EA's Take on Current Long-Term Care Advocacy

It is amazing how we have been learning constantly the way things are in long-term care. Our thinking on the causes and the solutions has many overwhelming answers. We have talked to many people working in the field, families that are overseeing care, to even residents in a facility. These are some of our conclusions, some of our thinking changed and some proved to be point on.

In the beginning, we were not anxious to make a bunch of new laws unless meaningful enforcement goes with it. Many think the answer is to make new laws that demand things have to be done a certain way, however, it truly has no meaning without being able to enforce it. We clearly see that by not being able to enforce the great Resident Right Laws in place. When we can enforce those, then new laws may get enforced as well. So, we hope all advocates will realize you must get enforcement and oversight of the laws you propose, otherwise it is just more words added into meaningless laws.

While some of us advocates work on laws w/enforcements, some of us must help the residents now who are declining faster only because they are not empowered to thrive. We must also help those that don't have a lot of time to wait. EA has seen and had reports of too many bad endings that should not have happened,. So our advocacy is to help those residing in long-term now, and work on what we can change now. To be clear on this, sometimes we see new advocates coming forward to do the same efforts that advocates have tried over and over in the past, with nothing changing. So, again, we emphasize, new laws mean nothing without oversight and enforcement.

It seems so complicated the long list of owners, investors, and private equity firms that are making huge profits off this arena. Although they claim it is a losing situation, we then ask why do they own so many and why do you keep building on every street corner, doesn't seem like it's that unprofitable?

So, in sorting through these myths and truths, we have come to the conclusion that before going to the state and federal level which can be frustrating and years being in the works, maybe we need to start at a local level. First we need to show we care. If we don't, it is likely no one else will. We all need to make this a priority just as we do with other things as this will certainly have a high chance to affect us all. We have the power to do something now, it won't be there later. Then we need to get our city and county officials on our team to improve care for the elders in our community. They seem to get a free pass as everyone seems to jump to state and federal level. We have a better chance for oversight and enforcement if local community persons and officials take up this cause. We have seen already the people that show up for Summit County Nursing Home Tasks Force Meetings and the questions being asked and the show of support from the community has made a big difference in that county! And someone from the community got those in power to care what happens in long-term care or all the ambulance calls the city gets from poor care. For they have had many public meetings on these issues and continue to move in a positive direction.

We will make it clear for those facilities that are not perfect but willing to do their best and work with families instead of telling them what they want to hear or intimidating them not to speak up, we absolutely want to work with them and we hope to fill their beds. We hope to empty the beds of the bad actors who give the good ones a bad name.

This all sounds good in theory, however, none of it will happen unless many of you make the commitment to do something, anything, to make things better for those needing a higher level of help now and in the future. A lot of us watching a few of us try to make a difference, won't do it. If we don't get a lot of us, nothing will change. Nothing.

It's in our hands. Together we can make a difference. We already have in many ways. Let's keep going and growing!

The Board of EA

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