annual Conference & 40th Anniversary Party. Let's keep the momentum going!


Long-Term Care Resources & News



Read past issues of The Voice here.


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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