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May 30, 2017

New Resources Available for Residents' Rights Month 2017

Residents' Rights Month Activity Calendar
The 2017 Residents’ Rights Month Activity Calendar provides ideas for events and activities throughout the month of October. Events and activities listed highlight this year’s theme “It’s All About Me: My Life, My Care, My Choices” and provide an opportunity for education, discussion and community-building for residents, staff and family members. Put together a committee to organize Residents’ Rights Month activities; each staff member can lead an event or choose 1-2 events per week to put on.

My Personal Directions for Quality Living

This form is used to record personal preferences and information about yourself in the event that you need long-term care.  Record your likes and dislikes in your daily life to help others in providing your care. View a sample and fill out a blank form.

“It’s All About Me” Buttons
Promote this year's Residents' Rights Month theme with new buttons!  Our buttons make great giveaways or gifts for staff, volunteers, residents or other advocates. Consumer Voice members can get a 10% discount (email  info@theconsumervoice.org for the coupon code).  Buttons are available in packs of 20, 50 and 100.

Reminder - Participate in the Resident's Voice Challenge - Residents and long-term care consumers are encouraged to display their writing or artistic skills by submitting essays, poems, artwork, drawings, or videos related to the theme for Residents' Rights Month 2017 "It’s All About Me: My Life, My Care, My Choices. Submissions are due September 1, 2017. For guidelines and more information about this year's Resident's Voice Challenge, click here.

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NPR Covers States Efforts to Crack Down on Involuntary Discharge

A recent story by NPR covers several states' attempts to crack down on involuntary discharge from nursing homes.  Maryland is suing nursing home chain Neiswanger Management Services (NMS) for Medicaid fraud.  Maryland's State Attorney General Brian Frosh stated that more than half of all involuntary discharges in Maryland come from nursing homes run by NMS.  The lawsuit alleges that NMS charged the state for discharge planning services it didn't deliver.  Nursing homes are obligated to ensure that discharged residents go somewhere safe.  Yet, NMS has sent residents to homeless shelters and unlicensed board and care homes. Frosh asserts that NMS was discharging residents for its own financial gain.  Medicare payments for long-term care only last for 100 days; NMS evicted residents just as they were transitioning from Medicare. 

Other states are also fighting unfair involuntary discharges.  In Illinois, according to the last five years of data, nursing home discharges have more than doubled. State lawmakers have proposed legislation which aims to crack down on improperly discharging residents, ensuring that residents won't get discharged for complaining too much or requiring too much staff time.  Read more on NPR.

Involuntary transfer and discharge is the #1 complaint reported to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.  For additional information and resources, visit the webpages of Consumer Voice and the National LTC Ombudsman Resource Center.

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LTCCC Launches the Dementia Care Advocacy Toolkit

The Long Term Care Community Coalition has released a toolkit for resident-centered advocacy to improve dementia care and reduce inappropriate antipsychotic drugging.  The Dementia Care Advocacy Toolkit is the culmination of a two year project, supported by The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, to engage families and LTC ombudsmen with information and tools they can use to improve care for their residents. It includes fact sheets on issues that residents and families face, including: Appropriate Dementia Care Practices, Resident & Family Recordkeeping, Standards for Nursing Home Services and Resident Dignity & Quality of Life.  Access the toolkit and materials from a webinar on the toolkit here.

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New Report Highlights Unique Challenges Faced By LGBT Elders

 The Movement Advancement Project and SAGE have released a new report aiming to increase awareness of the diverse needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elders nationwide.  "Understanding Issues Facing LGBT Older Adults" provides insight into the experiences of LGBT elders, highlighting the challenges they face across a wide range of topics like healthcare, financial security and community support, and their resilience to these challenges.  The report provides a snapshot of the demographics of LGBT elders and outlines how challenges - including discrimination in employment, access to healthcare, housing, and legal and social relationship recognition - can lead to poverty, social isolation and poorer mental and physical health.  The report offers recommendations for addressing these challenges faced by LGBT older adults.  For more information, click here.

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New Website with Tools for Oral Health Programs for Older Adults

The Administration for Community Living has created a new oral health website to help communities and organizations create community-based oral health programs for older adults.  The website provides a searchable database of existing community-based oral health programs and access to tools for designing and implementing a new oral health program or expanding an existing program.  Visit the site at oralhealth.acl.gov.

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Spotlight on Resources

The Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) 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:

Involuntary Transfer and Discharge Brochure - This brochure provides information to long-term care consumers and their families about their rights surrounding involuntary transfers and discharges.

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In this Issue

New Resources Available for Residents' Rights Month 2017

NPR Covers States Efforts to Crack Down on Involuntary Discharge

LTCCC Launches the Dementia Care Advocacy Toolkit

New Report Highlights Unique Challenges Faced By LGBT Elders

New Website with Tools for Oral Health Programs for Older Adults


Spotlight on Resources


Combined Federal Campaign

#10552

Thank you for your support!


Registration is Now Open!

Consumer Voice 41st Annual Conference

November 5-8, 2017
Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel
Arlington, Virginia


Calendar of Events

Wednesday, May 31: LTCOP Volunteer Management: Model Materials and Sharing of Best Practices, 3:00pm ET, NORC Webinar

Thursday, June 15: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

November 5-8, 2017: Consumer Voice 41st Annual Conference, Arlington, VA


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Wednesday, May 24:
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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 © 2017.

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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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