Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (NVLTCOP) THE UPDATE. The NVLTCOP Has Two New Staff Ombudsmen!

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1 Volume 9 Issue 5 Oct.-Nov Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (NVLTCOP) Serving the Jurisdictions of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun, through their Area Agencies on Aging Residents Rights Month 2015 The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care encourages us all to honor residents receiving long-term care by celebrating Residents' Rights Month This is an opportunity to not only appreciate residents but also to support the long-term care ombudsmen, citizen advocates, facility staff and family members who work to promote and support residents rights. Setting aside a month to focus on rights is an effective way to ensure this important topic is recognized in your community, facility or state. In this issue: Residents Rights Month 2015 Reasons Facilities Should Participate in Residents Rights Month The NVLTCOP Has Two New Staff Ombudsmen! If I m Doing The Right Thing, Why Do I Feel Guilty? Volunteer Ombudsman Spotlight: Lucia Reynolds (continued on page 2)

2 Residents Rights Month is celebrated each October and is designated by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care each year to highlight residents living in all long -term care settings. It is a time to reflect on the importance of the Nursing Home Reform Law of 1987 that promises quality of life, quality of care and rights for each resident. During this month, the Consumer Voice also gives special recognition to the work of thousands of individuals who collaborate daily to help assure dignity, privacy and other basic human rights - often taken for granted in the community - are maintained as an integral part of the lives of residents living in long-term care settings. Each year, the Consumer Voice develops a packet to help with the planning of Residents Rights events in honor of Residents Rights Month. The packet is completely downloadable and features ready-to-use items, including promotional materials, activities to celebrate Residents' Rights Month, training tools and resources. The theme for Residents' Rights Month 2015 is, "CARE Matters" with the goal of highlighting quality care. Page 2 Choice of long-term care setting and day to day decisions Accountability of facilities and regulators to residents Rights respected and care directed by residents Empowered residents, families, advocates and staff CARE Matters in all long-term care settings - nursing homes, assisted living, board and care facilities and in care being provided in the community. CARE Matters to every resident, caregiver, family members and staff person who are committed to quality of care and quality of life. CARE Matters to advocates, researchers and others who seek a long-term care system that is focused on individualized care, respect and relationships. Residents Rights Month is an excellent opportunity to re-affirm our collective commitment to residents rights and to honor long-term care residents, said Richard Gelula, Consumer Voice Executive Director. We want to recognize that residents deserve quality care. To access a packet to help with the planning of Residents Rights events, please visit the Consumer Voice website: theconsumervoice.org/events/residents-rightsmonth ************************************************* Reasons Facilities Should Participate in Residents Rights Month 1. Educate staff on residents rights (annual requirement). 2. Build relationships with residents, families and staff. 3. Promote community involvement in long -term care. 4. Increase community awareness of residents rights. 5. Highlight the facilities dedication to promote residents rights and person centered care.

3 The NVLTCOP Has Two New Staff Ombudsmen! Meet Ramona Wilson: Hi! I am Ramona Wilson and I am originally from Virginia Beach, Va. I am the middle child out of seven; five sisters and one brother. I have two nephews and two nieces who I absolutely adore! My personal interests include: travel (I love learning new languages, learning about different cultures, and seeing the world), health and wellness (eating well is chiefly important to me as well as maintaining a physically active lifestyle), I also enjoy reading, music, and shopping. In 2007, I relocated to the Washington D.C. area to pursue higher education at Howard University where I obtained my Master s of Social Work degree. I attended college at Virginia State University in Petersburg where I completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. In 2009, I came to Fairfax County where I initially worked with individuals with disabilities for the Community Services Board. I later joined the Department of Family Services and provided case management to older adults through Adult Services and Adult Protective Services. I am very excited and I am looking forward to my new experience with the Ombudsman program. Meet Heather Price: Hello All! My name is Heather Price and I am one of the two new Northern Virginia Long- Term Care Ombudsmen. I am very excited to join this unit and to start working in the facilities again. I grew up in Herndon, Va., where my parents still live and am very familiar with Northern VA as I am a rare native. I have a big family and many friends that are in the area so most of my free time is spent with them. I am at the age where all my friends and family are getting married and having babies so in the past year I have organized eight wedding, bridal or baby showers. I am going to call that a hobby at this point and I really do enjoy the crafts and decorations needed for showers. I went to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) where I got my Bachelor s degree in Social Work. I moved back home and went to the VCU School of Social Work Alexandria satellite campus to get my Master s degree in Social Work. My two grad school field placements were The Northern Virginia Family Service Therapeutic Foster Care and with Capital Hospice. After I graduated, I started working for a for-profit hospice and then began working in a nursing facility in Arlington, VA where I did discharge planning, case management and many other tasks. I started working for Fairfax County Adult Services in October 2011 where I did Medicaid screenings, home base care assessments and facility placements. I am very excited to start in this new position and get back into the facilities. This new role of resident advocate is something I have strived for my entire life, especially after working in a facility myself. I am looking forward to making positive changes and to work with a great group of ombudsmen! Page 3

4 If I m Doing the Right Thing, Why Do I Feel Guilty? You've just completed the process of admitting a family member to a long-term care facility and you're faced with the guilty feeling that you may have let that person down. Even though you may have spent a long time trying to cope with caring for the loved one yourself and know that this is the only way to go, the negative thoughts persist. Be assured that these emotions are not unique and you are not alone. Nearly every family in your position experiences some degree of trauma which may include guilt, anxiety or even anger at having to take responsibility for making the placement decision. These are understandable reactions. And there are positive ways to deal with them. Talking over your problems with other families who have been in the same situation can be helpful. They understand your difficulties and may have good advice to offer. Most facilities recognize the importance of aiding family members in making the critical transition. "Each time you admit a resident to your facility, you are, in a manner of speaking, admitting that resident's family as well," says Suzanne Geffen Mintz of the National Family Caregivers Association. Family members are urged to seek the counsel of the facility's social service worker to share your concerns and answer your questions. Avail yourself of any supports that the facility has in place to aid families, such as: a caregivers resource center which offers books, pamphlets, newsletters and videos on a variety of subjects. Perhaps there is (or you might organize) a family council run by family members as a way of addressing grievances, organizing activities and communicating with the administration. Respond to invitations to contribute to your loved one's care by helping at mealtime or accompanying the resident to an activity. It has been established that such caring participation in the person's life makes family members feel more needed and lessens the sense of guilt. When appropriate, the transition may be made easier for the new resident and the family by a clergy member, who could include religious reading, hymns and poems. It is very important to keep the lines of communication open with the staff of the facility. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the facility's routine and practices. This will insure your peace of mind about the loved one's care. The facility's administrators want you to feel secure. Bottled-up anxiety can cause misunderstanding and result in fewer of the family visits that are so vital to the resident. Family members who live far away from the facility should be encouraged to make phone calls and send letters to the resident. Take advantage of suggestions the facility may have available to make visits more successful. Perhaps you can prepare a list of things to talk about tailored to the loved one's particular interests. Families can also utilize a variety of community resources. For example, the Alzheimer's Association has support groups which can be helpful to you if needed. Making the long-term care placement is not an easy move for you or your loved one. But don't let it cause you to be unjustly critical of the facility or tough on yourself. Especially, don't let it keep you from maintaining a close and supportive bond with the person whose interests you feel are best being served by taking this step. (Source: The Social Work Consultation Group Letter, 3(4):2-5, Winter 1993, Brown University's Long-Term Care Quality Advisor, The Later Years.) Page 4

5 Volunteer Ombudsman Spotlight: Lucia Reynolds I was born in Great Barrington, Mass., and grew up a few miles away in North Canaan, Connecticut. I lived there until I went away to school at age 18. It is a beautiful area in what is called the Litchfield Hills. I have a little house there now on what was my grandfather's farm. After high school I went to a three year nursing school in Hartford, Conn. I was married in January of my freshman year. My last year of school my husband started school at the University of Connecticut. I worked nursing jobs in Hartford and Willimantic, Connecticut, while he was in school. When he graduated we moved to New York City. We lived in Greenwich Village and I attended art school in the evenings at Cooper Union. We had two children during that time, also. We lived in New York Coty for 4 years and when my husband was admitted to Georgetown Law School we moved to Arlington. After my husband finished his law degree I went back to school at George Washington University, first with a degree in Art and then later a master s degree in education. I started working at Dominion Hospital in Falls Church in the Creative Arts Department but changed to nursing where after some years I became chief nursing officer toward the end of my career there. Prior to that, I worked various nursing jobs in Hartford, Connecticut and at Arlington Hospital (as it was known then) and at Fairfax Hospital. I did not start to travel until I was over 50 years old. Since then I have been on trips outside of the country every year. One of my interesting adventures in travel was to Cusco Peru where I attended a Spanish language school and lived with a family there. I like being outside doing physical activities. I bike, horseback ride, hike, ice skate, and cross country ski. I spend a lot of time doing some of those things along the river. I have almost always been involved in some sort of volunteer work. I have been a docent at the National Gallery for over 20 years. I have been a docent at the Library of Congress for 7 years. I volunteered for a therapeutic riding program in Great Falls called Lift me up. I am a member of Arlington Neighborhood Villages and volunteer on the "Health and Wellness" Committee. I saw an announcement about an Ombudsman training in the Washington Post in the spring of I joined and have been placed at Cherrydale Health & Rehabilitation Center for my entire time with the program. Now that I am retired I am able to do so many things that I enjoy but I felt I needed something that felt as if I were making a contribution to others. I wanted something that was not easy. What I enjoy most is seeing how happy the residents are to see me. Also, on a few occasions I have felt that I made a difference (too few). My greatest challenge is not being overwhelmed by the needs of the residents or frustrated at how long it takes to make changes. People are scared by nursing homes and think I am brave or something. No one, me included, wants to look their mortality in the face. As far as favorite stories, every visit that I make to my facility has some. Page 5

6 Happy Need Information or Have a Concern About Nursing or Assisted Living Facilities? Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Halloween! And Happy Thanksgiving! Government Center Parkway, Suite 708 Fairfax, VA Offices hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Intake Line: TTY: 711 Fax: us at: NVLTCOP@FairfaxCounty.Gov To view information on the NVLTCOP website and to see the Investigation and Complaint Log, please go to: What an Ombudsman does: Advocates for improving the quality of life for persons receiving long-term care services Resolves complaints against long-term care providers through counseling, negotiation, and investigation Provides information about long-term care providers to help make an informed decision Educates the community about long-term care issues Visits residents of long-term care facilities on a weekly basis through our volunteer program Trains long-term care staff on long-term care related information The Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in all programs and services. To request reasonable accommodations or alternate formats, call (voice); 711 (TTY). This publication has been created or produced by Fairfax County with financial assistance, in whole or in part, from the Administration on Aging and/or the Virginia Department for the Aging. A Fairfax County, VA Publication. October 2015 Page 6