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Nursing staff levels and other measures will soon be translated into a five-star rating system for nursing homes by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, although it is not yet clear how the data will be translated into ratings. CMS is soliciting input into the process during June and July. In a June 18 [...]

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The Institute of Medicine (IOM) needs more input from direct-care workers on its recent report on the health care workforce, according to a letter (pdf) to the IOM from the Iowa CareGivers Association (ICA). Retooling for an Aging America, the IOM’s report, did mention the need for more direct-care worker leadership, the ICA letter notes, but [...]

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Read or listen to Colin Bates’ essay We talk a lot about how direct-care workers help people achieve independence, but isn’t that really a contradiction in terms? I’m wondering because I just listened to Our Vulnerability is Our Strength, an essay read on NPR’s Weekend Edition. In his June 8 broadcast, Colin Bates (pictured), a resident service assistant and [...]

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“If the direct support workforce crisis is not resolved—if direct support workers in the community continue to receive low wages and poor benefits—people with disabilities, family members, and advocates may not have a say in the matter of whether direct support workers become unionized. It is far better to engage in constructive dialogue with forward-looking [...]

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Empowering CNAs was found to improve their work performance and job satisfaction, improve resident care, and reduce turnover in a study reported in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Vol. 34 No. 3. In “CNA Empowerment: Effects on Job Performance and Work Attitudes,” Cynthia M. Cready and colleagues from the University of North Texas discuss their [...]

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We all know most people would rather receive long-term care services at home than in a facility. But did you know that baby boomers – at least, most of those who responded to a recent survey – would rather be helped by a paid professional than a family member? A survey of 1,011 middle- and [...]

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