Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Culture Club. Changing Values for Seniors



"SECTION 3 -CMS, CULTURE CHANGE, ARTIFACTS OF CULTURE CHANGE


CMS and Culture Change and Artifacts of Culture Change - The traditional nursing home regulatory approach has created tensions between providers and surveyors. 

Culture change is movement to transform a facility to a home, a resident to a person, and a schedule to a choice.


States and the federal government have worked over the years to examine regulations to evolve them into a more responsive regulatory system. 

Documents below are offered to home nursing homes to work with their regulators to change the environment of their homes while meeting the regulations. Missouri has set a 100% compliance goal for facilities filling out the on-line version of The Artifacts of Culture Change. (www.artifactsofculturechange.org)  

This organization tries to effect change. The wheels of government entitites who are responsible for change is more focused on other areas of our culture and apparently does not see the value in providing for "the later years" of its citizens.

Mom entered a facility in November 2011; she passed in January 2014. As a statistic, her stay was the average length lasting between two and three years.

Mom's actual costs during this time involved numerous trips to Emergency Rooms for falls necessitating sutures, to outside Dr's and ER's to correct neglectful and harmful situations (failure to adequately clean the perianal area resulting in sores, hemhoroids and infections, i.e.) and many trips to outside Dr's for wound care and other care not provided as required to ensure health and well being.

As a fact, Mom had more medical problems brought on by lack of quality medical supervision, the supposed sole purpose of someone entering into Long Term Care/Nursing Home Care.

If you've read previous entries, you'll know this was not my choice and never was her choice. It was a conspiracy of a woman who came into our life. 

Many are forced to make the choice of placing a loved one into Long Term Care. Few make that decision themselves except those with significant medical challenges (life changing conditions like Lupus and advanced age, loss of legs or limbs due to Diabetes, etc).

ALL NEED MORE PROTECTION, MORE SUPERVISION AND MORE INVOLVEMENT BY THE ESTABLISHED FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATORY ENTITIES including the Departments of Health and Senior Services AND the Ombudsman Program (known as VOYCE in my state, Missouri and possibly by other "names" in yours).

I will continue to visit, to watch and to actively report any violations I see. But what is really needed is the reporting of those who regularly visit a loved one because they see so much more than the "infrequent" visitor or guest of a resident who is not immediate family. WHAT WILL YOU DO?

Culture Club.  Boy George is now 54. Prime candidate for AARP. Why not turn this "name" into a real statement and focus on changing the "culture" of our country to recognize and support actions and living conditions that value those who provided the basis for our economy, our lifestyles, our discoveries and inventions, our very lives with their Service.

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