News In Brief - November 14. 2014

LeadingAge Oregon participates in LeadingAge Washington – from Silos to Solutions Symposium
The Housing and Services Pilot spearheaded by Cedar Sinai Park in Portland was one of two programs presented at LeadingAge Washington’s invitation-only housing and services symposium held in Seattle yesterday. The symposium brought together Washington thought leaders to explore models of coordinating housing and services to promote health and wellness, improve health outcomes and reduce reliance on hospital emergency use. Dr. Robyn Stone, Executive Director of the LeadingAge Center for Applied Research, gave participants a preview of the toolkit being developed to enhance housing providers’ ability to coordinate and link health and long term services and supports for housing residents. The Center has already developed a sample assessment instrument that can be accessed by clicking here. The toolkit is being funded through the AARP Foundation.

Denying an assistance animal request could cost you
During our recent webinar on Fair Housing and Assistance Animals, attorney Leah Sykes mentioned that she is handling several lawsuits in which a landlord denied a resident's reasonable accommodations request for an assistance/service animal. She noted that claims in those lawsuits start at around $90,000. The potential cost of a lawsuit is just one of many reasons that staff in all senior living settings should know and understand Fair Housing law, including how it relates to assistance animals. We have received feedback from members that our webinar on this topic was extremely valuable, so we have decided to make a recording available for purchase for those who were unable to attend the live program, or for organizations that would like more staff to hear this important information . Read more about the webinar. Purchase access to the webinar recording.

Nursing Homes: Contact SIRUM if you'd like to learn how you can donate your unused medicine
This week LeadingAge Oregon members were excited to hear more about a new program that will allow nursing homes and some other healthcare providers to donate their unused medicine to Oregon clinics serving low-income patients who often can't afford the medications they need. George Wang, Co-Founder and Director of the nonprofit SIRUM, said that Oregon assisted living/residential care facilities cannot participate at this time, but SIRUM is working with the Board of Pharmacy to see if it would be possible in the future. If you missed this week's webinar, you can view/listen to it using Windows Media Player. If you think your nursing home would like to participate, contact George Wang or Amy Chen at SIRUM, [email protected], [email protected].

State issues rulemaking notice for revised ALF/RCF building rules
The state has filed a rulemaking notice for its proposed revised ALF/RCF building rules. Comments are due by December 21. The rules were revised primarily to comply with changes in building codes and with CMS directives. Among the changes: all ALF/RCF providers will need to install wall cove base in soiled linen rooms, kitchens and laundry rooms, while RCFs will need to install individually keyed locks on resident unit doors. Read the rulemaking notice and proposed rules.

Notice reminds nursing homes of Post-Hospital Extended Care Benefit authorization requirements
DHS has issued a notice to remind nursing homes of authorizations that are required for a Post-Hospital Extended Care benefit (PHEC). PHEC provides up to 20 days of skilled nursing-type service in nursing facilities for individuals who have Medicaid benefits but aren't eligible for Medicare. Read the notice.

CMS to begin collecting quarterly nursing home staffing data
CMS will soon begin collecting quarterly staffing data information from skilled nursing facilities on a voluntary basis as it begins testing the system before rolling it out nationwide. A major goal of the data collection is to get a clearer picture of how staffing fluctuates throughout the year, including turnover. Currently nursing home providers self-report staffing levels once a year, which has led to charges from journalists and other sources that nursing homes inflate the figures. Read more.

Free LeadingAge webinar to focus on employee wellness trends
LeadingAge is sponsoring a webinar to help members understand how worksite wellness is evolving in a way that will help employees become engaged in their overall health. The webinar will be offered on two dates: Tuesday November 18 and Wednesday November 19. Learn more and register.

Short LeadingAge video discusses considerations of selling a 202 property
Several LeadingAge Section 202 elderly housing providers have reported that they are receiving unsolicited offers to purchase the properties, especially in desirable areas. So LeadingAge decided to develop a short (12-minute) educational video examining when, why and how a board might consider selling a 202 property. Access the video.