News In Brief - October 30, 2014

Nursing facilities: How would you like to donate, rather than dump, your unused medications?
Oregon nursing homes are being recruited for a new medicine donation program spearheaded by a nonprofit organization that has already launched the program in Colorado and California. SIRUM (Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine) has set up an avenue for health care facilities to donate unexpired, unused drugs to clinics serving patients who can't afford their medications. All drugs donated in Oregon will benefit patients who live in Oregon. We are setting up a free webinar November 12 from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. so nursing facilities can learn more about the program. A separate registration will be sent to nursing facilities next week.

Don't be left behind - join us at AgeTech West's "Sync in Seattle"!
We hope to see many Oregon faces at the upcoming AgeTech West Conference, "Sync in Seattle," November 17-18 at the Hyatt Olive 8 in downtown Seattle. The worlds of technology and aging services are rapidly changing around you - be sure to stay connected and informed in this important area so you aren't left behind!

Patrick Shea reports news from HUD's Portland Multifamily Program office
Patrick Shea, Director of HUD's Portland Multifamily Program office, joined the LeadingAge Oregon Housing Networking Meeting this week to share news about how the multifamily transformation nationwide is impacting the Portland office and the work they do, as well as other HUD-related news. A few tidbits from the meeting:

The Portland office has already lost several Asset Management staff to relocations as a result of the transformation, leaving the remaining staff with the "most challenging" workload ratio in the country, according to Patrick: 112 projects per Project Manager. That explains why it may be taking longer to get your rent increase approved or receive a response to inquiries.
It's unlikely HUD properties will be having a Management and Occupancy Review (MOR) in the near future. It could take 18 months to 2 years for HUD to finally put in place new Contract Administrators and for those CAs to train staff to do the reviews. And HUD staff are so overloaded, if they do any MORs, it will be for those properties considered highest risk.
According to current schedule, Portland multifamily staff will all be relocated during the final transformation phase, between January and June 2016. By that point, there will be no multifamily staff located in the Northwest, and Oregon HUD housing providers will be working with staff in San Francisco or Denver.

Input sought on proposed changes to nursing home Certificate of Need financial review
The Oregon Health Authority has proposed changes to the financial review portion of applications for a Certificate of Need for nursing facilities. The state is soliciting comments on the proposed new approach, which it hopes will make the review process more efficient, effective and user friendly. Read more about the revised approach and access the draft revised financial review format on the LeadingAge Oregon web page under Nursing Facility Resources (scroll down to the two Certificate of Need items posted October 30). Please contact Ruth Gulyas, [email protected], at LeadingAge Oregon with your thoughts on the proposed revised process.

CBC News Hour notes
The state Community-based Care (ALF/RCF) program team held a "CBC News Hour" last week. A few notes:

With the holiday season approaching, the CBC team reminds ALFs and RCFs that they should have policies related to gifts of money or items between residents and staff. If a specific question arises in this area in your community, don't hesitate to call your policy analyst.
Wondering why some findings pointed out as deficiencies during your survey don't actually show up on your survey report? That's because surveyors just use the "top two" deficiency examples in the formal citation, even if several other examples are discovered and noted during your exit conference.
In addition to the usual top survey citations (i.e., Service Plans, Resident Health Services, Change of Condition, etc.), several facilities were cited for 325 - Self Administration of Medications this last quarter. Be sure that if you have residents who are self-administering that you have done a thorough assessment to ensure their capacity to do so.
The CBC team plans to offer a training on infection control, offered in-person in Salem and via webinar, on November 17 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Watch for more information from the Office of Licensing and Regulatory Oversight (OLRO).

Guide details how to develop sensory rooms for individuals with dementia
Two British researchers have developed a guide to assist memory care providers in developing a multi-sensory room for their residents with dementia. The guide, "How to make a sensory room for people living with dementia", contains advice about different materials and tools that can be used to stimulate senses and in turn improve mood and behavior. Download the guide.

LeadingAge member offers idea to invigorate resident and staff wellness
Looking for a fresh idea to enhance resident and staff wellness at your community? Take a look at what one LeadingAge member did to help their residents and staff identify and act on their passion and purpose in life.

Advancing Excellence to host dementia webinar Nov. 12 featuring Dr. Al Power
Dr. Al Power, author of the new book "Dementia Beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-being" will share his thoughts about dealing with behavioral distress without the use of psychoactive drugs during a one-hour webinar November 12. The program costs just $49 and is sponsored by Advancing Excellence. Learn more and register.

Recording of Fair Housing & Assistance Animals webinar to be made available
This week LeadingAge Oregon offered a webinar about Fair Housing and assistance/companion animals in senior living, and it provided an excellent learning opportunity for members about their responsibilities if a resident requests an assistance or companion animal as a reasonable accommodation. Attorney Leah Sykes noted that she is handling several cases where landlords have denied the assistance animal requests and are now being sued under Fair Housing law, with requested damages beginning at around $90,000. So it's important that all senior living organizations know and understand their responsibilities in this area! We recorded the webinar and will be making it available for purchase "on demand." Watch for more information next week.

Leadership Academy alumni and senior leaders: Register now for Bill Zipp program November 14!
A reminder to Leadership Academy participants and alumni as well as LeadingAge Oregon administrator-level senior leaders, there's still time to register for our special leadership class, "Leadership, Conflict and You." The class, which promises to be informative and intensely practical, is a great opportunity to connect/reconnect with the Leadership Academy and facilitator Bill Zipp while continuing to enhance your leadership skills. The program will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 14 at Sysco Food Services in Wilsonville, and includes lunch. Learn more. Register online.

AgeTech West

Preparing to Pilot (P2P) aging service technologies
Innovation is a critical skill and practice for aging services providers - and may mean the difference between being able to continue fulfilling their mission and being disrupted by a competitor or missed strategic opportunity. Technology plays a big part in not only transforming the service experience in traditional care models, but also in scaling new models to achieve sustainability.

As we look forward to the Nov. 17-18 AgeTech West Conference in Seattle, now is a great time to take a moment to consider how your organization is "preparing to pilot" (P2P) the integration of new technologies. Read more.