For many of us, as the year draws to a close, we gather with family and loved ones to celebrate the holiday season. But for some long-term care residents, the holidays are anything but merry and bright. This season can be a very isolating and lonely time for residents who no longer have family or friends to celebrate with. Silver Bells is a project organized by local ombudsmen to help residents celebrate the holidays. There are 15 local ombudsman programs in Kentucky, and some have announced plans to help residents celebrate the holidays.
You can make a difference in someone’s life with a small gift & message saying how loved and valued our long-term care residents are!
The following long-term care ombudsmen programs are collecting gifts for residents this season:
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Green River LTC Ombudsman Program
The Green River District LTC Ombudsman Program has begun collecting items for their annual Silver Bells program, which covers the following counties: Daviess, Hancock, Henderson and McLean. For more information contact Certified Ombudsman Steve Joines 270-852-1373.
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Pennyrile LTC Ombudsman Program
The Pennyrile District LTC Ombudsman Program was the first in the state to initiate a gift drive. Their program has operated for 17 years under the original name, “Forgotten Angels”, in Caldwell, Christian, Crittenden, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, Muhlenberg, Todd and Trigg counties. District Ombudsman Cindy Tabor has kicked off the 2023 Forgotten Angels project. 400 Angels are in need of adoption. You can adopt by several different methods; you can come by the Pennyrile Area Development District Office in Hopkinsville and select your angel(s) or call or email Cindy Tabor / Miranda White. For more info: https://www.peadd.org/blog/2023/11/01/2023-forgotten-angels
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Purchase LTC Ombudsman Program
The Purchase District LTC Ombudsman Program is preparing for their annual Silver Bells project. Silver Bells helps brighten the holiday season by providing gifts for isolated and lonely residents in Kentucky’s nursing, personal care, and family care homes. The Purchase District Ombudsman program serves residents of long-term care facilities in 8 counties: Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall, and McCracken. For more information, and to find out how you can participate in Silver Bells or to adopt a Silver Bell, please contact Justin Colley at 270-251-6120.
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Lake Cumberland LTC Ombudsman Program
Lake Cumberland’s District Ombudsman, Mandy Weston is bringing the holiday cheer to Personal Care Home and Family Care Home residents living in Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor and Wayne counties! The Lake Cumberland LTCOP will be holding a Silent Auction where baked goods and other items can be purchased, and all funds will go to purchase snacks and sodas for residents.
For more information about the Silent Auction and how you can participate, please contact Mandy Weston at 270-251-6120.
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Bluegrass LTC Ombudsman Program
Bluegrass District ombudsman Alice Rearick is spreading the holiday cheer to LTC residents in central Kentucky by collecting gift bags full of goodies! Residents enjoy receiving warm blankets, snacks, word searches and other items collected from the community.
If you’d like to help bring a little extra cheer to long term care residents in central Kentucky this year, find out how by clicking here or contacting Denise Wells at 859-277-9215, [email protected].
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Barren River LTC Ombudsman Program
The Barren River District LTC Ombudsman Program has been busy collecting items for their annual Blanket Drive for LTC residents this holiday season. As the weather gets cooler, residents often enjoy cozying up with throw blankets, lap blankets and quilts to stay warm. Other items being collected for residents include sodas, snack cakes, hygiene items, undergarments and games. The Barren River LTCOP serves residents in Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren counties.
A simple can of coke, crossword puzzle or throw blanket could mean the world to a long-term care resident. For more information on how you can help donate items to residents in need this holiday, please see Barren River’s LTCOP flyer below.
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Residents’ Rights Month was an opportunity to focus on and celebrate the dignity and rights of every individual receiving long-term services and supports. The Barren River LTC Ombudsman Program partnered with local Toys for Tots and distributed board games to residents during rights month. District LTC Ombudsman Lynda Love reported, “While educating residents, families and residents on Residents Rights, we focused on Right to have FUN!”
Certified Ombudsman Laura Burgan is pictured below distributing sharing information and games.
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Residents’ Rights for residents of nursing facilities, personal care homes, family care homes and assisted living centers are available on the NHOA website.
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Thank you to our staff and volunteers.
You make a difference!
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Community Education and Engagement
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If you are hosting a community event, please invite your local ombudsman program. For a full listing of all District LTC Ombudsman Programs and the counties they serve, visit our website.
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What’s an Ombudsman?
Ombudsmen advocate for residents of long-term care facilities at no charge to residents or families.
Long-Term Care Ombudsmen
- Regularly make unannounced visits to long-term care facilities to visit residents.
- Protect the special legal rights of residents.
- Identify, investigate, and resolve residents’ problems and concerns.
- Empower residents to make informed choices.
- Work to monitor laws/policies to protect residents.
Long-term care ombudsmen serve residents in all counties in Kentucky. Visit our website!
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Webinar Next Tuesday on Supporting Residents with Mental and/or Behavioral Health Needs
Join The Consumer Voice and the National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) on Tuesday, November 28, 2:00-3:00pm ET.
In recent years, changes in public policy and in living options have resulted in more residents with mental and/or behavioral health needs living in long-term care facilities. These facilities often lock the training and access to the support necessary to provide individualized care for residents with special mental health needs.
Click here to register for this webinar.
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CMS Issues Final Rule on Disclosure of Nursing Home Ownership
Knowing who owns a nursing home can be a matter of life and death. It is well documented that certain types of nursing homeowners are more likely to provide poor care. Ownership information is also necessary to help hold nursing homes accountable for how they use the tens of billions of Medicare and Medicaid dollars they receive each year.
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule implementing increased ownership and managerial disclosure requirements in nursing homes. This past April, LTC resident advocates offered extensive comments in response to the proposed rule, urging CMS to define critical terms and to use their broad regulatory powers to implement the law in an impactful way.
The final rule reveals that CMS has made few changes, leaving the proposed rule mostly intact. To read CMS’s final rule on disclosure of nursing home ownership, click here.
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The Kentucky State LTC Ombudsman Program is housed within the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass.
The KLTCOP is funded in part by state and federal funding provided by the Department for Aging and Independent Living.
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