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Help us support an important amendment

If you are willing to contact your representative regarding the Older Americans Act of 1965 amendment, we would appreciate your support. Below is a little about the amendment as well as a letter you can use.

S. 4776 would amend the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965, which authorizes services to the elderly. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers most programs authorized by the act, including congregate and home-delivered meals, home and community-based supportive services (such as assistance with transportation, in-home care, and adult day care), and support for caregivers. The Department of Labor (DOL) administers the Senior Community Service Employment program, which provides low-income senior citizens with work-based job training and community service opportunities. The authorization for OAA programs expires at the end of fiscal year 2024; those programs received discretionary appropriations totaling $2.3 billion that year.

S. 4776 would authorize the appropriation of $15.2 billion over the 2025-2029 period for OAA programs; $12.2 billion would be authorized for programs administered by HHS and $3.0 billion for programs administered by DOL. Assuming appropriation of the specified amounts, and based on historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $12.6 billion over the same period and $2.5 billion after 2029.

For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 4776 will be enacted near the beginning of fiscal year 2025. The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 500 (education, training, employment, and social services.)

Here’s a sample letter you can print by clicking here: bill 4776.pdf

Dear [Senator NAME]:

On behalf of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we are writing to urge you to support advancing the bipartisan Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024 (S.4776), which we expect to be considered by the Senate in early December.

The bipartisan Senate bill, amended with the House’s input, includes critical updates to the law that help agencies like ours better serve older adults and their family caregivers. Because the Act expired in September, it’s imperative that Congress act quickly this year to ensure the continued health and well-being of the 11 million older adults and family caregivers who receive OAA services in communities across the country.

Sincerely,

[NAME, affiliation, address, etc.]

Report: The Impact of Understaffing On Residents

Courtesy of The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

Nursing home residents are entitled to and deserve high quality, person-centered, and person-directed, care. Yet, due to inadequate staffing many nursing home residents go without this care. Countless studies have documented that residents who live in understaffed nursing homes are more likely to suffer harm and neglect. Since the Biden Administration announced its intention to propose a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes, the focus has been on how a staffing standard would hurt nursing home owners and operators. Often lost in the discussion are residents, the people who suffer the consequences of understaffing.

To bring the focus back on residents, Consumer Voice surveyed over 120 nursing home residents in the fall of 2023, asking for their perspectives on staffing and how they are affected by staffing levels daily. The results were striking.

The majority of residents who responded to the survey, 88%, stated their facilities lacked the staff necessary to meet the needs of the residents living in their facilities.

KEY FINDINGS Of the residents who responded to the survey:

• 88% report they do not have adequate staff in their facilities to meet the care needs of all residents.
• 87% say understaffing affects them every day or several times per week.
• 72% wait longer than they would like to get out of bed in the morning.
• 60% are woken up earlier than they would like.
• 73% miss activities because there are not enough staff to help them participate.
• 39% are unable to eat in the dining room if and when they choose.
• 57% report their meals do not come on time.
• 58% report they are not given their medications on time with 56% of those respondents stating their medication is late several times a week and 24% stating their medication is late everyday.
• 72% wait longer than they would like to take a shower.
• 74% report that they, or someone they know in their facility, has been neglected or hurt because of understaffing.

Click here to read the rest of the report

Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Gears Up for “Pajama Drive”

FORT WAYNE – Pajamas are not just the cost of admission, but they’re also the suggested attire for the upcoming Long Term Care Ombudsman Program’s annual Pajama Drive kickoff event. The evening of music, food and prizes marks the beginning of a drive to collect pajamas for  long term care facilities in nine different Northeast Indiana counties.

“We are excited to bring the community together for a night of camaraderie and support,” said Zanzy Lewis, executive director for the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. “The kickoff event is not just a chance for a night out, it’s a celebration of compassion and solidarity for those we serve. By wearing pj’s to the event, we symbolize the comfort and care we aim to provide for our nursing home neighbors.”

The event is planned for Thursday, March 14^th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Parkview Field’s suite level lounge. The night’s entertainment will feature local artist Adam Strack. As a bonus, those attendees who wear pajamas to the event will be entered to win prizes every 30 minutes.

Admission to the kickoff event is free to those that bring pajamas to donate to the drive. However, a $20 charge can be paid in lieu of bringing a pajama donation. Those wanting to bring pajamas to contribute to the drive should plan to bring new items with the tags still on. Lewis said that all sizes are welcome for both male and female residents. However, larger sizes are needed most.

“These residents want to wear something comforting and comfortable,” she said. “The drive allows us to bring a bit of that comfort to them. We’ll collect pajamas at the kick off event and then for several weeks afterwards at various drop off locations.”

While the drop off locations are still being determined, Lewis said the kick off event is the perfect time to bring donations. The items collected can be conventional pajamas as well as sweatpants and shirts, nightgowns, and other lounge-wear items. It is preferred that both tops and bottoms are donated together, but volunteers will work to match items if needed.

“We want the community to come spend the evening with us, have some food and have some fun,” said Lewis. “There are a lot of events where you get to put on your ‘Sunday best.’ What other chance do you have to wear pj’s to a public event? It’s fun and it’s for a good cause.”