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Broad approach to prevent elder abuse encouraged by working groups

Beth McMullen, vice president of government affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association, presents recommendations of the dementia standards workgroup to the House Long-Term Care Division Feb. 4.  Photo by Andrew VonBank
Beth McMullen, vice president of government affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association, presents recommendations of the dementia standards workgroup to the House Long-Term Care Division Feb. 4. Photo by Andrew VonBank

Working groups dedicated to preventing the abuse of elderly and vulnerable adults continued to share their findings with the House Long-Term Care Division Monday.

The Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Prevention Working Groups began meeting last fall to identify broad changes that can help keep Minnesotan’s safe, addressing a wide range of interconnected issues.

Monday’s presentations focused on the possible creation of assisted living report cards, ways to protect consumer rights, and the certification of dementia care units.

Assisted living report cards could help people make informed decisions when selecting assisted living facilities for themselves or their loved ones, but they could also help reward high-quality service providers and motivate underperforming facilities to improve, said Kari Benson, Department of Human Services director of the Aging and Adult Services Division.

No private groups are providing a comparable service that the public could rely on for comprehensive, consistent, and unbiased assessments, she said.

The Department of Health is working with the University of Minnesota to develop a measurement framework that could be used to create the report card, but additional resources are needed to create a system that will work. Efforts will also need to be coordinated with the work being done by other working groups, Benson said.

Consumer rights in long-term care settings need to be strengthened and consistently enforced to ensure the voices of vulnerable adults and their families are heard, State Ombudsman for Long-Term Care Cheryl Hennen said.

Many people will not report their concerns for fear of retaliation, which can range from the unfair termination of services to abuse. But the prohibition of retaliation requires its definition and enforcement, she said.

Additional protections for people facing lease and service terminations are also needed, along with initiatives to encourage resident feedback and more funding for the ombudsman’s office. This would allow for more staff to advocate for consumers, share information with the public, and work one-on-one with individuals and providers to prevent abuse and resolve problems, the working group’s report said.

The certification of dementia care units is an issue that needs some additional discussion before a concrete policy proposal can be put forth, but the associated working group has agreed that people living with Alzheimer’s disease — or other dementias — should not be required to live in a specific dementia care setting, said Beth McMullen, vice president of government affairs for the Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Group members also agree that licensing should not conflict with current nursing home dementia standards and that it is important to have staff that is available and awake 24 hours a day, she said.

Other working groups have examined issues including electronic monitoring, assisted living licensure, and ways to improve quality and safety in long-term care settings.

Public testimony on these issues is expected later this session, when the division begins hearing bills, said Rep. Jennifer Schultz (DFL-Duluth), the division chair.


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