Consumer Education

Consumer Education: For Residents, Families and Friends of Residents Long-term care facility Residents, and Families and Friends of residents should expect quality of care and life for themselves and/or their loved ones, and engage in advocacy efforts to raise the standards of care. You can make a big difference in the delivery of quality care. Please use the links below to special advocacy tools and resources that may help you advocate effectively for yourself or your loved one.    Files on this page in PDF format which require Adobe Acrobat. Click Here to get Adobe Acrobat Reader for Free.        Residents' Rights Choosing a Nursing Home  Resident Councils Family Councils  Fact Sheets Citizen Advocacy Groups Make a Difference! Federal Law and Regulations Long-Term Care Omudsman Program Guidelines and Recommendations NCCNHR Publications   Residents' Rights   Residents' Rights Week 2008: October 5-11! Recipe for Home: defining and creating home in long-term care facilities Residents' Rights Week is the first full week of October each year. Visit the links below for consumer information and resources that can help you support an individual resident's rights or be involved in an important national awareness campaign. •  Fact Sheet - Residents' Rights: An Overview   •  Residents' Rights Week 2007: "Advancing Excellence: A    Resident's Perspective on Quality"  Resident Councils Residents in a facility can join together to form a united consumer voice which can communicate concerns to facility administrators and work for resolutions and improvements by forming a family council. Visit NCCNHR's Resident Council Center for information on the following areas: •  Family Council Rights and Federal Laws & Regulations •  Resident Council Exchange •  Fact Sheets •  Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs •  NCCNHR Resident Council Projects •  Additional Resources ... and more! Family Councils Family members in a facility can join together to form a united consumer voice which can communicate concerns to facility administrators and work for resolutions and improvements by forming a family council. Visit NCCNHR's Family Council Center  for information on the following areas: •  Family Council Tips •  Family Council Rights and Federal Laws & Regulations •  How to Learn and Take Action •  Fact Sheets •  NCCNHR Family Council Projects •  Family Council Exchange •  Family Council DVD and Guide •  Additional Resources ... and more! Choosing a Nursing Home Resources on How to Choose a Nursing Home: •  NCCNHR's Consumer Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home    provides tools that can be used by family members who    are searching for a facility.   •  Nursing Home Compare is a tool on the Medicare website that    displays quality measure data, deficiencies and other information    about nursing homes. It is organized by state and county to help    you search for facilities near you or anywhere in the country.   •  Visit NCCNHR's Culture Change website.     Learn about the grassroots movement to transform the culture     of aging in America.     Also visit the Pioneer Network's website:          www.pioneernetwork.net. Fact Sheets Read consumer-friendly fact sheets on issues affecting residents such as residents' rights, malnutrition, the use of restraints, and changing the culture of long-term care facilities.   Citizen Advocacy Groups Citizen advocacy groups (CAGs) are effective in addressing serious quality of care issues on a broader scale. Citizen advocacy groups offer an opportunity for family members, friends, and residents to join with others to work to affect policy, legislation, and government services to improve quality of care in long-term care. Visit NCCNHR's Citizen Advocacy Group Center for information on the following areas: •  Opportunities for CAGs •  CAG News •  CAG Toolkit •  Finding CAGs •  Learn and Take Action! •  Fact Sheets •  NCCNHR's Consumer Center •  Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs •  NCCNHR's Family Council Center •  Additional Resources Make a Difference! Learn, Take Action, & Advocate! Support the national consumer voice for quality long-term care! •  Join NCCNHR •  Be a NCCNHR leader •  Honor a fellow advocate •  Memorialize a loved one •  Donate through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC): # 10552 Learn and Take Action to improve long-term care in your area, and across the U.S.! •  Visit NCCNHR's Action Center.     View up-to-date information on Congressional Hearings,     Bulletins, Legislative Proposals, etc.             •  Learn and advocate for restraint free care as part of              NCCNHR's California Voices for Quality: Strategies              in the National Campaign for Excellence in America's              Nursing Homes project.              The project provides information and tools to train              ombudsmen to engage consumers in quality              improvement, by educating and engaging consumers              to advance better quality care in nursing homes.              Consumer-oriented materials, including fact sheets,              have been developed; training programs and educational              conference calls were held; and materials are posted on              the website. •  Advocate Effectively.     Read a list of suggestions for advocacy tips as you advocate     for yourself or your loved one, including how to document     concerns.   •  Contact the long-term care ombudsman program in your state.    In addition to acting as an advocate for residents, ombudsmen    can educate residents, families and friends about resident rights,    state surveys, and federal and state laws that are applicable to     nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.    •  Participate in the in the Advancing Excellence in America’s     Nursing Homes Campaign.     NCCNHR encourages all consumers to participate in this national     campaign. This is an opportunity to promote quality care     practices in every nursing home in the country.        Learn more about NCCNHR's involvement in the Campaign, and    ways you can get involved!   •  Visit NCCNHR's Government Policy website.     Learn about staffing issues, view an action center, etc.   •  Visit NCCNHR's Culture Change website.     Learn about the grassroots movement to transform the culture     of aging in America.     Also visit the Pioneer Network's website: www.pioneernetwork.net.    Federal Law and Regulations The following links connect you to what the federal law and regulations say about particular issues regarding long-term care. •  OBRA '87 (The Nursing Home Reform Law) 20th Anniversary   •  Read a summary of OBRA '87, the full federal regulations, and    the Medicaid and Medicare provisions. Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Find contact information for the long-term care ombudsman program in your state. In addition to acting as an advocate for residents, ombudsmen can educate residents, families and friends about resident rights, state surveys, and federal and state laws that are applicable to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.    Guidelines and Recommendations Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Assisted Living Residences and Nursing Homes, Alzheimer's Association Campaign for Quality Residential Care -  September 2006. National MS Society Develops Guidelines for Facilities and Home Care.   NCCNHR Publications View available publications, including those written specifically for families and friends of nursing home residents.