News In Brief - September 18, 2014

An eye on the fire
Our thoughts this week are with the staff and residents of LeadingAge Oregon members Whispering Pines and 300 Main, affordable senior housing communities in Estacada, as the area battles a stubborn fire that has sent smoke into Portland and the Willamette Valley. We managed to catch up with Whispering Pines Administrator Lisa Homan, a volunteer with the Estacada Fire Department, who said Sunday and Monday were "a little scary" as the town filled with smoke and falling ash. Luckily evacuation was not called for, although plans were put in place with American Medical Response and the local school district for ambulances and school buses, just in case. The facility switched to recirculated air and has told residents not to use their PTAC units to minimize exposure to smoke. Homan said they are all looking forward to the rain that is expected next week, and noted she will have a lot of "lessons learned" to share with other LeadingAge Oregon communities as a result of the experience!

Join us October 29 for webinar on Fair Housing and assistance animals
Whether your senior living community has allowed pets or not, chances are you have or will receive a request for a reasonable accommodation from a resident who claims a disability need for an assistance animal. Requests like these are more and more common, and can raise many questions about the responsibilities of the organization and the animal owner. Join us on October 29 to examine best practices related to assistance animals, featuring landlord/tenant law attorney Leah Sykes of Bittner & Hahs. Access the flier. Register online.

Senate, House Committees hear about Housing with Services pilot project
Legislators serving on the Senate Interim Committee on Health Care and Human Services and the House Interim Health Services and Housing Committee heard presentations at the State Capitol this week on the Housing with Services pilot project, spearheaded by LeadingAge Oregon member Cedar Sinai Park. David Fuks, Cedar Sinai Park CEO, and Howard Klink, Housing with Services Project Director, were joined by representatives of two of their partner organizations, CareOregon CEO Patrick Curran and Home Forward Supportive Housing Program Director Rachael Duke. Curran and Duke noted how excited they are to be part of the project, which aims to better coordinate social services and health care, reduce health care costs and improve outcomes for the low-income seniors living in 11 apartment complexes in Portland. The presentation was warmly received by members of both committees, who called the model "exciting." LeadingAge Oregon members have the opportunity to hear the latest news about how the project is going during a presentation at the Fall Leadership Conference in Hood River on October 7.

ALF contracts under scrutiny
Contracts for assisted living and other senior living settings are a "hot topic" among state and national legal circles as seniors increasingly complain that they find the contracts confusing. The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-term Care has embarked on a special project to analyze ALF contracts with the goal of creating educational materials to better equip prospective residents and their families. Participants in Oregon's workgroup looking at ALF/RCF Uniform Disclosure Statements learned yesterday that the Oregon Department of Justice has received calls from Oregon seniors related to ALF/RCF and senior living contracts and has sent examples of Oregon contracts to the national project.

Tomorrow's RN Delegation program to be presented both live and via webinar
ALF and RCF nurses who were unable to sign up for the state's RN Delegation training tomorrow (Friday September 19) in Salem before the class filled up can listen to the presentation via live webinar. Contrary to what it says in the Administrator Alert, there is no need to sign up if you are participating via webinar. The program is scheduled from 9 to 11:00 a.m. Read more and access the webinar link.

How inclusive is your community?
It's a hard truth, but some of the most blatant examples of ageism and "ableism" - discrimination against those who exhibit signs of cognitive or physical disability - occur in retirement living settings. A group of LeadingAge fellows examines this perplexing issue in the latest LeadingAge magazine.

University report finds assisted living communities make poor first impressions
A study by George Mason University students found that assisted living communities make poor first impressions and haven't improved their performance in this area over the last decade. Marketing staff fielding telephone inquiries fail to ask basic information about prospective residents, didn't offer in-person tours and neglected to gather information to boost marketing efforts. Read more.

Policy related to sexual expression and consent available online
The Hebrew Home at Riverdale, a LeadingAge member in New York, has developed an updated policy on sexual expression that has been praised by elder advocates for the respectful way it recognizes each individual's need for intimacy and connection. The policy includes a definition and guideline for addressing matters of consent to sexual activity, and spells out resident rights as well as staff and organizational responsibilities. The guideline helps professionals to ask questions in assessing consent to sexual activity. The organization has made the policy available online.