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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
Menu
Shop
Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
Consumers for Quality Care, No Matter Where is an initiative launched that was launched by the Consumer Voice in October 2010. The initiative expands the Consumer Voice’s national grassroots advocacy network to focus on issues faced by long-term care consumers who receive services and supports in non-nursing home settings and builds a strong consumer voice to advocate for well-coordinated, accessible, quality long-term services and supports both at home and in the community (“home and community-based services” or “HCBS”).
A key component of the initiative was conducting pilot projects in five states. The states were:
In each of these states and at the national level, the Consumer Voice worked to:
Identify and mobilize consumers around state and national policy issues related to HCBS;
Prepare a report presenting the consumer perspective on quality home care and policy recommendations for each state and across the pilot states;
Educate consumers about options for long-term services and supports and how to advocate for quality care and services for themselves or others; and
Increase the number, diversity and engagement of consumers and other advocates in the state network and the national Consumer Voice network.
For more information, contact Consumer Voice Director, Public Policy & Advocacy, Robyn Grant at rgrant@theconsumervoice.org.
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care worked with a number of organizations across the country to improve the quality of home care in California, New Mexico, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia and nationwide. We could not have accomplished this without hearing directly from the people who are actually receiving services and care at home. To do that we sought out home care consumers who were willing to share their experiences. We wanted to know what they thought makes for good care and services at home. We interviewed consumers who recevied care, services and supports in their home and also had consumers give us information by computer to learn about their experiences with home care and their opinions. In addition, we held a national conference call on July 31, 2012 as another way for us to get the perspectives of consumers. The information we received from both the interviews and the conference call were used to write a report for policymakers with recommendations about how to make home care better. The report was released on September 7, 2012.
Read the report online here: http://issuu.com/consumervoice/docs/cprfinal
Or in .pdf format: Download now
Press Release 9/7/12 – Read it here
LONG-TERM CARE CONSUMERS VOICE THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT HOME CARE
New Report Shows: Consumers Are Adamant about Staying At Home; More Funding for Services and Better Pay for Workers Desperately Needed
March 28, 2012 - Long-Term Services, Supports and Housing: Choices & Advocacy
On March 28, 2012 the Consumer Voice held a conference call titled Long-Term Services, Support and Housing: Choices & Advocacy. The call provided consumers currently receiving or seeking long-term services and supports in their home, their family members, as well as long-term care ombudsmen, other advocates and interested others with an overview of options for long-term services and supports (LTSS) at home and in the community. It also covered housing rights and ways to overcome barriers to obtaining affordable, accessible housing. The call included presentations from: Jessica Brill Ortiz, Program Manager at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care; Robyn Grant, Director of Advocacy and Outreach at the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care; Sarah Kaplan, Independent Living and Youth Advocate at the Boston Center for Independent Living; Bonnie Milstein, Director of Housing Policy for the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Co-Chair of the Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force; and Julie Sanchez a Consumer from New Mexico.
A free recording of the conference call is available here. The call materials are available here. A CD of the call recording and printed versions of call handouts are also available for purchase from the Consumer Voice for $5.00, plus shipping and handling. Visit the Consumer Voice Store or call 202.332.2275 for more information or to place an order.
July 31, 2012 - Long-Term Services and Supports: Consumer Input Call
On July 31, 2012 the Consumer Voice hosted a national conference call for homecare consumers, titled “Long-Term Services and Supports: Consumer Input Call.” This event was open to any consumer who receives care, services, and supports in their home. Our goal for the call was to better understand what is important to consumers who receive care and services in their own homes. We posed a series of ten questions and received feedback from consumers on each question. The questions ranged from how consumers feel about their workers, their care and services, the kind of choices they’d like to make, and finally what they think the government can do to improve/ensure quality care.
We were incredibly pleased with the outcome of the conference call and thrilled with the responses and participation we got directly from consumers. We feel this type of advocacy, where you go directly to real consumers to get an understanding of what they’re experiencing, is innovative and critically important. We want to thank everyone in our network who helped spread the word. It was a direct result of your efforts that our call was such a success.
A free recording of the conference call is available here. The call materials are available here.
November 14, 2012 - From Consumer Voices to Advocacy Action
We all want quality long-term services and supports at home – but what does this actually mean to the consumer? The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care went directly to home care consumers and asked that very question. The results were published in our recently released report, Consumer Perspectives on Quality Home Care.
During this webinar participants learned:
• How consumers assess quality and the policy implications of what consumers believe is needed to achieve quality long-term services and supports at home.
• Key skills for turning policy recommendations into advocacy action.
A free recording of the conference call is available here. The call materials are available here.
April 9, 2013 - Consumer-Directed Home Care
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care hosted a national webinar about consumer-directed home care. During this webinar participants learned:
A free recording of the conference call is available here. The presentation slides are available here and the call materials are available here.
September 16, 2013 - What is Quality Home Care? An Informational Webinar
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care hosted a national training webinar about what quality home care looks like. While the definition of good care will vary from person to person, there are basic elements that make up quality home care. This webinar gave participants a road map for what quality care at home should look like and action steps an individual can take if they feel they are not getting quality care. During this webinar participants learned:
A free recording of the conference call is available here. The presentation slides are available here and the call materials are available here.
Press Releases:
Long-Term Care Consumers Voice Their Opinions About Home Care (September 7, 2012)
Pilot States Announced for Initiative Dedicated to Achieving Quality Care for Older Adults (February 17, 2011)
National Consumer Organization Expands Project Dedicated to Achieving Quality Care for Older Adults (January 6, 2011)
National Consumer Organization Expands its Commitment to Quality Long-Term Care Through new Three-Year Project (September 29, 2010)
"Pilot Program May Affect Care of Illinois Nursing Home Residents," Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog(February 2011)
Advisory Council Members:
National Advisory Council Meeting Notes
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care worked with a number of organizations across the country to improve the quality of home care in California, New Mexico, Ohio, Vermont, Virginia and nationwide. We created state-specific consumer educational materials that address the following topics: how to get good home care; where to turn for help with home care; and paying for long term care. You can access the state-specific fact sheets here:
In addition, we created a national fact sheet which addresses the question, "What is quality home care?" and gives consumers a roadmap for what quality care at home should look like. You can access the national fact sheet here: