This month marks the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s announcement of historic nursing home reforms. Creating a minimum staffing standard, which would be the most significant increase in protections for nursing home residents in decades, was central to his plan. Since his announcement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has embarked on a Read More
From the now retired, Resident Councils of Washington” “The goal of this project is simple and singular: To create opportunities for resident of long-term care facilities and homes to make and execute meaningful decisions. A resident council is one way to create decision-making opportunities for residents. We hope this books helps you think about and Read More
“We rely on trained volunteers who visit residents inside long-term care facilities. Volunteers are the eyes and ears, assessing how residents are doing. We flag incidents of poor quality of care and violations of residents’ rights, resolve complaints, and serve as a voice for residents who too often just don’t have one. Volunteers help residents with Read More
By: Sequim resident Claudia Murray has 30 years of volunteering as an area long term care ombudsman at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities across Clallam and Jefferson counties. November 30, 2022. “As we approach the holiday season — nearly three years into this global pandemic — I am reflecting on my role as Read More
From the Washington Post’s Christopher Rowland, “Critics say the details of Sira’s suffering add to decades of accumulated evidence that residents suffer more complications, such as bed sores and falls, in nursing homes with inadequate numbers of front-line nurses and nursing assistants. Now, after years of debate and industry resistance, the Biden administration has set Read More
Twenty-seven years ago, the state legislature extended the federal rights of nursing home residents to the residents of all long-term care settings in Washington—including the right to appeal an involuntary transfer or discharge through an administrative hearing. However, the Department of Social and Health Services (the Department) has never amended its rules to provide this Read More
You and your family members might have considered installing a surveillance camera in your room to help determine that you are receiving appropriate care and being treated with dignity and respect, or to be a deterrent to abuse. Surveillance cameras can record video only, audio only, or both video and audio. While surveillance cameras and Read More
Long-Term Care Residents Honored During Residents’ Rights Month, October 2022 Across the country, residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities along with family members, ombudsmen, citizen advocates, facility staff and others will honor the individual rights of long-term care residents by celebrating Residents’ Rights Month in October. Designated by the National Consumer Voice Read More
“After Bob Kyte retired from his long career as a business executive, he wanted to volunteer somewhere where he could help people. That was about three years ago. Now, the 68-year-old Vancouver resident volunteers some 25 hours a month for the Southwest Washington Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, where he advocates on behalf of Read More
Your local Long-Term Care Ombudsman can help support you if you are a victim of crime. We can guide you through the available resources, including those found both in the Advocacy Resource Map, and VOCA Contacts below. We will also provide follow-up advocacy to ensure that you receive the services that you are entitled. You Read More