September 10, 2007
A
REMINDER:
THE
SEPT. 16 SEMINAR IN NO. KY. IS CANCELLED
Because of circumstances beyond
our control, we have had to cancel our nursing home reform seminar at
the Lakeside Christian Church in the Covington area scheduled for Sunday
Sept. 16. We hope we will not inconvenience anyone by this last-minute
cancellation.
TRACKING THE CANDIDATES
Gov. Ernie Fletcher – At
a conference in Lexington, Republican candidate for governor, Ernie
Fletcher announced his “vision for improving services to Kentucky
seniors.” Most of the speech was centered on how, if elected, he would
help seniors grow old in their own homes and communities. The speech
also was notable for not having one single word on how the governor
would improve the quality of care in nursing homes. It is a well-know
fact that Gov. Fletcher is heavily backed financially by the nursing
home industry, and so during his administration, and so far in his
re-election campaign, he has avoided any mention of how he would improve
the care for those people who must, for some reason, live out
their lives in nursing homes.
Steve Beshear -- The
Democratic candidate for governor already is on record as supporting
legislation that would establish minimum staffing standards for all
nursing homes in the state. We also are getting indicators that Mr.
Beshear will announce soon other things he will do, if elected, to
improve nursing home care.
Stay tuned.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Catch up with the candidates as they more and more hit the campaign
trail all across the state. Go to a rally or wherever the candidates
are speaking. Sure, it will put you a little out of your way, but you
will be doing a good job in lobbying for the needs of the more than
23,000 “Forgotten Kentuckians” in nursing homes. After the candidates’
speeches (don’t be afraid), ask them if they support minimum staffing
standards for nursing homes, and what else they would do to improve the
quality of care in nursing homes. Let us know what they say….. As
most readers of this newsletter know from personal experience, many
lawmakers do not have any idea of what is going on in nursing homes
relative to the poor care residents receive. Our suggestion: TELL THEM
FROM YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE!
MARK
YOUR CALENDAR
Sunday Oct. 28 -- Lexington
Hear the top man at one of the
nation’s top law firms. His name is Jim Wilkes and his firm, Wilkes &
McHugh, has represented thousands of people against nursing homes. He
comes to our Sunday seminar Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. at Sal’s Chop House in the
Lansdowne Shopping Center in Lexington. His subject: “Warehousing the
Elderly… A Failed Experiment.” You don’t want to miss this one.
Sunday Nov. 11 -- Louisville
Another exciting Sunday seminar
in Louisville. This one will be at the Beargrass Christian Church again
at 2 p.m. Its focus will be on national and state legislation on
nursing home reform. Key speaker, Third District Congressman John
Yarmuth, and hopefully some key state lawmakers.
Friday Nov. 16 -- Lexington
A must-attend meeting for anyone
interested in nursing home reform is coming up Nov. 16 in Lexington. It
is the “Conference for Healthcare Transparency & Patient Advocacy.”
Sponsored by Health Watch USA and Kentucky Watch, it is the brainchild
of Dr. Kevin Kavanagh of Somerset. It is designed “to empower attendees
to be an effective patient advocate….” For more information, go to the
conference Web site by clicking
here. Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform is one of the
co-sponsors of the conference.
FIRST
EVER – ALMOST….
Most of the stakeholders in
long-term care statewide will meet in Frankfort on Sept. 14 for the
purpose of working together on issues facing all of them. This is the
first-ever meeting of its kind recently -- although advocates for
nursing home reform had two meetings of all stakeholders in Lexington
some years ago. This meeting is the brainchild of the new commissioner
of the new state Department of Aging and Independent Living, Deborah
Anderson. Kentuckians For Nursing Home Reform will send a number of
“delegates” to the meeting. Stay tuned for results.
SHORT
STUFF
-
A Connecticut congressman has introduced a bill that would give the nursing home industry $550 million in loans and “hardship” grants to ensure that every nursing home in America is equipped with automatic fire sprinkler systems in the next five years. Latest records available show that there are 15 nursing homes in Kentucky that are either not sprinkled at all or are only partially sprinkled. A new law that Rep. Susan Westrom, D-Lexington, got passed in the 2007 session of the legislature mandates that these facilities must tell prospective residents about their lack of sprinkling safeguards in writing before admittance. If you want to know if a nursing home has a sprinkling system, click here, and find the nursing home on the Nursing Home Compare Web site.
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In response to questions and suggestions on a proposed new regulation on assisted living facilities, the state says it will “explore the possibility” of releasing results of inspections to the media and public. Also to be considered, mandatory random drug testing of employees and the establishment of fines for violations of regulations. The new reg in general mostly deals with procedural matters. A public hearing has been held on the new reg and it now heads for legislative review.
-
Want to keep a constant watch on your loved one in a nursing home. Some people are installing a “nanny’cam” in the rooms of their friends and relatives. We asked the state if this can be done in Kentucky. “It is not ‘illegal,’ but a facility could conceivably address or curtail in an admission agreement as it is not specifically identified as a ‘right,’” says Steven D. Davis, the inspector general in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. “I think in most cases it would not be a problem,” he added.
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The state will start moving nursing home residents to home and community based living by the first of the year. This is part of a five-year, nearly $50 million, grant the state received from the federal government and is part of a program that is starting all over the nation. State officials estimate that by 2011 they will have moved more than 300 nursing home residents back to some kind of community living. The people volunteering for the move, which the state pays for, must be Medicaid eligible and living in a nursing home for six months or more.
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In the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services: Shawn Crouch has succeeded retiring Glenn Jennings as commissioner of Medicaid services….. and Rob Edwards has succeeded Mr. Crouch as chief of staff.
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The nursing home industry is always giving the public the “poor mouth” when it is asked to improve services. But consider this new information: Nursing home administrators average salary if $82,400 a year, and directors of nursing $72,515…….. But the big corporate bosses clean up. Read about the CEO at nursing home giant Manor Care on our Web site by clicking here. See story under “News Notes” -- LET'S DO THE NUMBERS - 1 CEO Or 2000 NURSES.
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Richmond Place of Lexington has purchased the often-troubled nursing home that was last called Hamburg. Richmond Place has offered independent living and assisted living for years. With the addition of a skilled nursing facility, it now becomes another continuing care community for the Lexington area. The two facilities are located close together on Man O’ War Boulevard.
The federal government says that 27.5 percent of nursing home residents in Kentucky receive antipsychotic medications (national average is 27 percent); and 55.7 percent of nursing home residents in this state are receiving antidepressants (52.2 percent nationally). Opponents of these drugs say that nursing homes use them to control behavior of their residents when they are short-staffed.
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In our newsletter last month, we said that the creator of the new “Greenhouse Concept,” Dr. Bill Thomas, was from Tupelo, Miss. He is not. He’s from Utica, NY, but did build the first one in Tupelo. Thanks to Dr. Keith Knapp for the correction. And Dr. Knapp also says that in addition to plans to build one in Midway, St. Charles Care Center in Covington and Christian Care’s Village Manor in Bowling Green are “seriously” considering the concept in their renovation and expansion plans. Developers of the proposed UK continuing care community say they haven’t decided on whether to use the concept.
MEMORIALIZE YOUR LOVED ONES
KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME
REFORM is now officially a non-profit organization. That means that any
donations to the organization are tax deductible by the donor. With
that in mind, we offer for your consideration the thought that memorials
at the time of death of a loved one or friend could be in the form of
donations to KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM, 1530 Nicholasville
Road, Lexington, KY 40503.
P.S.
Senior Comments
Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very
elderly widow and asked, "How old was your husband?"
"98," she replied. "Two years older than me."
"So you're 96," the undertaker commented.
She responded, "Hardly worth going home, is it?
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Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman: "And what do you think is
the best thing about being 104?" the reporter asked.
She simply replied, "No peer pressure."
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The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.
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I've sure gotten old!
I've had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees.
Fought prostate cancer AND diabetes. I'm half blind, can't hear anything
quieter
than a jet engine, take 40 different medications that make me dizzy,
winded, and
subject to blackouts.
Have bouts with dementia. Have poor circulation; hardly feel my hands
and feet anymore. Can't remember if I'm 85 or 92. Have lost all my
friends.
But, Thank God, I still have my DRIVERS LICENSE.
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My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as
sharp as it used to be.
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Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.
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I'm getting into swing dancing. Not on purpose. Some parts of my body
are just prone to swinging.
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It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffeemaker.
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These days about half the stuff in my shopping cart says, "For fast
relief."
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Don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up!
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Remember: You don't stop laughing because you grow old, You grow
old
because you stop laughing.
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THE SENILITY PRAYER
Grant me the senility to forget the people I never
liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I
do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.
NEWS
NOTES….
We get tons of information in
here that affect nursing home reform. We want to share this
information with those of you who are interested, but rather than
putting it all in our newsletter we will post it regularly on our web
site:
http://www.KyNursingHomeReform.org
Go there now and see what we
mean.
THAT’S
IT FOR THIS TIME, BUT DON’T FORGET...
MORE THAN 23,000 PEOPLE IN NURSING
HOMES IN KENTUCKY NEED US. THEY ARE KENTUCKY’S “FORGOTTEN PEOPLE.”
BERNIE VONDERHEIDE
KENTUCKIANS FOR NURSING HOME REFORM
E-mail:
KyNursingHomeReform@yahoo.com
Web Site:
http://www.KyNursingHomeReform.org
Telephone: (859) 312-5617
