Public can now access ratings for the 15,800 nursing homes in the United States that participate in Medicare or Medicaid. Click here to read the full story on PHI's blog.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Casey Bill Designed to Improve the Lives of Older Citizens and Direct Care Workers
This information was provided to us by Ari Mittleman, Regional Field Representative of Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. It is provided to you for informational purposes only. The Lehigh Valley Direct Care Workers Association, Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley does not endorse any candidate or specific piece of legislation.
WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the Senate Aging Committee, introduced the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act (S.3732) to improve and increase person-centered long-term residential care and coordinated health care for older Americans. Senator Casey’s statement on the bill is attached.
“This is a bill I expect will play a significant role in the way we care for our older citizens in this country,” said Senator Casey. “I also hope and expect this bill to make an important contribution to the framing and substance of the landmark health care reform we anticipate in the coming year. The bill provides a dramatically different approach to long term residential care for older citizens than is offered by the traditional nursing home model.”
In July, Senator Casey chaired an Aging Committee hearing on the small house nursing home model.
The Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act would foster significant culture change in long term care for older citizens by providing favorable loan funding for entities that provide person-centered care within a “small house” nursing facility framework. Specifically, it would:
Create a low-interest loan fund for building new or renovating existing long term care facilities that follow articulated small house nursing home model guidelines;
Establish clear and specific program requirements and guidelines that build upon existing programs that have successfully implemented substantial culture change and person-centered care;
Create a home-like and non-institutional model of care for long term care residential facilities that is based upon the principles of: collaborative decision-making; respect; and significantly improved quality of life for residents and staff alike.
###
Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act. This is a bill I expect will play a significant role in the way we care for our older citizens in this country. I also hope and expect this bill to make an important contribution to the framing and substance of the landmark health care reform we anticipate in the coming year. Moreover, because our current economic problems are interwoven with out-of-control health care costs, this bill will contribute to a revitalization of our economy and the creation of new jobs. Finally, it will establish solid criteria for long term residential care that will not only improve the quality of life of older citizens, but save money through cost-effective, comprehensive and coordinated long term and health care.
This bill provides a dramatically different approach to long term residential care for older citizens than is offered by the traditional nursing home model.
The Promoting Small House Nursing Home Act incorporates the principles of person-centered care as a cornerstone of all aspects of long term residential care. What do we mean by person-centered care? The philosophy is simple: Our older citizens deserve to live lives of dignity and respect through all stages of life. About 10 years ago, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “Life can have quality and meaning even until the very last breath.” Our older citizens have a profound right to be decision-makers in their own care – to be at the center of their own care, with a partnership of family and providers. And our older citizens are critically important to the overall health and well being of our society. I quote a well known expert in person-centered care, Dr. Bill Thomas, who says, “People of all ages will live better lives when we succeed in bringing elders back to the heart of our society.”
My bill translates this profound philosophy into a specific policy prescription by doing the following:
Creating a low-interest loan fund for building new or renovating existing long term care facilities that follow articulated small house nursing home model guidelines;
Establishing clear and specific program requirements and guidelines that build upon existing programs that have successfully implemented substantial culture change and person-centered care;
Creating a home-like and non-institutional model of care for long term care residential facilities that is based upon the principles of: collaborative decision-making; respect; and significantly improved quality of life for residents and staff alike.
We currently have an estimated 38 million Americans over the age of 65, and that number is expected to double within the next twenty years. In the midst of this, health care costs are rising exponentially, the quality of outcomes is not consistent, and older citizens are often abandoned to navigate a confusing and complex health care system. Older citizens also report extremely low levels of satisfaction with life in nursing homes. This $122 billion industry includes 16,000 nursing homes and significant concerns persist about maltreatment and neglect of our older citizens in 20% of these homes. As I know from my work in state government, most nursing homes provide quality care but that 20% is what we hear most about. However, a recent survey by the AARP found that fewer than 1% of individuals over 50 with a disability want to move to a nursing home. There has to be a better way, and in fact there is.
Person-centered care provides that better way. It is a straightforward concept and yet it has taken years of hard work to get concrete initiatives underway. We have a long way to go and much to learn. But in order to succeed, we must pass legislation like the bill I have introduced today.
Traditional nursing facilities require residents’ lives to revolve around institutional schedules for waking, bathing and dressing. Traditional facilities far too often identify residents by their health conditions, vulnerabilities and room numbers rather than their unique strengths and gifts. Staff members are attracted to the field of direct care service because they want to help older citizens but they are just as ill-served by this institutionalized culture as are the residents. Workers are minimally trained, over-worked and carry patient loads that make it impossible to engage in any personal time with residents – in fact, such relationships are often discouraged. They have little or no say in decision-making, relegated – like the residents – to the fringes of a system that places the needs of the institution over those of the human beings in it.
In July of this year, I chaired a hearing for the Aging Committee that examined this small house nursing home model. One of our witnesses was a nursing assistant who previously worked for a traditional nursing home and now works in a small house nursing home in Pennsylvania. She recounted the difference, saying, ”Looking back on it, now, I realize that while we offered our residents excellent nursing care, that did not always translate into a high quality of life.” She described handling a wider range of duties now, yet having more time to spend with individual residents and really getting to know – and even love - them because the staffing is consistent and the turnover is almost non-existent. Another witness at our July hearing was the daughter of a woman who moved from a traditional nursing home to a small house nursing home. She summed up the dramatic change in her mother with this simple phrase, “Suddenly, life mattered again.”
Mr. President, it should be a given that “life matters” for every person. While every citizen has this fundamental right, our older citizens who have worked hard their whole lives truly deserve to enjoy their later years in homes that offer them comfort, respect and autonomy. I strongly believe the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act will make this possible and I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in supporting this effort in its own right as well as the significant role it can play in the larger issues of comprehensive health care reform and revitalizing our economy. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill, S. 3732, the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act, appear in the record with this statement and I yield the floor.
WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the Senate Aging Committee, introduced the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act (S.3732) to improve and increase person-centered long-term residential care and coordinated health care for older Americans. Senator Casey’s statement on the bill is attached.
“This is a bill I expect will play a significant role in the way we care for our older citizens in this country,” said Senator Casey. “I also hope and expect this bill to make an important contribution to the framing and substance of the landmark health care reform we anticipate in the coming year. The bill provides a dramatically different approach to long term residential care for older citizens than is offered by the traditional nursing home model.”
In July, Senator Casey chaired an Aging Committee hearing on the small house nursing home model.
The Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act would foster significant culture change in long term care for older citizens by providing favorable loan funding for entities that provide person-centered care within a “small house” nursing facility framework. Specifically, it would:
Create a low-interest loan fund for building new or renovating existing long term care facilities that follow articulated small house nursing home model guidelines;
Establish clear and specific program requirements and guidelines that build upon existing programs that have successfully implemented substantial culture change and person-centered care;
Create a home-like and non-institutional model of care for long term care residential facilities that is based upon the principles of: collaborative decision-making; respect; and significantly improved quality of life for residents and staff alike.
###
Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act. This is a bill I expect will play a significant role in the way we care for our older citizens in this country. I also hope and expect this bill to make an important contribution to the framing and substance of the landmark health care reform we anticipate in the coming year. Moreover, because our current economic problems are interwoven with out-of-control health care costs, this bill will contribute to a revitalization of our economy and the creation of new jobs. Finally, it will establish solid criteria for long term residential care that will not only improve the quality of life of older citizens, but save money through cost-effective, comprehensive and coordinated long term and health care.
This bill provides a dramatically different approach to long term residential care for older citizens than is offered by the traditional nursing home model.
The Promoting Small House Nursing Home Act incorporates the principles of person-centered care as a cornerstone of all aspects of long term residential care. What do we mean by person-centered care? The philosophy is simple: Our older citizens deserve to live lives of dignity and respect through all stages of life. About 10 years ago, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “Life can have quality and meaning even until the very last breath.” Our older citizens have a profound right to be decision-makers in their own care – to be at the center of their own care, with a partnership of family and providers. And our older citizens are critically important to the overall health and well being of our society. I quote a well known expert in person-centered care, Dr. Bill Thomas, who says, “People of all ages will live better lives when we succeed in bringing elders back to the heart of our society.”
My bill translates this profound philosophy into a specific policy prescription by doing the following:
Creating a low-interest loan fund for building new or renovating existing long term care facilities that follow articulated small house nursing home model guidelines;
Establishing clear and specific program requirements and guidelines that build upon existing programs that have successfully implemented substantial culture change and person-centered care;
Creating a home-like and non-institutional model of care for long term care residential facilities that is based upon the principles of: collaborative decision-making; respect; and significantly improved quality of life for residents and staff alike.
We currently have an estimated 38 million Americans over the age of 65, and that number is expected to double within the next twenty years. In the midst of this, health care costs are rising exponentially, the quality of outcomes is not consistent, and older citizens are often abandoned to navigate a confusing and complex health care system. Older citizens also report extremely low levels of satisfaction with life in nursing homes. This $122 billion industry includes 16,000 nursing homes and significant concerns persist about maltreatment and neglect of our older citizens in 20% of these homes. As I know from my work in state government, most nursing homes provide quality care but that 20% is what we hear most about. However, a recent survey by the AARP found that fewer than 1% of individuals over 50 with a disability want to move to a nursing home. There has to be a better way, and in fact there is.
Person-centered care provides that better way. It is a straightforward concept and yet it has taken years of hard work to get concrete initiatives underway. We have a long way to go and much to learn. But in order to succeed, we must pass legislation like the bill I have introduced today.
Traditional nursing facilities require residents’ lives to revolve around institutional schedules for waking, bathing and dressing. Traditional facilities far too often identify residents by their health conditions, vulnerabilities and room numbers rather than their unique strengths and gifts. Staff members are attracted to the field of direct care service because they want to help older citizens but they are just as ill-served by this institutionalized culture as are the residents. Workers are minimally trained, over-worked and carry patient loads that make it impossible to engage in any personal time with residents – in fact, such relationships are often discouraged. They have little or no say in decision-making, relegated – like the residents – to the fringes of a system that places the needs of the institution over those of the human beings in it.
In July of this year, I chaired a hearing for the Aging Committee that examined this small house nursing home model. One of our witnesses was a nursing assistant who previously worked for a traditional nursing home and now works in a small house nursing home in Pennsylvania. She recounted the difference, saying, ”Looking back on it, now, I realize that while we offered our residents excellent nursing care, that did not always translate into a high quality of life.” She described handling a wider range of duties now, yet having more time to spend with individual residents and really getting to know – and even love - them because the staffing is consistent and the turnover is almost non-existent. Another witness at our July hearing was the daughter of a woman who moved from a traditional nursing home to a small house nursing home. She summed up the dramatic change in her mother with this simple phrase, “Suddenly, life mattered again.”
Mr. President, it should be a given that “life matters” for every person. While every citizen has this fundamental right, our older citizens who have worked hard their whole lives truly deserve to enjoy their later years in homes that offer them comfort, respect and autonomy. I strongly believe the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act will make this possible and I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in supporting this effort in its own right as well as the significant role it can play in the larger issues of comprehensive health care reform and revitalizing our economy. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill, S. 3732, the Promoting Small House Nursing Homes Act, appear in the record with this statement and I yield the floor.
Monday, December 15, 2008
100 POSTS and Giving Legislators What They Want!
Wow. This post is our 100th entry! I hope that we will continue to bring you the latest information, tips and strategies, stories that touch your heart and many more posts in the years to come!
Here is just one more wonderful story from the Direct Care Alliance, Inc.'s blog (the national Direct Care Workers Association!) It was written by Brenda Nachtway. If you attended our conferences last year, you may remember her. She runs the PA State Direct Care Workers Association.
Here is just one more wonderful story from the Direct Care Alliance, Inc.'s blog (the national Direct Care Workers Association!) It was written by Brenda Nachtway. If you attended our conferences last year, you may remember her. She runs the PA State Direct Care Workers Association.
(Brenda and Casey)
Last month, I drove to Washington, D.C., to talk to legislators and their staff about what direct care workers want.
It wasn’t the first time I’ve gotten up close and personal with politicians. In 2007, I organized a direct care worker forum for U.S. Senator Robert Casey. Senator Casey came to the hospital where I work (I’m a hospice aide). He spoke to the direct care workers who showed up to see him, but I think what he liked best was the chance he got to listen and learn. He really seemed interested what the workers had to say in the Q and A after his speech, and he asked me a lot of questions about my job and what could help me do it better.
So it wasn’t exactly news to me to learn, last month, that legislators want to hear from direct care workers. But hearing it so many times – it must have been repeated at least five times during that two-day visit – really drove home the message.
I went to the Capitol with Direct Care Alliance Executive Director Leonila Vega and DCA National Policy Advocate Roy Gedat. They set up the meetings and did most of the talking, since this was mostly a learning experience for me.
The main thing I learned was: When you talk to a legislator, be yourself – but be prepared.
We talked to legislative staff from several states, including Ann Montgomery of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, who was very interested in hearing about the DCA. We also met with a representative of a women’s group.
We also visited Senator Casey. His aide, Morna Murray, told me: “I want you to know, Brenda, that the senator, when he hears your name, can’t stop talking about the day he spend walking in your shoes and how over 100 workers came to hear him from all over the commonwealth. It was really an eye-opening day.” That was pretty thrilling.
Everyone we met with said: “We want to get to know direct care workers. We want to know what their issues are. The only way we’re going to hit this nail in the head when we try to address these issues in our legislation is if we hear from direct-care workers.”
When I came home, I thought about that and called two of my local representatives. I’ll be meeting with U.S. Senator Arlen Specter this Tuesday at the capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The following week, I’ll be meeting with Congressman Chris Carney’s staff member. When they heard that I was a direct care worker, they said, “We’re so excited about meeting somebody who’s actually doing the job."
But I can’t do this alone – and I don’t want to. There are so many congressmen and local legislators throughout the Commonwealth alone, not to mention in the rest of the country. If you’re a direct care worker who wants to improve your job, you need to go out and talk to your local representatives, your congressmen and senators and their staff.
Your local representatives probably don’t have much of a staff, but when you’re trying to reach a U.S. Senator it’s best to start with their staff. They’re the ones who do most of the research and work. They’re a lot easier to reach, too.
Once you get your meeting, tell them a little about yourself. If you’re part of an association that advocates for direct care workers, tell them a little about your group. Then talk about what you see and experience on the job every day. Tell them what would help you deliver better care.
If there’s a bill pending in your state that would help direct care workers, know the name of it and what it’s about so you can urge your representative to support it. And leave something behind that explains who direct care workers are and what we need. On our trip to DC last month, we left behind a handout about the DCA. I also brought evaluation forms from the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association, since they had answers to a question we asked about what issues the association should address. The workers listed all the usual issues: better wages, staffing ratios, health insurance, training, respect for the job we do, being able to move up in position, teaching supervisors how to empower direct care workers.
If you want some help in setting up a meeting with a legislator, or if you just want some moral support, get in touch. I’d love to talk to you about it.
Brenda Nachtway
Direct Care Worker Specialist, Direct Care Alliance
brendanachtway@gmail.com
It wasn’t the first time I’ve gotten up close and personal with politicians. In 2007, I organized a direct care worker forum for U.S. Senator Robert Casey. Senator Casey came to the hospital where I work (I’m a hospice aide). He spoke to the direct care workers who showed up to see him, but I think what he liked best was the chance he got to listen and learn. He really seemed interested what the workers had to say in the Q and A after his speech, and he asked me a lot of questions about my job and what could help me do it better.
So it wasn’t exactly news to me to learn, last month, that legislators want to hear from direct care workers. But hearing it so many times – it must have been repeated at least five times during that two-day visit – really drove home the message.
I went to the Capitol with Direct Care Alliance Executive Director Leonila Vega and DCA National Policy Advocate Roy Gedat. They set up the meetings and did most of the talking, since this was mostly a learning experience for me.
The main thing I learned was: When you talk to a legislator, be yourself – but be prepared.
We talked to legislative staff from several states, including Ann Montgomery of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, who was very interested in hearing about the DCA. We also met with a representative of a women’s group.
We also visited Senator Casey. His aide, Morna Murray, told me: “I want you to know, Brenda, that the senator, when he hears your name, can’t stop talking about the day he spend walking in your shoes and how over 100 workers came to hear him from all over the commonwealth. It was really an eye-opening day.” That was pretty thrilling.
Everyone we met with said: “We want to get to know direct care workers. We want to know what their issues are. The only way we’re going to hit this nail in the head when we try to address these issues in our legislation is if we hear from direct-care workers.”
When I came home, I thought about that and called two of my local representatives. I’ll be meeting with U.S. Senator Arlen Specter this Tuesday at the capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The following week, I’ll be meeting with Congressman Chris Carney’s staff member. When they heard that I was a direct care worker, they said, “We’re so excited about meeting somebody who’s actually doing the job."
But I can’t do this alone – and I don’t want to. There are so many congressmen and local legislators throughout the Commonwealth alone, not to mention in the rest of the country. If you’re a direct care worker who wants to improve your job, you need to go out and talk to your local representatives, your congressmen and senators and their staff.
Your local representatives probably don’t have much of a staff, but when you’re trying to reach a U.S. Senator it’s best to start with their staff. They’re the ones who do most of the research and work. They’re a lot easier to reach, too.
Once you get your meeting, tell them a little about yourself. If you’re part of an association that advocates for direct care workers, tell them a little about your group. Then talk about what you see and experience on the job every day. Tell them what would help you deliver better care.
If there’s a bill pending in your state that would help direct care workers, know the name of it and what it’s about so you can urge your representative to support it. And leave something behind that explains who direct care workers are and what we need. On our trip to DC last month, we left behind a handout about the DCA. I also brought evaluation forms from the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association, since they had answers to a question we asked about what issues the association should address. The workers listed all the usual issues: better wages, staffing ratios, health insurance, training, respect for the job we do, being able to move up in position, teaching supervisors how to empower direct care workers.
If you want some help in setting up a meeting with a legislator, or if you just want some moral support, get in touch. I’d love to talk to you about it.
Brenda Nachtway
Direct Care Worker Specialist, Direct Care Alliance
brendanachtway@gmail.com
Friday, December 12, 2008
Doing Heartwork -- The Story of Terrell Cannon
They call it “heartwork,” because “if you don’t do it from the heart, it makes it hard to do,” Terrell Cannon recently told a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist about the job of a direct-care worker.
Cannon was featured in a recent column called “While helping others, investing in themselves,” which examines the work of Home Care Associates, an employee-owned cooperative and affiliate of PHI located in Philadelphia.
Cannon worked her way up to director of training after a welfare caseworker referred her to HCA in 1993, when, as metro columnist Annette John-Hall writes, Cannon was “pregnant, unemployed, and angry.”
In the following clip from HeartWork, an original theater piece performed by women who work as home health aides and certified nurse aides, Cannon performs a dramatic monologue recounting her journey from a troubled youth to a rewarding career in home health care
Many thanks to PHI for this inspiring story. Read the full article here.
Cannon was featured in a recent column called “While helping others, investing in themselves,” which examines the work of Home Care Associates, an employee-owned cooperative and affiliate of PHI located in Philadelphia.
Cannon worked her way up to director of training after a welfare caseworker referred her to HCA in 1993, when, as metro columnist Annette John-Hall writes, Cannon was “pregnant, unemployed, and angry.”
In the following clip from HeartWork, an original theater piece performed by women who work as home health aides and certified nurse aides, Cannon performs a dramatic monologue recounting her journey from a troubled youth to a rewarding career in home health care
Many thanks to PHI for this inspiring story. Read the full article here.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform
The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform, published last month by the Center for American Progress and the Institute on Medicine as a Profession, identifies key characteristics of a high-performing health system.
Specifically, the 124-page book lays out a vision for restructuring the organization, quality, and financing of the health care system, proposing policies for the next administration and Congress to enact over the next five years.
Click here to read PHI's full report on the story.
Specifically, the 124-page book lays out a vision for restructuring the organization, quality, and financing of the health care system, proposing policies for the next administration and Congress to enact over the next five years.
Click here to read PHI's full report on the story.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
PA Direct Care Workers Quarterly Meeting
Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Quarterly Meeting
New meeting place- across from Radisson!
Pa. Home Care Association
20 Erford Rd
Lemoyne, Pa. 17043 1-800-382-1211
New meeting place- across from Radisson!
Pa. Home Care Association
20 Erford Rd
Lemoyne, Pa. 17043 1-800-382-1211
JANUARY 8th, 2009
AGENDA
9a.m.-10:30 a.m.- Editorial and Conference Meeting (please note new time)
11:30a.m.- prepare our lunch (bring something to share, contact Brenda with what you will bring) a little social time for ourselves!
12p.m.-working lunch
12:15 p.m.- check in by all – Brenda
12:30 p.m.- Agenda review and review of 09 meeting dates-Pat
12:45 p.m. – Reports on Capitol visits- Connie and Tonya
1:00 p.m. – Joe Angelelli- “Opportunity for Adult Learner-Centered Training Skill Development.”
1:30 p.m.- Conference planning updates and regional reports
2:00 p.m.- Webinar with DCA
3:15 p.m.- Conference committee leave for Country Club of Harrisburg to check out site for 09 conference-DIRECT CARE WORKER’S!!!! Spring into action for a Better Tomorrow…
Any questions please feel free to contact Brenda Nachtway at 570-412-1446
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
JOIN US TODAY!
We are currently preparing to print 2009 Membership Cards for the Lehigh Valley Direct Care Workers Association. Consider joining today to receive these benefits:
· Access to our free monthly meetings (with cookies and coffee!)
· Access to this blog!
· Ability to participate in local trainings to learn new skills that can help you provide better care to your clients and gain promotions in your workplace.
· Ability to ask your questions to a seasoned direct care worker and have your questions answered
· Voice your opinions on a local, state and national level about issues facing direct care workers
· Meet and share ideas with other direct care workers from various facilities and organizations.
· Membership looks great on a resume!
· Discuss helpful ways to communicate skills, resolve conflicts and work as a team.
· Stay current on the latest public policy issues
There is absolutely no fee to join the Lehigh Valley Chapter (and it looks great on a resume).
To join, simply email Cori Rolón at corir@unitedwayglv.org with the following information:- Your name- Your employer- Your home or work address- Your phone number- Your email address
It is that simple!
· Access to our free monthly meetings (with cookies and coffee!)
· Access to this blog!
· Ability to participate in local trainings to learn new skills that can help you provide better care to your clients and gain promotions in your workplace.
· Ability to ask your questions to a seasoned direct care worker and have your questions answered
· Voice your opinions on a local, state and national level about issues facing direct care workers
· Meet and share ideas with other direct care workers from various facilities and organizations.
· Membership looks great on a resume!
· Discuss helpful ways to communicate skills, resolve conflicts and work as a team.
· Stay current on the latest public policy issues
There is absolutely no fee to join the Lehigh Valley Chapter (and it looks great on a resume).
To join, simply email Cori Rolón at corir@unitedwayglv.org with the following information:- Your name- Your employer- Your home or work address- Your phone number- Your email address
It is that simple!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Growing Your Staff
Are you having trouble recruiting and maintaining adequate staff? Click here to check out an article from PHI!
This article reports on several nursing homes' efforts to address the nursing and direct-care workforce shortages. The report discusses common causes of turnover and outlines initiatives that facilities have employed to address it. Programs include creating an in-house school of nursing, developing lines of communication between staff and management, increasing staff to patient ratios, providing career ladders for certified nursing assistants and licensed vocational nurses, making changes to the workplace culture, and addressing low wages.
This article reports on several nursing homes' efforts to address the nursing and direct-care workforce shortages. The report discusses common causes of turnover and outlines initiatives that facilities have employed to address it. Programs include creating an in-house school of nursing, developing lines of communication between staff and management, increasing staff to patient ratios, providing career ladders for certified nursing assistants and licensed vocational nurses, making changes to the workplace culture, and addressing low wages.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Arden Courts Holiday Networking Mixer
JOIN THE FOLKS AT ARDEN COURTS FOR SOME HOLIDAY FUN!! NEXT WEDNESDAY!
Lehigh Valley Aging In Place Coalition Holiday Networking Mixer
Arden Courts Alzheimer’s Assisted Living
5151 Hamilton Blvd.
Allentown, Pa 18106
Bring a Friend or two or twenty to share what Lehigh Valley Aging in Place Coalition has to offer.
PLEASE RSVP TO:
Karen Francis @ 610-366-9010 or email 366mktg@hcr-manorcaqre.com
SEE YOU THERE!!!
Lehigh Valley Aging In Place Coalition Holiday Networking Mixer
Arden Courts Alzheimer’s Assisted Living
5151 Hamilton Blvd.
Allentown, Pa 18106
Bring a Friend or two or twenty to share what Lehigh Valley Aging in Place Coalition has to offer.
PLEASE RSVP TO:
Karen Francis @ 610-366-9010 or email 366mktg@hcr-manorcaqre.com
SEE YOU THERE!!!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Struggling Seniors
CALL FOR STORIES: Elders Struggling to Make Ends Meet
Do you work with seniors who are having trouble making ends meet?
Do you know of elders who are skipping meals or splitting medications to conserve them?
Do you come in contact with adult children struggling financially because of their care giving responsibilities to an aging parent?
If so, please help Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) collect their stories. These stories will be featured on the WOW website along with other seniors, baby boomers and family caregivers who are struggling to get by. These profiles will help support efforts to raise awareness and promote policy and program change to assure the economic well-being of elders and their families. Help WOW educate policy makers and the media about how difficult it is for seniors in our communities to afford nutritious food, prescription medications and utilities in today’s economy!
Contact Stacy Sanders at ssanders@wowonline.org or (202) 464-1596 to find out more.
THANK YOU!
Do you work with seniors who are having trouble making ends meet?
Do you know of elders who are skipping meals or splitting medications to conserve them?
Do you come in contact with adult children struggling financially because of their care giving responsibilities to an aging parent?
If so, please help Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) collect their stories. These stories will be featured on the WOW website along with other seniors, baby boomers and family caregivers who are struggling to get by. These profiles will help support efforts to raise awareness and promote policy and program change to assure the economic well-being of elders and their families. Help WOW educate policy makers and the media about how difficult it is for seniors in our communities to afford nutritious food, prescription medications and utilities in today’s economy!
Contact Stacy Sanders at ssanders@wowonline.org or (202) 464-1596 to find out more.
THANK YOU!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Focus on Energy
State Senator Pat Browne
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
PPL Corporation
Safe Kids Coalition
Present
“Focus on Energy”
FREE Lunch & Learn Session
Thursday December 4, 2008
11:00am—2:00pm
The Caring Place
931 Hamilton Street ~ Allentown
· Learn ways to save and conserve on your energy bills.
· Information on customer assistance programs to help you pay your home
heating bills.
· Enrollment information for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
· Important fire prevention and safety tips.
For more information and to reserve your seat, call
Senator Browne’s Allentown office
(610) 821-8468.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
PPL Corporation
Safe Kids Coalition
Present
“Focus on Energy”
FREE Lunch & Learn Session
Thursday December 4, 2008
11:00am—2:00pm
The Caring Place
931 Hamilton Street ~ Allentown
· Learn ways to save and conserve on your energy bills.
· Information on customer assistance programs to help you pay your home
heating bills.
· Enrollment information for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
· Important fire prevention and safety tips.
For more information and to reserve your seat, call
Senator Browne’s Allentown office
(610) 821-8468.
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