Residents’ Rights Month 2020 As October comes to a close we recognize the annual celebration of Residents’ Rights month was very different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate the opportunities ombudsmen had to safely work with residents, families, and facility staff to help promote awareness of rights. Prior to Residents’ Rights month […]
Author Archives: Priyanka Patel
Changes in Long-Term Care Visitation Guidance The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as well as the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) recently issued new guidance for nursing facilities and other long-term care facilities regarding visitation and communal activities. Click here to read the entire newsletter.
The Kentucky State Long-Term Care Ombudsman created a guide for residents about COVID-19 and their rights. Thanks to funding from the CARES ACT thousands of copies are being shipped to all Kentucky Long-Term Care facilities. We ask the administrators at each facility to safely coordinate distributing the information to residents. Read the full August 2020 Newsletter here.
The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is mailing every Kentucky nursing home resident a guide to changes in their care during COVID 19. To view this guide, please click here.
Hello Everyone, Residents and their needs and wishes are our priority. Thank you to those residents and families who talked with us and helped us continue our work to resolve concerns and improve care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full July 2020 Newsletter here.
Hello Everyone, We greatly miss visiting residents, families, and volunteers in person. Residents and their needs and wishes are our priority. Thank you to all the Ombudsmen and volunteers who have worked daily to stay in touch with residents, families and facilities utilizing phones and video chat. Volunteers are essential to our program. Click here to […]
This an approved definition from the Kentucky Inspector General, Adam Mather Defining “End of Life” for the Purposes of Visitation during COVID19 In the CMS Memo from 3-13-2020, facilities nationwide were advised they should “restrict visitation from all visitors and non-essential health care personnel” except in certain cases, such as “end-of-life.” Governor Andy Beshear has […]
Hello Friends, As we continue to learn more about Coronavirus or COVID-19, I wanted to reach out to residents, families, ombudsmen, volunteers and friends. This special edition email contains links and information you may find helpful. The CDC strategies in the article below prompted several comments and questions from ombudsmen. For example: From an ombudsman […]
Connecticut’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) and the University of Connecticut Health Center studied fear of retaliation in skilled nursing facilities. The study concluded that retaliation and the fear of retaliation is a reality in any supportive housing situation. Retaliation can be either egregious or subtle; many forms of retaliation may not even be […]
The Kentucky Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is concerned about the rights and care of people who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH). The KY Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is an amazing resource! The Commission and the Department of Behavioral Health educated LTC Ombudsmen about rights, tools, and resources for DHH residents. We […]