December 19, 2023

In this Issue:

1. Consumer Voice Resources from 2023
2. Free At-Home COVID Tests Available
3. Reminder: Mark Your Calendar for the 2024 Consumer Voice Conference

Consumer Voice Resources from 2023

Consumer Voice works to engage and empower long-term care consumers and their families in the pursuit of quality care and services, quality of life, and protection of rights. This year, we released a variety of resources, reports, consumer materials, webinars and podcast episodes to educate consumers, their families, and advocates and strengthen their advocacy.

Issue Briefs

• Why Nursing Homes Need a Minimum Staffing Standard
• Better Staffing is Achievable: A Look at For-Profit versus Non-Profit Nursing Homes

Report: Where Do the Billions of Dollars Go? A Look at Nursing Home Related Party Transactions

Fact Sheets

• Visiting Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities During the Holidays
• Advocating for Rights and Better Care in Nursing Homes: Tips for Residents and Families
• The Value of Being Heard: Loneliness and Social Isolation in Long-Term Care
• "Difficult" is Not a Diagnosis: What to Do When Your Loved One is Being Pushed to Take Antipsychotic Drugs

Consumer Booklet: Avoiding Drugs Used as Chemical Restraints: Residents' Rights and Facility Responsibilities

Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast Episodes

• The Measure of Our Age - The Importance of Caring and Advocacy
• Residents Amplify Their Voices for Change
• Amplifying the Voices of Long-Term Care Consumers Through Advocacy
• Nursing Home Arbitration Agreements: Do Not Lose Your Rights
• The U.S. Supreme Court Weighs in on Nursing Home Residents’ Rights
• Progress and Challenges for LGBTQ+ Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities
• No Country for Old People: Poor Care in Highly Rated Facilities
• The Value of Being Heard: Loneliness and Social Isolation in Long-Term Care
• Sharing Lessons from Successes: Long-Term Care Facilities that Weathered the Storm of COVID-19 and the Staffing Crises
• Increase Scrutiny of Nursing Home Finances
• Resident Voices on How Staffing Impacts Their Lives
• Quality Jobs, Quality Care
• Dignity for All: Staffing Standards Benefit Residents and Workers
• Advocating for a Resident’s Right to Intimacy and Sexual Expression in Long-Term Care Facilities

Webinars

• Resources for Supporting Nursing Facility Residents with Mental and/or Behavioral Health Needs
• A Guide to Submitting Comments on the Proposed Minimum Staffing Rule
• Unpacking CMS's Proposed Minimum Staffing Standard
• Using the New Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nursing Home Affiliation Data
• The Role of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in Nursing Facility Closures
• Dignity for All: Increase Scrutiny of Nursing Home Finances
• Dignity for All: Resident Voices on How Staffing Impacts Their Lives
• Dignity for All: Quality Jobs, Quality Care
• Dignity for All: Staffing Standards Benefit Residents and Workers

Free At-Home COVID Tests Available

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order an additional 4 free at-⁠home tests beginning November 20. If you did not order tests this fall, you may place two orders for a total of 8 tests.  Your order of COVID tests is completely free – you won’t even pay for shipping.

Order online at covid.gov.  Order tests over the phone by calling: 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

Reminder: Mark Your Calendar for the 2024 Consumer Voice Conference

As we look forward to 2024, remember to save the date for the 2024 Consumer Voice Conference - September 23-26 at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, California.

Hotel Nikko is set in the heart of San Francisco, just steps from Union Square shops and restaurants. The Japanese-inspired luxury hotel (recently selected as a TripAdvisor "Travelers Choice Hotel" for 2023) features multiple on-site restaurants, a glass-enclosed swimming pool and 10,000 square foot fitness center, and rooftop terrace. September is the best time of year to explore everything San Francisco has to offer like the Golden Gate Bridge, iconic cable cars, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and so much more.

Stay tuned for more details - early in the new year, we'll be releasing the request for session proposals and more information on how to book your hotel room.  Can't wait to see you in San Francisco!