August 2025

What’s New?

According to the Kentucky Department of Public Health COVID-19 activity is increasing but remains low. Check out the department’s Respiratory Viruses webpage as we move into fall and winter and learn more about COVID-19, flu and RSV.

Personal Needs Allowance for Nursing Facility Residents

Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) is a monthly sum of money that residents
of nursing homes, who receive Medicaid, may retain from their personal income.

Any income above the allowance is applied toward the cost of their care. The personal needs allowance rate for Kentucky residents is now $60 after the legislature raised it from $40 in a budget bill.

Residents have been extremely grateful for the increase in allowance. Many people living in nursing homes find that their PNA still falls short of covering basic necessities, forcing them to make difficult choices between essential items and preventing them from purchasing items that bring comfort and a sense of dignity. They cannot maintain their hygiene and grooming the way they would like, and they cannot participate in hobbies they enjoy, or afford a personal cell phone to help them stay in touch with family and
friends. A low PNA isolates nursing home residents from their communities. Residents cannot afford to leave a facility to see a movie, have a meal, or visit family and friends.

Check out this new fact sheet about Personal Needs Allowance.

LTC Ombudsmen encourage increases to the minimum PNA amount and that they be tied to the cost of living moving forward, so that PNAs increase with inflation.

Long- Term Care Ombudsmen Stand By Residents

Sharing Their Voices

Mark is a the President of a Resident Council and he recently shared that he never imagined he would be living in a nursing home. Mark shares, “If everyone would take 5 minutes out of their day and think- If I was in a nursing home how would I like to be treated?- these places would be better.”

Marguerite is an active member of her Resident Council and is deeply concerned about her fellow residents. “Look in the doorway and see how it really is for residents because its pitiful when I go down the hallway and look in on residents who can’t get out of the bed. If you really look you’d want them to be treated well.”

We couldn’t agree more with Mark and Marguerite and we stand by them!

October is Residents’ Rights Month, this year’s theme, Stand with Me, highlights the importance of solidarity and support for residents who stand up and advocate for their rights, as well as the value of encouraging the community to join residents in sharing their voices. Learn more about Residents’ Rights Month

An exhausted family member recently decided they needed the help of the LTC Ombudsman to resolve chronic problems with their father’s care at a nursing home. When the ombudsman recapped his concerns and started to work on a plan to resolve the problems. The consumer exclaimed, “Thank you for hearing me!”

Remember you don’t have to go at it alone. We are here to help.

We need volunteers to serve as certified long-term care ombudsmen. Visit our website for more information.

Big Sandy Gets The Word Out On The Big Screen

Check out the new volunteer commercial created by the Big Sandy LTC Ombudsman Program. The commercial is running at cinemas in Pikeville for six months to help recruit for volunteers for the program.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) annually assesses each State Survey Agency’s (SA’s) performance on measures included in the State Performance Standards System (SPSS) program. In Kentucky the State Survey Agency is in the Office of Inspector General.

According to the August 6, 2025 CMS memo on Fiscal Year 2024 State Performance Standards System Findings, CMS evaluates Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) SPSS findings in the context of unchanged SA funding levels since FY15, despite continued resource and workload challenges in the last five years. Since FY19, the number of complaints requiring investigation has increased by 31.3% nationally. Most complaints were related to nursing homes, with over 107,000 complaints filed in FY24.

You can click on the memo link above to see the performance measure for Kentucky’s State Survey Agency.

Podcast on No Country for Old People:

Behind the Documentary

When award-winning filmmaker Susie Singer Carter placed her mother, who was living with dementia, in a five-star nursing home in Los Angeles, she never expected to be dealing with substandard care, inadequate staffing, and chemical restraints. Horrified by what was happening, Susie connected with former federal prosecutor Rick Mountcastle, whose prosecution of Purdue Pharma was featured in the miniseries, Dopesick. Susie and Rick have collaborated on a new documentary, No Country for Old People, to raise awareness about failures in our long-term care system and spur action to promote quality and accountability. Join a conversation with Susie and Rick about what they’ve learned in this process and what you can do to help change the system. Listen to the podcast and subscribe to the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. No Country for Old People is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video starting August 1, 2025.

Exploring the Documentary

The Northern Kentucky Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is holding three events in September to explore the documentary No Country for Old People. The events are on September 11, 18 and 25 from 2-3:30PM at the Crescent Event Center in Florence. For more information contact Bethany Breckel.

BE AWARE – BE PREPARED – HAVE A PLAN!

Last month we featured an article on disaster planning in long-term care facilities. This month we want to remind friends, family and caregivers of residents to create and practice an emergency plan so you personally will know what to do in a crisis.

The Red Cross has simple instructions to Create Your Emergency Plan in Just 3 Steps

Kentucky Emergency Management

and its partners offer helpful links to preparedness, awareness, safety messages and websites.

Please take care of yourself. 60% of residents have no visitors or family involvement. You and your safety is important to residents.

Staff and Volunteer Spotlights

In Kentucky’s LTCOP, our staff and volunteers make a real difference in the lives of those we serve. Check out some awesome advocates below!

There are many beautiful things about the Kentucky Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, including the residents whom we are privileged to serve. Perhaps one of the things that is sometimes overlooked is that ombudsmen in Kentucky are often locals. Pictured below is resident Sherrie with ombudsmen Brandon and Donna. Sherrie not only had ombudsman support for her care goals during this recent visit, she also had an opportunity to reminisce about her nearby hometown. Sherrie was pleased with the assistance, and visiting with someone from her hometown brought her joy.

Ombudsman Spotlight

Donna Anderson is a Berea native and is proud to be a Certified LTC Ombudsman with the Bluegrass District Ombudsman Program. Donna covers facilities in four counties in Central Kentucky.

Donna says her true passion is working with the elderly. She recalls being 9 years old and choosing to have breakfast with an elderly couple that she knew every day before she went to school. Donna shares that she has a deep respect for the life histories that she learns from working with elderly folks. She prides herself on connecting with all residents regardless of age. Showing residents empathy, compassion, and respect is at the core of her long-term care ombudsman work.

Donna enjoys being active in her church, choir, and volunteering for children’s programs. She also enjoys thrifting with her “Thrifter Sisters” and spending time with her friends.

We are grateful for Donna’s service to residents through the LTC Ombudsman Program. Thank you Donna!

Thank you to the staff and volunteers of the Green River LTC Ombudsman Program. Picture above are Todd & Marla Carter, Melissa Polites, Lona Morton, Mary Ashford, Andrew Law and Brandon Wood. Andrew Law is the District LTC Ombudsman and leads the program in serving the residents of Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster counties. If you are interested in volunteering for the LTC Ombudsman Program in one of the Green River counties or have concerns about LTC provided in that area email Andrew today!.

Thank you Kentucky Nonprofit Network for recognizing the LTC Ombudsman Program with a Facebook post!

Gateway District LTC Ombudsman Position

Check out the job posting for the Gateway District LTC Ombudsman. Legal Aid of the Bluegrass seeks a Long-Term Care Ombudsman for its Morehead, KY based office.

Learning Opportunities

The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging works to improve the health of older adults through research dedicated to understanding the aging process and age-related brain diseases. Sanders-Brown provides education, outreach, and clinical programs that promote healthy brain aging.

These programs are designed for those experiencing some type of cognitive decline (Brain Boost for MCI and mild Dementia and Brain Health 101 for those with mild to moderate Dementia and those who care about them) but these activities can be enjoyed by anyone. It is never too early to start caring for your mind!

Learn how to help reduce agitation for people living with dementia in this hand massage video.

Tai Chi helps us to be at one with the energy within us and around us. Tai Chi is a moving meditation that encourages resilience and balance. Tai Chi might be just the thing to help reduce stress of those with mild to moderate Dementia and those who care about them.

Research shows that exercise and a healthy diet are great ways to care for our bodies and minds. Sleep, controlling our stress levels and keeping our minds active is also important.

These are important things for everyone to do including people with dementia and their caregivers.

Click here to have access to all of the information and tips, tasks to engage your mind and body and Brain Boost and Brain Health 101.

Bathing

Bathing can be a challenge because people living with Alzheimer’s may be uncomfortable receiving assistance with such an intimate activity. They may also have depth perception problems that make it scary to step into water. They may not perceive a need to bathe or may find it a cold, uncomfortable experience. If people regard bathing as scary, embarrassing, unpleasant or uncomfortable, they may communicate their discomfort by verbally and/or physically resisting attempts to bathe. In some cases, this can escalate and become unsafe and upsetting for all who are involved. Check out this resource from the Alzheimer’s Association to learn more about preparation, adaptations, alternatives. safety, and helping a person feel in control while bathing,

2025 Consumer Voice Conference

Join Consumer Voice November 3-6, 2025, at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. In celebration of the organization’s 50th Anniversary, the conference is returning to the Washington, DC area. Connect with advocates from across the country to learn, network, and exchange ideas on long-term care issues, including current trends, best practices, and advocacy opportunities. See the preliminary agenda, and register now. Visit the Consumer Voice website for more information about discounts for members and groups.

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!