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Ombudsman and Citizen Advocacy in Assisted Living

Thursday, March 18th 3pm ET/12pm PT

Long-term care ombudsmen and citizen advocates are increasingly working with consumers receiving services in assisted living settings.  Some have been working in this area for many years, others are just beginning to venture into this arena.  Regardless of an advocate’s experience in assisted living, they will find that the skills and knowledge they have gained in the nursing home arena can be applied to successful individual and systemic advocacy in assisted living.  At the same time, however, there are features of assisted living that pose special challenges for advocates and call for different strategies.

During this webinar, we will look at commonalties and differences between advocacy in assisted living and nursing homes and will present a range of strategies for assisted living work.  Lori Smetanka, Director of the National LTC Ombudsman Resource Center, will lead the discussion with ombudsmen and citizen advocates around issues including care or service planning, promoting residents’ rights, resident autonomy/choice, transfer/discharge, staffing, resident agreements/contracts, and disclosure.  We will also discuss some ethical issues that arise in assisted living and how ombudsman programs can develop internal program guidance for addressing them. 

Title:

 

Ombudsman and Citizen Advocacy in Assisted Living

Date:

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Time:

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM PDT / 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

Webinar: "What's so special about special care" Webinar: LGBT Older Adults in Assisted Living --Issues & Advocacy Florida Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Have Relaxed Assisted Living Enforcement Standards ALCA Submits Comments to CMS on Standards for Medicaid-Funded Assisted Living

Priorities

ALCA's major areas of focus include:
  • Developing a definition of "assisted living" that adequately informs consumers and others as to the type of care that can be provided, while allowing for appropriate variations from one assisted facility to another;
  • Advocating for laws, regulations and practices that advance both resident choice and strong consumer protections;
  • Developing high, universal standards relating to services, staffing, residents' rights, and other important aspects of assisted living care;
  • Ensuring strong enforcement and oversight systems on federal and state levels to protect consumers and assure quality;
  • Promoting affordable and accessible assisted living, including equal treatment of those consumers receiving financial assistance from Medicaid or other public programs; and
  • Protecting consumers' civil liberties, including freedom from discrimination based on real or perceived disability, race or sexual orientation.
 
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