Month: March 2013

Guest Post: Your Legislators Need to Hear From You

By: Beverly Pavasaris
President, Brockton Visiting Nurse Association
President, Home Care Alliance Board of Directors

MA-State-HouseWith six home care-related bills working their way through the State House and budget meetings in progress, now is an ideal time to get to know your legislators and speak with them about the importance of home health in their districts.

Here are four things you can do to make a difference:

Talk to your Representatives

State representative and senators (find them here) rely on informed constituents to help them understand the legislation before them.  Don’t assume that they know what home health care is or why it’s important. Be prepared to educate your legislators or their health care staff. It is well worth your time.

Your congressmen and senators, also have district offices near you, whose staff you can speak with. Make it a point to reach out to them when they are in their home district offices.

Before you contact your legislators, be sure to read up about the home care-related bills proposed in this session (and which the Home Care Alliance endorsed):

  • An Act Relative to Home Health and Hospice Aides (S.1064) sponsored by Senator Richard T. Moore.
  • An Act Establishing a Certificate of Need for Home Health Care (H.1028) sponsored by Rep. Kate Hogan
  • An Act Allowing Out of State Physicians to Order Home Care Services (S.1042) sponsored by Senator Michael Knapik
  • An Act Relative to Telehealth (Senate Docket 1771) sponsored by Senator Harriette Chandler
  • An Act Relative to Pediatric Home Care Services (H.1007) sponsored by Rep. Michael Brady
  • An Act Relative to Vehicles of Home Health Clinicians (H.1864) sponsored by Rep. John Mahoney

Be sure to contact both your personal representatives – i.e., those who represent the district you live in – and those who represent the district where your business is located.

Schedule a Home Visit

Invite legislators – both state and federal – to come with you on a home visit. Seeing how home care works is more powerful than hearing description over the phone, and also gives them a chance to meet with constituents and get a good photo op.  If you would like assistance in setting up a visit, contact the Alliance’s James Fuccione.

Recruit Your Board & Employees

Your board members and employees can also be powerful advocates for home care. Inform them about the issues and have them make phone calls to their representatives as well.

Attend Lobbying Events

  • March 17th through the 20th is NAHC’s March on Washington;
  • Massachusetts Lobby Day at the State House on March 28th; and
  • VNAA Public Policy Leadership Conference is on September 18-19, 2013 in Washington.

If you have any questions about contacting your legislators, contact James Fuccione, the Alliance’s Director of Legislative and Public Affairs.

Good luck and see you at the State House and in Washington!

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Best Around the (Home Care) Web

As a new feature, the Alliance will scour the blogosphere each week for the news affecting the home care industry.  Here are highlights from this week:

Prevent Falls with a Nightlight

Are you looking for a device that can help your loved one lower his or her risk of falling in the home? How about one that fits in the palm of your hand? Surprisingly this post isn’t about the latest generation of smart phones, but the good old-fashioned nightlight.  — VNSNY

CDC: Most Recent Flu Vaccine Ineffective For Seniors

This season’s flu vaccine was almost completely ineffective in people 65 and older, which could explain why rates of hospitalization and death have been some of the highest ever recorded for that age group, according to early estimates released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For people under 65, getting vaccinated this season reduced the need to go to the doctor for the flu by one-half to two-thirds.   — USA Today, via CommonHealthBlog

Talking to Seniors About ID Theft & Financial Security

Identity theft may never happen to one of your senior loved ones – – and we hope it does not. It’s so much easier to take protective steps up front than it is to repair the mess it can become afterward, however, that we should help the seniors in our lives consider and implement those steps. — via Senior Care Corner

Report: Alzheimer’s Cases Could Triple By 2050

Doctors, researchers and public health experts are already bracing for an onslaught of new patients by developing drugs and preparing caregivers for the emotional and physical stress.

“This is an issue that’s going to touch each of us personally or someone that we know and care about,” said Lora Connolly, director of the California Department of Aging, which expects to be serving as many as 1.2 million patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia in the state by 2030. “It won’t happen overnight, but the pressure will continue to mount.” — LA Times, via CommonHealth

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Caregiver Videos: Introduction to Physical Therapy

Earlier this year, we introduced the Care Giver Video Resource Center, our YouTube series for family care providers about home care and home care agencies.

In the seventh video in the series, Geoffrey Abraskin, PT, DPT of Amedisys Home Health & Hospice Care discusses what Physical Therapy is and how it can be used in a home care setting.

To view the full series, visit our YouTube channel.  To access library of hundreds of care giver resources on a variety of subjects, visit www.eldercareskills.org, who produced the videos with us. Continue reading “Caregiver Videos: Introduction to Physical Therapy”