We’re delighted to announce that this year, the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (Consumer Voice), celebrates its 50th Anniversary. For half a century, Consumer Voice has worked tirelessly to empower long-term care residents, their families, and advocates as they seek quality care and services, quality of life, and protection of rights.
Select highlights from our 50 years:
1975: The National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) was founded by Elma Holder as a “united consumer voice” for individuals living in nursing homes. NCCNHR served as the primary organization on the national level dedicated solely to advocating on behalf of nursing home residents and bringing together groups across the nation seeking to make quality care in nursing homes a reality.- 1985: NCCNHR releases Consumer Perspectives on Quality Care: The Residents’ Point of View. The Coalition convened groups of residents in 15 cities across the country, who described their vision of quality nursing home care.
- 1987: NCCNHR’s diligent efforts were key in securing the passage of the Nursing Home Reform Act, one of the most important and influential nursing home laws ever enacted.
- 1993: NCCNHR was awarded its first grant to operate the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, educating and supporting thousands of advocates across the country.
- 1996: NCCNHR publishes Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There, consumer action manual offering strategies and solutions for protecting resident’s rights and obtaining quality care in nursing homes. Book authors are Sarah Greene Burger, Sara Hunt, Virginia Fraser, and Barbara Frank.
- 2005: Residents, family members, citizen advocacy group members, ombudsmen, workers and others speak passionately about the need for quality long-term care at an official White House Conference on Aging event sponsored by NCCNHR – Giving Voice to Quality: A Consumer Dialogue on Facility-Based Long-Term Care.
- 2006: NCCNHR releases Faces of Neglect, a profile of long-term care facility residents who were severely neglected and abused, to highlight the need for strong standards, enforcement, and protection of residents’ rights.
- 2012: NCCNHR recommitted itself to amplifying the voices of people living in a spectrum of long-term care settings by debuting as the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care (Consumer Voice).
- 2014: Consumer Voice kicks off a national nursing home staffing campaign, 4.1- It Can Be Done, to educate policymakers and the public about the need for stronger nursing home staffing laws at both the state and federal levels and to advocate for such laws to be passed.
- 2017: Consumer Voice organizes a Consumer Advisory Committee of current and former long-term care facility residents from across the country who want to increase their involvement in national policy discussions.
- 2019: Consumer Voice, in partnership with AARP Foundation, launches a national consumer education campaign, Avoiding Drugs As Chemical Restraints: Changing the Culture of Care.
- 2020 – 2021: The COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted critical issues that Consumer Voice has worked non-stop to address – e.g. staffing shortages, infection control, poor quality care and neglect, resident isolation, rights’ violations. Consumer Voice published reports The Devastating Effect of Lockdowns on Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities During COVID-19 and surveys of residents and family members on the impacts of limitation on visitation.
- 2022 – 2024: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Consumer Voice rapidly investigated and spoke out on these issues that most urgently affected the health, safety, rights, and quality of life of long-term care recipients, publishing the report Where Do the Billions of Dollars Go? calling for transparency in nursing home finances and advocating ceaselessly for adequate staffing in nursing homes.
Through the decades, Consumer Voice has stood steadfast in advocating for critical public policies; empowering and educating consumers and families; training and supporting individuals and groups that advocate for consumers of long-term care; and promoting the critical role of direct-care workers. We envision a world in which all long-term care consumers are treated with respect and dignity, and have a wide range of affordable, quality options across all settings.
Join us throughout this year as we celebrate Consumer Voice’s storied 50 years of advocacy! Let’s join hands in looking to the future and continuing to stand up and speak out for everyone receiving long-term care, their families, and those who work with them every day.
