Area Agency on Aging Serving Buncombe, Henderson, Madison & Transylvania Counties
Volume V, Issue 1
Advocacy, Assistance, Answers on Aging
February - April 2010
Project C.A.R.E. transitions to Land-of-Sky Regional Council
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he North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) has announced that the state’s Project C.A.R.E. program will transition to Land-of-Sky Regional Council for program administration. This is an important first step at it readies itself for new partnerships. Project C.A.R.E. (Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty) offers critical respite care, family consultation and linkage to community resources to family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. After eight years of working through the Alzheimer’s Association - Western Carolina, DAAS is transitioning the program to a new organizational structure to help facilitate its continued development. Thanks to their generosity, Project C.A.R.E. will be housed at Pisgah Valley Retirement Community in Candler until a permanent location is determined. “We are undertaking this transition to create a firm foundation on which to facilitate a move from local and regional success toward statewide expansion of Project C.A.R.E.,” said Streets. “We are grateful to the Western Carolina Chapter for playing an integral role in the inception of the program and for serving as a host agency for the past 8 1/2 years.” In conjunction with the Western Carolina Chapter, the Division started this nationally acclaimed program in July 2001, in Western and Piedmont North Carolina through a federal Alzheimer’s demonstration grant received from the U.S. Administration on Aging. In July 2008, the General Assembly added state funding to sustain and help grow the program. Project C.A.R.E. is now being offered in 21 counties across the state with a goal of eventually serving families statewide. The program especially strives to reach low-income rural and minority families.
Project C.A.R.E. Staff
The growth in Project C.A.R.E. can also be attributed to the efforts of Charles Dickens who organized forums across the state in support of expanding Project C.A.R.E. Charles was the Speaker for the Senior Tar Heel Legislature and is the Buncombe County Delegate. Streets added, “We want to especially thank the Land-of-Sky Regional Council and Dr. Dickens for their efforts to support the continued success of Project C.A.R.E.” Project C.A.R.E. staff: Len Erker, Director of Respite Tricia Adell, Data and Finance Manager Kether Abeles, Family Consultant (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania Counties) Heidi Kimsey, Family Consultant (Haywood, Jackson and Swain Counties) Wilhelmenia Pledger, Family Consultant (Forsyth, Surry and Stokes Counties)
Website: www.landofsky.org/aging
Pictured Above L-R: Len Erker, Heidi Kimsey, Kether Abeles, Tricia Adell Pictured Right: Wilhelmenia Pledger from the WinstonSalem office
Phone: 828-251-6622
Family Caregiver Support Program Programs for People with Early Memory Loss and their Caregivers
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o you or someone you love suffer from early memory loss? Land-of-Sky Regional Council’s Family Caregiver Support Program and Health Promotion & Disease Prevention are joining forces to offer two programs for people with early memory loss and their caregivers.
Guided Autobiography
Guided Autobiography is an opportunity to explore where you have been, where you are and where you are going. The Birren method of Guided Autobiography is a specific technique to help us find structure and meaning in the seemingly random events that compose our life. Men and Women of all ages can benefit from this process. The upcoming 6-week session is specific for people experiencing early memory loss and their caregivers. Each week, members of the group will explore a different life theme that has been influential in shaping their lives. The group will engage in memory-priming activities and facilitated discussion. If possible, participants will leave each week and write two pages at home and bring their writing to share in a small group the following week. This workshop will include six, two-hour sessions. We will provide priming questions to trigger memories and help you explore the topic. Join the trained facilitators, Rebecca Chaplin, Pat Hilgendorf & Carol McLimans for the journey of your life.
Guided Autobiography Workshop Pardee Health Education Center Fridays, February 5 – March 12 10:00 am – 12:30 pm Call Rebecca Chaplin at: 251-7438 or 800-727-0557
“Joyce and Dorothy grew up on farms, and Joyce remembers making sausage to sell. They both moved away from home to work, taking care of children. Gwen, a very powerful woman, trained as a nurse and business manager and ran an oncology nursing service. She has moved 57 times in her life and will be moving again, since she is recovering so well from her stroke. The gentlest member of the group, Sue, with her soft, curly hair, drove long-haul trucks coast to coast and loved it. “ - By Penelope Ray, Guided Autobiography participant
Living Healthy with Early Memory Loss
In April we will begin a six-week workshop on healthy living for people with early memory loss and their caregivers employing the techniques used in the Powerful Tools for Caregivers and the Chronic Disease Self Management Program developed at Sanford University. Research has shown that these evidence based programs empowers the participants to take better care of themselves and increases their quality of life. Funding for these programs is provided by a grant from the US Administration on Aging for the purpose of developing innovative practices to help people with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. There is no cost for these programs. For further information and registration call Rebecca or Carol at 828-251-6622.
Living Healthy with Early Memory Loss Mars Hill Methodist Church Fridays, April 9 - May 14 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Contact Rebecca or Carol at 251-6622
Free Resources from the National Institute on Aging
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aring for a Person with Alzheimer’s Disease: Your Easy-to-Use Guide Taking care of some-one with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) can be truly rewarding and also very demanding. Sometimes caregivers feel like they are on an emotional roller coaster. This guide is for people who care for family members or others with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) at home. Sometimes taking care of the person with AD makes you feel good because you are providing love and comfort. Other times it can be overwhelming. You may see changes in the person that are hard to understand and each day can bring new challenges. This guide will help caregivers understand and cope with the many challenges of caring for a person with AD. You may order this from the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center Call toll-free at 800-438-4380 or visit the ADEAR Center website at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers.
February - April 2010
Area Agency on Aging
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Calendar of Events February Guided Autobiography Workshop begins, see 5 page 2** 9 Family Caregiver Support Program Advisory
Committee Meeting, Land-of-Sky Regional Council
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Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council Meeting, Land-of-Sky Regional Council
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Mental Health Issues CEU Class, Land-of-Sky Regional Council, For more info contact Barbara Hinshaw at 251-6622**
18-19 Matter of Balance Coach Training, see page 5**
March 11
Fall Prevention Task Force Meeting, Land-of-Sky Regional Council
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Osteoporosis - Early Recognition, Diagnosis & Management, see page 5**
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Victims Assistance Program Volunteer Training, see page 7**
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Palliative Care: Optimizing Comfort & Quality of Life, Mission Hospital’s Women Resource Center, 5-6:30pm. Sponsored by CAPES (Caring for Aging Parents Education & Support Program). For more info contact Kathleen Lang at 277-8288**
April 9
Living Healthy w/ Early Memory Loss begins, see page 2**
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Health Connections: Aging Well Learning Network Meeting, Land-of-Sky Regional Council**
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Matter of Balance Coach Training, see page 5**
29
Medications CEU Class, Land-of-Sky Regional Council, For more info contact Barbara Hinshaw at 251-6622**
** For additional information on upcoming events, visit www.landofsky.org/aging and click on Calendar and upcoming events for older adults.
Going Green!
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he Area Agency on Aging would like to also offer this newsletter as an online publication. You will be able to view the newsletter as if you are flipping the pages of a magazine and also print it from the site. We will email you a quarterly newsletter update. Let us know if you are interested in only receiving this online version of the newsletter. Contact Christina at christina@ landofsky.org.
February - April 2010
Community Resource Connections for Aging and Disabilities Implementation Grant Award
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and-of-Sky and its partners in aging and disability services are pleased to announce $72,500 in additional funding from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) by way of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement a “uniform portal of entry” (entitled Community Resource Connections for Aging and Disabilities, or “CRC” for short) to long-term services and supports throughout the region. From now through September, 2012, a team of service providers and consumers representing the aging and disability communities will work closely together with United Way’s 2-1-1 to develop a coordinated system of information, assistance and access to services across the four-county region. Emphasis will be given to crosstraining programs, marketing strategies and partnerships with other key initiatives such as the 646 waiver in Buncombe and Madison Counties, entitled “Community Care Connections.” No Wrong Door… North Carolina CRCs take the “no wrong door” approach to the “uniform portal of entry” which promotes that consumers will experience seamless access to relevant, needed information about services regardless of how or where they encounter the system. A CRC is one of the primary vehicles to modernize long-term care systems, particularly by supporting individuals of all disabilities and incomes to make informed, cost-effective choices regarding the services they may need. The initiative builds on existing community infrastructure and realigns systems for more efficient operations. It is important to note that CRCs are not about replacing existing organizations and networks. They’re about building a better, more coordinated network.
SAVE THE DATE 2010 MOUNTAIN GREEN Sustainable Communities Conference Warren Wilson College June 23, 2010
For more conference information visit: www.warren-wilson.edu/~pgibson/Mountain_Green
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Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
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he December snow storm cancelled our Dec. 19, 2009 meeting of the Job Club for all our SCSEP Participants. We are planning another Job Club to be held in March.
We are increasing our American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Participants to 6 and possibly 7 during the next couple of months. That will give us an over enrollment to help us spend our funds by the end of June 2010. The good news is we are receiving a 32% increase in our money for 2010-11 to cover moving any ARRA Participants who have not found jobs into the regular SCSEP Program in July 2010. We pleased to report that Tom Dutton will begin unsubsidized employment on February 1. Tom has been a long-time, hardworking Participant in the SCSEP program, and we are delighted that ABCCM The Vet’s Place has seen their way to hire him to continue working in the dining room. We presently have 23 of 26 regular slots filled, and we have plans to fulfill that enrollment in the next couple of months as well. We are looking forward to an increase in the numbers of those slots in the grant year 2010-11. We will be adding two new Host Agencies this quarter: Eliada Home and Goodwill Industries, where we are placing two new Participants (both ARRA). We look forward to working with these new Host Agencies, and there may even be a possibility of more than one slot with each of these Host Agencies in the future. If you know of any employers who welcome people over 55 years of age who have a strong desire to work, can be relied upon, and who can bring good experience to the business, please contact Jennifer Atkinson or Brenda DelaCruz at 2516622 or email us at Jennifer@landofsky.org or Brenda@landofsky.org.
Senior Tar Heel Legislature
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he North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature (STHL) wrapped up 2009 by presenting the five priorities to be presented to the North Carolina legislators in 2010.
2010 Legislative Priorities • Provide funding to sustain Project C.A.R.E. (Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty). • Increase funding for home and community based services for older adults by increasing the Home and Community Care Block Grant by $5 million. Home and community-based services include homedelivered meals, adult day care, health care, in-home aid and other services that help impaired older adults stay in their homes. • Increase funding for senior centers by an additional $2,000,000 in recurring funds for a total of $3,265,316 a year. • Establish a cap on the increase in the assessed value of property determined during revaluations for persons over the age of 65, eligible for a Homestead Exemption. Revise the limits of the Act to income of $35,000. • Mandate pre-employment and random drug testing for employees of nursing and assisted living facilities.
February - April 2010
New 2-1-1 Database
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nited Way's 2-1-1 of WNC has launched an enhanced online version of its community resource database. Accessing the database is still free, and you can find information about thousands of local services, such as: housing, food, transportation, support groups, money management, legal assistance, and more. Now in the new and improved database, you can: • • • • •
Search for community services by topics; View services on a map; Email or text message search results; Create an account to save searches; and Submit program changes online.
To help you learn how to make the most of this tool, we're hosting some demonstrations at our Asheville location: (We plan to host some sessions in Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties soon!) Tuesday, February 9th from 9:00 to 10:00am Thursday, February 11th from 1:00 to 2:00pm If you have questions or to RSVP for these free sessions, contact Rachael Nygaard, 2-1-1 Director, at rachael. nygaard@unitedwayabc.org or (828) 239-1037.
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Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Mission Hospital Foundation is “Taking a Stand” for Fall Prevention
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hank you to the Mission Foundation for taking a stand to prevent falls and fall-related injuries! On January 4, 2010, the Mission Foundation granted Land-of-Sky Regional Council’s Area Agency on Aging $10,000 to develop fall prevention provider education in Western North Carolina. This work will primarily be accomplished through the newly named WNC Fall Prevention Coalition: Taking a Stand. The coalition meets every other month at the Landof-Sky Regional Council and has recently divided into 4 subcommittees: Community Awareness and Education; Provider Education; Community Screening and Referral; and Advocacy for Supportive Policies and Environments. We are truly grateful for the Mission Foundation’s commitment to our community’s well-being and trust there will be a meaningful return on this investment.
Call for Support:
Does your organization want to take a stand to prevent falls and fall-related injuries? Contact Rebecca at 251-7438 to discuss your participation, in-kind or financial support for this regional initiative.
Matter of Balance Coach Training This award winning* program is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase the activity levels of older adults who have concerns about falls. This program utilizes two trained volunteer coaches to teach the eight two-hour sessions. These trainings are free and a great opportunity to gain community-based experience in fall prevention Upcoming programs training in Hickory on February 18 &19 and in Clyde on April 21. Contact Rebecca at 251-7438 for more information. Fabulous Friday Presentation on Osteoporosis at UNCA by Kate Queen Osteoporosis - Early Recognition, Diagnosis, & Management How is osteoporosis evaluated and treated? How important are Vitamin D supplements? What’s the best management of bone health in men? What new therapies are on the horizon? Come learn from Kate Queen, MD, founder and medical director of Haywood Regional Medical Center Osteoporosis Center. March 26 - FREE and open to the public at UNCA Reuter Center, Manheimer Room.
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he Living Healthy Program invites you to participate in a selfmanagement workshop for people with any type of ongoing health problems. These problems may include heart disease, lung disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, overweight, fibromyalgia and others. Designed at Stanford University, research studies have shown that the workshop is extremely effective in helping people manage their health. Sessions are highly participative, where mutual support and success build the participants’ confidence in their ability to manage their health and maintain active and fulfilling lives. The workshops are designed to help you manage pain, fatigue, depression and frustration; improve and maintain health with appropriate exercise; use medication wisely, set goals that are doable; relax and manage stress; etc. Below is the 2010 schedule for the Living Healthy workshops. Shiloh Community Center 121 Shiloh Road, Asheville Wednesdays, February 24 - March 31 2:00 - 4:30 pm Contact Rebecca at 251-7438
Upcoming Fall Prevention Activities:
February - April 2010
Living Healthy: Chronic Disease Self Management Program
Pardee Rehabilitation & Wellness Center 212-B Thompson Street, Hendersonville Wednesdays, March 10 - April 14 2:00 - 4:30 pm Contact Rebecca at 251-7438 Mission Hospital, Health Education Center 445 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville Thursdays, March 11 - April 15, 2010 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Call 213-2222 option 2 ask for Living Healthy course Brevard College, Creekside 9 (Cost: $75) Tuesdays, March 30 - May 4, 2010 2:30 - 5:00 pm Contact Brevard College at 884-3135 Lakeview Senior Center 401 South Laurel Circle, Black Mountain Fridays, April 9 - May 14 2:00 - 4:30 pm Contact Rebecca or Christina at 251-6622
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Ombudsman Overview
An Ombudsman is an advocate for residents’ rights and is responsible for investigating complaints made by, or on behalf of, nursing and adult care home residents. They work with residents, family members, concerned citizens, facilities, as well as public and private agencies to enhance the quality of care and life for residents in long-term care.
Adult Protective Services and the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
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he Long Term Care Ombudsman Program and Adult Protective Services Programs each began in response to the needs of individuals. These programs have fundamentally different but complementary missions and legal mandates which require coordination in order to effectively serve clients. Both programs share a concern for vulnerable adults and a responsibility for client confidentiality, information and referral, investigation, and intervention, among other functions. Both programs must cultivate and maintain relationships with a number of other agencies in order to increase their visibility and serve their clients. In spite of some commonalities, there are also some distinctions. The Ombudsman Program, for example, can represent one client, several individuals, all residents of a facility, or raise an issue even when no resident feels safe being the client, while Adult Protective Services works on behalf of an individual client. Ombudsmen can have a regular, on-going presence in facilities, visiting with individual residents whether or not there is a problem or a client. The Ombudsman Program works to change systems, policies, or facility practices if necessary to benefit clients and may work to get others to develop and implement service plans for clients. Adult Protective Services works to develop service plans and/or arrange for services on behalf of individual clients. The Ombudsman Program is established in federal law, the Older Americans Act, (OAA), and since 1978 all states are required to have the program. Adult Protective Services Programs are established by state law; therefore states are not required to operate a program and there is no uniformity of requirements b/w the states which do. In 1987, elder abuse prevention funds were made available through the Older Americans Act (OAA) to assist states in educational and other activities focused on prevention. In some states, these changes resulted in a closer working relationship between the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program and Adult Protective Services. With the creation of an Elder Rights Section of the OAA, Title VII in 1992, there was increasing emphasis upon coordination among a number of programs including Ombudsman and Adult Protective Services. Separate and important missions exist for Ombudsman Programs and Adult Protective Services. These differences can be acknowledged and used for creative collaboration in order to better serve vulnerable adults.
Who do you call with your Long-Term Care Facility Concerns? 828-251-6622 OR 1-800-727-0557 Barbara Hinshaw Buncombe County
Terry Collins
Henderson & Madison Counties
Lee Ann Smith
Buncombe & Transylvania Counties
February - April 2010
Trainings from Ombudsmen
(Article from a paper by the National Association of State Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs)
Guess What They’re Doing
uary
e Jan bers at th CAC Mem entation Ori
a) Watching a 3D movie b) Looking at a solar eclipse c) Trying out for a science fiction movie d) None of the above
You are right! None of the above! They are participating in an educational training put on by the Regional Ombudsmen to encourage a higher level of sensitivity and deeper understanding of the elderly population. The “Sensitivity Training” has been taught to numerous groups throughout the region. If you may be interested in your group experiencing the “Sensitivity Training” or the “Residents’ Rights Training” please contact your local Ombudsman. CEU’s are also available as requested.
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Community Advisory Committee (CAC) CAC Meeting Calendar
Welcome New CAC Members Welcome: Jeffory Quick to the Buncombe County Adult Care Home CAC Lisa Parr and Ben Wax to the Buncombe County Nursing Home CAC Carol Harness and Linda Mahring to the Henderson County ACH/NH CAC Thanks and Farwell to: Patricia James from the Buncombe County Nursing Home CAC Kay Robinson, Lesley Jones and Pat Strickland from the Henderson County ACH/NH CAC
VAP
VAP
volunteer training
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and-of-Sky Regional Council’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and Area Agency on Aging (AAA), are working together with the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) and the NC Attorney General’s Office (AG) to create a Victims Assistance Program (VAP). VAP utilizes the skills and availability of trained senior volunteers to assist the special detectives in the State Attorney General’s Office to provide follow-up with community seniors who have been victims of crime. This initiative provides intense training to volunteers to help them become effective mentors and “buddies” to victims of fraud. The goals of this initiative are to reduce the ongoing incidence of fraud and to establish a protocol for early detection of signs and symptoms of fraud in the vulnerable aging population. Date: Time: Location: Cost:
March 31, 2010 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Land-of-Sky Regional Council FREE, Lunch will be provided
Buncombe County NH: March 25 Henderson County ACH/NH: Feb 10, March 10, April 14 Madison County ACH/NH: March 11 Transylvania County ACH/NH: April 15
You will be missed! Thank you for your services!
Victims Assistance Program
Buncombe County ACH: Feb 19, March 19, April 16
Update on Star Rating System
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ast year we informed you that the division of Adult Care Licensure started issuing star ratings for adult care homes in North Carolina. Based on this system each facility could receive a maximum of 3 stars in this first year. Adult Care Home Star Ratings are based on the results of annual and follow-up survey inspections conducted by the Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR i.e. the state surveyors) and findings by the local County Department of Social Services. The rating system is based on an evaluation of compliance with minimum standards set forth by the State of North Carolina rules and regulations for Adult Care Homes. It is based on a 100 point scale and each facility started with 100 points. Improvements in the system are underway. Initially the Star Rating system did not take into account whether facilities met standards on staffing, medication administration, training and sanitation. The potential for a fourth star will now be added to the rating system in efforts to widen the consumer’s view of a home and to include any negative factors as well as previous penalties against facilities for inadequate care. Penalties levied against facilities for neglect could weigh heavily against them. “When the four stars start being issued, you’ll see a truer reflection of the care being provided,” said Jeff Horton, head of the State Division of Health Services Regulation, which oversees the centers (from a 1/04/10 article by Thomas Goldsmith of the Raleigh News and Observer.) This rating system should not be confused with the federal Nursing Home 5 Star rating system which was implemented in 2008. The Adult Care Home Star Rating System is unique to North Carolina.
Due to limited space, registration is required. To register call Christina at 251-6622 or email christina@ landofsky.org. For more information about the training contact Patti Cameron or Barbara Hinshaw at 2516622.
February - April 2010
Area Agency on Aging
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339 New Leicester Hwy., Suite 140 Asheville, NC 28806 Phone: 828.251.6622 Fax: 828.251.6353 Website: www.landofsky.org/aaa A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.
~Tom Stoppard
We would like to hear what you think about the Area Agency on Aging Newsletter. Also, if you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please notify Christina at 828.251.6622. Please recycle this newsletter.
Area Agency on Aging Advocacy, Assistance, Answers on Aging
February 2010 Volume V / Issue 1
Aging Program Staff
VISION
Barbara Hinshaw - Lead Regional Ombudsman Brenda DelaCruz - Assistant Job Developer, SCSEP Carol McLimans - Family Caregiver Resource Specialist Christina Giles - Area Agency on Aging Project Assistant,
Newsletter Layout & Design
Jennifer Atkinson - Senior Community Service
Employment Program Coordinator (SCSEP)
Joe Connolly - Director, Area Agency on Aging Lee Ann Smith - Regional Ombudsman Margaret Stanley - Aging Specialist - Contracts Rebecca Chaplin - Aging Specialist - Programs Terry Collins - Regional Ombudsman
The Area Agency on Aging is a leader and catalyst in helping our four-county Region (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania) develop a comprehensive system of programs and opportunities that provide older adults the information and support needed to age optimally in the setting of their choice. Please share this newsletter with residents, staff, family members, volunteers and others interested in our community.