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For example, in some cases a state might opt to defer to the federal government for penalizing a nursing home violation, because the federal penalties would be greater than the state’s. But if federal enforcement of those penalties is weakened, the health and safety of nursing home residents are jeopardized. That’s why AARP is fighting to put the safety and well-being of nursing home residents first by asking lawmakers to pass nursing home reform legislation. The first reporting date for the CMS Nursing Home COVID-19 data was May 24, 2020, and includes all cases and deaths that were reported since the beginning of the year; however, retroactive reporting is not mandatory, and the accuracy of reporting at the state level is unknown. Vaccination data were first reported for the week ending May 30, 2021, and are mandated as of the week ending June 13, 2021.
However we are hearing facilities are slow to open back up and when they do the hours are too limited, making visitation difficult. In the other 44 states, fewer than one third of staff are up to date on vaccines and less than one tenth of facilities have reached the 75% threshold. This weakening of enforcement represents a sharp departure in policy for CMS, which in 2016 issued regulations that included improved protections against abuse, neglect, exploitation and evictions. For example, last November, CMS stopped using for 18 months a number of the enforcement remedies it has to address certain violations, including financial penalties and the termination of eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare funding.
AARP Texas Urges Legislators to Focus on Nursing Home Safety
At the high end, 95% of residents in South Dakota are fully vaccinated, and 70% are up to date. The rate of resident cases in the week ending December 4 is the highest since early February, during last winter’s Omicron surge. Most facilities now meet criteria for in person visitation because there are no outbreaks.
The CDC publishes a Nursing Home COVID-19 Data Dashboard and Nursing Home Vaccination Data Dashboard that are updated weekly and include several key data points at the state and national level. The rate of resident cases is up 63% and the rate of staff cases is up 70% in the week ending December 4, compared to the last week of the dashboard. AARP sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services asking officials to strengthen enforcement of quality standards to protect the 1.3 million Americans living in nursing homes.
Protecting Nursing Home Residents from Hurricane Ian
So that they can follow up and the Department can continue to work on measures that will enable safe visitation. And vaccinations through the federal long-term care partnership for COVID-19 vaccinations will continue this month. Beginning in June 2020, the data reported by CMS and by individual states appear to be roughly comparable, though exact comparisons are difficult because of the inconsistency in state reporting. Only 5 states and the District of Columbia have even one third of staff up to date on vaccinations and more than one in ten facilities with 75% of staff up to date.
Make sure that families get the information they need about their loved ones including knowing their rights when residents are transferred or discharged because of COVID-19. Many Americans think about retirement as the last big plan they’ll ever have to make, but they’ll need to plan to protect themselves against the risk of making poor decisions later in life. In “Make a Plan While You Can,” AARP Bulletin’s personal finance expert offers advice from making decisions on independent or assisted living to designating power of attorney on major medical decisions in case you can’t make them yourself. Men represent 2 out of 5 of the more than 40 million unpaid family caregivers in the U.S., but the role of male caregivers remains hidden. In honor of National Family Caregivers Month, AARP Bulletinreveals why these 16 million men are the best-kept secret of caregivers in America, and why they are breaking stereotypes of the typical caregiver. Also, in this month’s issue, from putting soap in a nylon stocking for a non-slippery soap to using glow tape for safe walks in the house at night, AARP Bulletin offers six clever and low-cost ways caregivers can make everyday tasks easier.
Answers to Your Question About Nursing Homes
Arizona’s rates are the lowest across the board, with only 74% of residents vaccinated, 58% boosted, and 26% up to date. As of mid-November, 87% of nursing home residents were fully vaccinated and 75% had gotten at least one booster shot; however, only 45% were up to date on vaccinations with the bivalent booster. The rates of resident deaths and resident cases during the 4 weeks ending November 20 are up moderately compared to the previous 4 weeks, while staff cases are up slightly. More recently however, in the weeks ending November 27 and December 4, resident and staff cases are surging rapidly. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. AARP said any weakening of the federal regulations would lead to situations that would have a negative effect on safety for nursing home residents.
There is variation in vaccination rates among regions and facilities within each state, not just between states. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. “These findings coincide with a disturbing trend of CMS actions to undermine federal oversight and enforcement of nursing home quality standards,” the letter, from Joyce A. Rogers, AARP’s senior vice president of government affairs, states. Prohibits visitation until county positivity rates fall to 10% or under , there has been no new onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days in the facility, and the facility is not currently conducting outbreak testing.
Ensure quality care for residents through adequate staffing, oversight, and access to in-person formal advocates, called long-term care Ombudsmen. Please act now to protect our most vulnerable - include language in the state budget to ensure adequate staffing at nursing homes. Ensuring families and friends can visit their loved ones in nursing homes has been a top priority for AARP, and AARP is advocating for visitation for all to resume as soon as possible, which means that it must be safe. Visitation is key to combatting social isolation which has proven negative impacts on people's health. With new COVID-19 cases in North Carolina long-term care facilities declining rapidly over the past several weeks, facilities that meet criteria have been given the green light to resume indoor visitation while continuing to follow infection prevention recommendations. Data points that go back prior to the first reporting date, including the “since January 2020” counts of resident cases and deaths in the state fact sheets, may significantly undercount the total number of cases and deaths.
A survey by AARP of registered voters age 18+ in Virginia showed overwhelming support for a variety of measures to hold nursing homes accountable. More than 7-in-10 (71%) of all voters surveyed support the establishment of minimum hourly staffing thresholds, with support consistent across genders, age groups, and regions. This proposal is supported by almost 8-in-10 (78%) moderate voters and nearly two-thirds (62%) of conservative voters. You must take action to ensure residents receive the care they need by establishing minimum hourly staffing standards. A number of states have taken steps including public reporting of nursing homes and assisted living facilities with COVID-19 cases, increased testing, more PPE, hazard pay for staff, and mobilizing the state National Guard units to support facilities. At the federal level, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is requiring nursing homes to report confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff as well as notify residents and families.
Some states combine data for nursing homes and other long-term care facilities such as assisted living; others combine resident and staff cases and deaths, while others provide limited or no data at all. The threat of COVID-19 means nursing home residents generally can’t have in-person visitors. It’s time for full disclosure and immediate action to protect the residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Help residents stay connected with their families through video chats and phone calls.
AARP continues engaging with CMS to urge the agency to remain vigilant in efforts to protect long-term care facility residents and staff. A July 2021 AARP letter to CMS included recommendations that the federal government commit to working with states, long-term care facilities, and other entities, as needed, to ensure that those facilities can access and administer vaccines for the foreseeable future. Everyone must work together to ensure continued vaccine and booster access and administration. AARP also noted the importance of access to vaccines and COVID-19 tests in a December 2021 letter to CMS supporting COVID-19 vaccination requirements for certain health care workers, including staff of nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid. The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the nation and its impact has been especially deadly for residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 dashboard has tracked five categories of impact since summer 2020, as well as vaccination rates of nursing home residents and health care staff, updated every month to track trends over time.
Message Body I support AARP’s fight to pass nursing home reform legislation because Virginia’s nearly 30,000 nursing home residents deserve better. It’s time for facilities to put the safety and well-being of nursing home residents first. Protect seniors by ensuring that nursing home residents are provided with safe environments and high-quality care.
AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. Now offers information about vaccination and booster rates within individual nursing homes and how they compare to state and national averages. About one thousand nursing home residents died nationwide of COVID-19 during the Dashboard’s most recent reporting period, with more than 25,000 new resident and staff cases reported nationwide as well.
Combat often-fatal isolation by connecting residents with their families through virtual visitation. Require nursing home owners to put the majority of taxpayer funding toward direct care for residents—and report this spending. The percentage of facilities in Texas reporting a shortage of nurses or aides decreased slightly to nearly 14 percent in the four weeks ending March 20. Rates of COVID-19 deaths and cases in nursing homes have declined dramatically in Texas and nationwide as the Omicron wave recedes, according to AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard, covering the four-week period ending March 20.
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