News In Brief - January 29, 2014

2014 Legislative session begins next week
Oregon’s 2014 “short” regular legislative session will begin Monday, February 3, giving Oregon’s elected officials just 35 days to pass legislation. At this time, the legislature intends to release the $26 million special purpose appropriation made during the Grand Bargain of the September special session that includes funding from revision of the Senior Medical Deduction. LeadingAge Oregon, a member of the Campaign for Oregon’s Seniors and People with Disabilities (COSPD), participated in the development of COSPD’s spending priorities that we will advocate to be funded with the special purpose appropriation.

LeadingAge Oregon has compiled the meeting schedule for committees of most relevance to members that includes important calendar dates. A list of bills LeadingAge Oregon will track during session can be accessed here. Of note is SB 1577, the “silver alert” bill, that would require State Police and all sheriffs/municipal police departments to adopt written policies relating to missing vulnerable adults.

COSPD Legislative Advocacy Day to be held next Wednesday
During the short session, LeadingAge Oregon joins other members of COSPD to advocate for Oregon’s system of long term services and supports. COSPD’s Legislative Advocacy Day will be next week on February 5 from 8 am to about 2:30 pm. Members can learn more about the day’s agenda and register to attend the event which will direct you to AARP’s website that is handling registration. Ozzie Rose, LeadingAge Oregon lobbyist and Karen Mainzer, newly joining our advocacy team will attend the event and be available to meet with you.

Now available: LeadingAge Insights
We’re excited to announce the launch of LeadingAge Insights, a collection of tools to help you better understand your performance and market position. With the added advantage of easy access to experts in the field, these tools are designed to help you improve your competitiveness. The best part is, they are FREE for you to access. Sign up for a webinar to learn more!

LeadingAge Insights includes:

Portland-area elders sought for high school interviews
Is your Portland area senior housing or care community interested in serving as a site where a team of high school students could come and interview a few elders? The high school students are participants in a Portland State University Innovation Challenge Competition. This year’s challenge is to create better technologies for elders, so the students must first interview elders to identify and understand a problem before they can attempt to design a solution. If your community is interested, contact Keren Brown Wilson, [email protected], or 503.720.9000 (via a call or text).

MOVE program to focus on creating a culture of caring
Oregon's culture change coalition, MOVE (Making Oregon Vital for Elders), will host a half-day educational program on Feb. 27 in Woodburn entitled "Transformational Leadership: Creating a Culture of Caring." The program is targeted to all levels of elder care leaders, from direct care workers to CEOs. The featured speaker will be Jean Garboden, Eden Alternative Educator and Director of Education for Compass Senior Living. Read more. Register for the program.

CDC unveils new website targeting infection control in nursing homes, assisted living
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has launched a new website with infection prevention and control resources for long-term care providers. The site is geared to nursing homes and assisted living/residential care facilities, and offers information for clinical staff, infection control coordinators, and residents/consumers. Toolkits targeting CRE, norovirus, MRSA, C. diff and UTIs are also included on the website.

LeadingAge engages preservation consultant
LeadingAge has engaged the consulting services of Gates Dunaway to help advise LeadingAge staff on HUD preservation/finance-related issues, and to serve as a resource for members who may have targeted questions on existing guidance related to preservation opportunities being considered or under way. If you have preservation/finance related questions you would like answered, submit them to LeadingAge staff Colleen Bloom ([email protected]) or Alayna Waldrum ([email protected]).

New class offered for Community-based Care (ALF/RCF) nurses
LeadingAge Oregon has partnered with Demi Haffenreffer of Haffenreffer & Associates to offer a new three-day class for nurses in ALFs, RCFs and Memory Care. Designed for both experienced and new nurses, the class will provide a thorough overview of the special role of the nurse in these community settings and how the nurse can establish systems to ensure high quality health services. The class is scheduled March 5-7 in Wilsonville. Read more. Register for the class.

Rose Villa CEO profiled in Oregon Business Magazine
Congratulations to Rose Villa CEO Vassar Byrd, a member of the LeadingAge Oregon Board of Directors, who is profiled as a “Trailblazer” in the February issue of Oregon Business Magazine. Read how Vassar found her way from the London School of Economics to leading the transformation of a Portland area continuing care retirement community.

Join us February 27 at our annual Creative Writing luncheon!
There’s still time to purchase tickets for the LeadingAge Oregon Creative Writing luncheon, which will be held on February 27 at Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg. During the luncheon, winners of the contest, all residents of LeadingAge Oregon communities, are honored, and excerpts from their short stories and poems are read. Listening to these writings – ranging from poignant to humorous and everything in between – is a delightful way to spend an afternoon! Residents and staff from all LeadingAge Oregon member organizations are welcome to attend. Contact Karen Nichols, [email protected], for more information or to purchase tickets.