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July 28, 2020
In this Issue:
- Webinar Friday - COVID-19: Advocating for Nursing Home Residents
- Facebook Live on Staying Connected from a Distance to People Living with Dementia in Long-Term Care
- Senate Republicans Introduce New COVID-19 Economic Relief Package
- House Ways and Means Committee Report on Antipsychotic Drug Epidemic in Nursing Homes
- Final Webinar on Wednesday in NORC's Series on COVID-19 and Ombudsman Programs: Understanding Trauma
- 2020 is the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Resident's Voice Challenge: Postcard Artwork Contest
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Webinar Friday - COVID-19: Advocating for Nursing Home Residents
Join us for another webinar in our series with Center for Medicare Advocacy, Long Term Care Community Coalition & Justice in Aging on COVID-19: Advocating for Nursing Home Residents. The landscape of COVID-19 response in nursing homes continues to evolve rapidly at the federal and state levels. The webinar series reviews the latest updates, issuances from CMS, legislation, and strategies for advocates and families. Join us this Friday, July 31st at 2:00pm ET.
Register »
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Facebook Live on Staying Connected from a Distance to People Living with Dementia in Long-Term Care
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in families unable to visit their loved ones living in long-term care facilities. For many residents and families, particularly some living with dementia, virtual forms of communication, such as video conferencing or phone calls have not been successful. How can families successfully communicate with their loved ones with dementia from a distance? How can staff be better equipped to understand the needs of the individual to provide better care, particularly as efforts are being made to stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep residents and staff safe?
Join us for a discussion with Kim Grier, a leading voice in the field of dementia care and managing director of Grier Dementia Training, on Thursday, July 30th at 3pm ET on Facebook Live. We will address these questions and other issues for staying connected from a distance with people living with dementia in long-term care facilities.
Watch on Facebook Live! - Visit our Facebook page - facebook.com/theconsumervoice - at 3pm ET on July 30 to watch the discussion from there! Let us know you'll be watching - RSVP to the discussion on Facebook and share with your family members and friends!
Don't have a Facebook? Register and watch the discussion on Zoom!
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Senate Republicans Introduce New COVID-19 Economic Relief Package
Senate Republicans have introduced the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act, the latest coronavirus economic relief package. The bill includes several separate sections including (but not limited to):
The Senate also introduced a bill, ‘‘Safeguarding America’s Frontline Employees To Offer Work Opportunities Required to Kickstart the Economy Act’’or the ‘‘SAFE TO WORK Act’’(S.4317) related to immunity for businesses, including nursing homes.
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House Ways and Means Committee Report on Antipsychotic Drug Epidemic in Nursing Homes
The House Ways and Means Committee Democratic staff have released a new report - "Under-Enforced and Over-Prescribed: The Antipsychotic Drug Epidemic Ravaging America’s Nursing Homes." The report shows how many facilities resort to the use of these potentially dangerous drugs in lieu of proper staffing and underscores the urgent need for robust oversight of the nursing home industry and improved deployment of existing tools to prevent such harm in the first place. The report also highlights how the Trump Administration has under-utilized the oversight tools at its disposal despite the Food and Drug Administration issuing a black box warning against the use of antipsychotics for elderly patients with dementia. An article from NPR provided an overview of the report. Read the report »
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Final Webinar on Wednesday in NORC's Series on COVID-19 and Ombudsman Program: Understanding Trauma
Join the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) for the final webinar in the four-part series - COVID-19 and Ombudsman Programs: Understanding How Trauma Impacts You, Residents and Your Advocacy. The webinar series highlighted important themes related to trauma-informed care, person-centered care, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. The next webinar on Wednesday, July 29, 3 - 4:30 ET titled, Understanding and Coping with Grief During COVID-19 will discuss grief and provide a brief recap of the entire series. Register »
Find materials on NORC's website from past webinars addressing trauma-informed, person-centered care; compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma; and anxiety related to COVID-19.
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2020 is the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
This year, we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Administration for Community Living Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging Lance Robertson made a statement on the milestone: "This sweeping law prohibits discrimination by local and state governments, provides standards for privately owned businesses and commercial facilities, protects against discrimination in the workplace, and ensures equal access to healthcare, social services, transportation, and telecommunications... With the access guaranteed by the ADA, millions of children with disabilities have grown up with more opportunities and higher expectations, and many more Americans have grown older with more resources and opportunities to live independently, participate in their communities and contribute in countless ways." ACL and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights (OCR) have created a new website that tells the story of how the ADA came to be. Join ACL and OCR on Thursday, July 30th at 12pm ET for a virtual celebration of the anniversary.
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Resident's Voice Challenge: Postcard Artwork Contest
The Resident’s Voice Challenge is an opportunity for long-term care consumers to respond to and reflect on this year’s Residents' Rights Month theme, Connection Matters.
Postcard Artwork Contest
This year, we'll be selecting some resident artwork to be featured on a series of postcards. We're looking for artwork in the form of drawings, paintings, or sketches. The artwork can include anything that reflects why connections matter to you. Postcards featuring selected resident artwork will be available in the Consumer Voice online store as a way to stay connected while visiting is difficult.
Additional Ways to Participate in the Resident's Voice Challenge
Residents can respond via essays, poems, videos, or photos to one or more of the following questions:
- How do you stay connected and engaged with members of your community?
- Why does connection matter? What does connection mean to you?
- What are new ways that connection and communication has been maintained during the pandemic? It could be connections with family and friends, members of the larger community, or connections within the facility, such as with other residents and staff.
- What are the challenges to staying connected and how can they be overcome? What resources or supports are needed?
Sending Submissions
Email submissions to: info@theconsumervoice.org
Or mail submissions to:
Consumer Voice
Attn: Resident's Voice Entry
1001 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 632
Washington, DC 20036
Submissions are due September 1, 2020.
Find more details about the Resident's Voice Challenge.
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