Long Overdue in Ohio! A Step in the right direction.

The good and the bad....

Here is the information provided about the Ohio Nursing Home Task Force by Govenor DeWine’s Office

We are happy to see they are doing a Nursing Home Task Force in Ohio. It's long overdue. This is a step in the right direction. However, these tasks meetings do not include any advocates such as EA who is in Ohio nor family members.

Advocates and Family members need to be more involved on committees and task force's to get views from all sides. We think it's great they are taking input and feedback from the community, however, advocates and families have got to be involved on the committee to work together on solutions. It's hard to put a puzzle together if your missing some pieces, and important ones at that.

This was an issue during covid. Only state agencies and healthcare associations were included in the conversations and that does not give a accurate or full view of the issues. EA has talked and assisted a large number of families for their loved one, we have also talked to many working in the field. We are objective, not subjective like many state agencies can be. These state agencies many times are failing the families and although no one wants that out in the public, the families and healthcare workers fully know this. So, we all act like these issues don't exist. We don't say them to attack anyone, we say it because these issues must be addressed. Human live depends on it.

We are being heard, but we need to be louder that they realize the most affected or the most knowledgeable should be included in the conversations and solutions. We have never skirted around what help is needed, and agencies to see they could use some improvement and are not perfect is a good start. But when you self evaluate yourself, it tends to bring good marks on the report card.