New Online Manuals for Long-Term Care Advocates
<p>More and more long-term advocates are organizing to improve quality of life for residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Two new Commonwealth Fund-supported online toolkits offer guidance to these advocates.<br><br>An <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26693&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Ftools%2Ftools%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D450029%26%23doc450029">online toolkit</a> developed by The National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform is designed to support the efforts of long-term care "citizen advocacy groups," which are groups of concerned individuals who work together for change in long-term care. The toolkit offers advice on creating and maintaining an advocacy group, fundraising, using technology effectively, and the role of advocacy groups in moving nursing homes toward resident-centered care.<br><br>A <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=26694&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Ftools%2Ftools%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D429984%26%23doc429984">second toolkit,</a> written by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, Institute for Health and Aging, was developed to help state and local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs improve their performance as advocates for residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Under the 1978 Older Americans Act, every state must have a Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program charged with protecting and representing the interests of nursing home residents.<bR><br>The toolkit describes best practices for 10 key issues for ombudsman programs, including adequacy of resources; cultural competency; and elder abuse.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2007/feb/new-online-manuals-for-long-term-care-advocates