Contents
for Spring 2000 “On Guard” Newsletter
FRIA Takes Their Families on the Road
for the Best Practices Project
Families and Nursing Home Find Common Ground in Improving Communication:
A Family Council Success Story
Advocates Push DOH To Take Action
Family Councils Find Success in Advocacy
FRIA Families in the News
FRIA Takes Their
Families on the Road for the Best Practices Project
Coming this Spring and
Summer FRIA will be training and educating families about some
of the exciting programs that we discovered in our national research
of Best Practices. Our diverse national advisory board of experts
assisted us in setting criteria to select only practices that
will truly enhance the quality of care and life of residents,
and that are feasible within the constraints of a typical New
York City nursing home. Together with this board, FRIA feels
that we have come up with a very exciting list of programs that
families can advocate for in their nursing homes.
Some of the best practices
include:
- daily community meetings for residents, staff and guests with
songs and discussion in a ritual that fosters social connection,
especially for residents with dementia;
- flexible meal times, finger snacks and juices always available
in order to improve nutrition;
- bathing techniques designed to calm residents with Alzheimer’s
Disease and allay their fears;
- special daily programming for residents with dementia or bed
bound residents.
Along with providing training
and support to people interested in advocating for these innovations,
we will also bring families to some of the nursing homes in the
greater New York City Metropolitan area to observe some of the
practices in action.
If you are interested in
participating in this project and think your nursing home would
be a good site for the adoption of some of these innovative ideas
give Cris Parque a call at 212-732-5667.
The Best Practices
Project is funded by the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
Families and Nursing
Home Find Common Ground in Improving Communication: A Family Council
Success Story
Families at Amsterdam Nursing
Home in Manhattan scored a victory when the administration revoked
its new policy that required families who hired private companions
to employ them through a designated outside homecare agency.
Nursing homes paid through
Medicaid must offer high quality care; families shouldn’t have
to pay for extras. But families sometimes opt to pay for extra
help or to ensure social conversation and connections. Although
they shouldn’t have to, if families want to pay for extra care,
they have a right to choose and oversee employees themselves.
After FRIA learned about
Amsterdam’s new policy through the hotline, it worked with the
home’s family council. At a special meeting, members realized
that families had received inconsistent information. They agreed
to send a letter demanding a moratorium until all families understood
the policy change. They also asked for a meeting to discuss better
communications between administration and families.
Success! The policy was
rescinded. Families may use the outside agency but are not forced
to use it. With administration cooperating, they look forward
to improved communication.
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Advocates
Push DOH To Take Action
FRIA is pleased to
see evidence of a recent turnaround in enforcement activity
by the New York State Department of Health. In several recent
inspection surveys, the State found serious violations and
mandated efforts to address problems like an unacceptable
level of pressure sores in a facility. In two facilities,
a previously unsustained FRIA complaint made on behalf of
a hotline caller was reversed and the home was cited for
a deficiency.
With the Nursing
Home Community Coalition and other advocates, FRIA brought
specific cases and problems to the federal Health Care Financing
Administration, which oversees state enforcement of federal
requirements. HCFA interest brought results.
We must continue
to put pressure on the DOH to carry out good enforcement.
Have you made serious complaints to the Department of Health
that were not sustained? Call FRIA’s hotline at 212-732-4455
to discuss your options with a counselor. |
Family Councils
Find Success in Advocacy
There are many things Family
Councils can work on at their facilities. Below are some of the
successes some councils have had in negotiating with administrators.
Family Councils:
- convinced a home to replace an interim Director of Nursing
with a permanent one.
- got bathing schedules of residents increased from once to
at least twice a week.
- persuaded one administrator to hire part-time evening activity
staff and another to add staff monitoring the day room after
documenting a pattern of injuries there
- were instrumental in limiting the assignment of temporary
or fill-in nurses' aides to a few consistent floors. This allows
the aide to be a familiar face to the residents and in turn
to know more about the needs of each resident.
For information on how
Family Councils were able to achieve the above successes contact
the new Family Council Director, Carlotta Jordan at (212) 732-5667
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FRIA
Families in the News
A number of FRIA’s
members recently served as spokespeople on nursing home
and other long-term care issues for various media spots.
Here’s where they were found:
- An article on understaffing in nursing homes for New
York Newsday;
- A New York Times article on assisted living (FRIA’s
Jean Murphy was also quoted);
- A “Grey Matters” Newsday column on caregiving and family
councils;
- The cable television station Bravo interviewed FRIA
families for an upcoming documentary on nursing home neglect;
- Articles on family councils for a New Jersey and Maryland
newspaper.
We thank you for
being willing to use your voice to speak on behalf of residents
and families on these very important issues. |
