Development Rule Workshop Concerning Changes to Chapter 58A-Assisted Living Facilities - The Florida Department of Elder Affairs held another Development Rule Workshop on proposed changes to Chapter 58A-Assisted Living Facilities.  FAHSA attended the workshop and responded with recommendations to the proposed rule changes to Chapter 58A related to Assisted Living Facilities.  For copies of the proposed rule, please click here. For a copy of FAHSA's response and recommendations, click here. 

OSHA Announces Recordkeeping National Emphasis Program --New this week on the legal page of AAHSA.org is the following summary of OSHA's recently announced National Emphasis Program on recordkeeping.  There are special provisions regarding ergonomics injuries, which appear to be aimed at making a case down the line for an ergonomics standard. Read more about this in this week's FAHSA Nursing Home Alert. 

Miami Jewish Health Systems Featured in New York Times Article -- As a result of disparaging remarks made in a public forum concerning nursing home care, New York Times reporter, Jane Brody, was invited to visit Miami Jewish Health Systems (formerly the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital) - a FAHSA member with a stellar history of providing excellent care.  She states in the article that she "was delighted to discover an example of a home where one could not only benefit medically and emotionally but also enjoy one's last days." Miami Jewish Home and Hospital evolved through visionary leadership and generous donations from community members to become one of the top-ranked centers in the nation. "Many of its features, especially the caring and respect devoted to each resident by well-trained personnel, could serve as a model for nursing homes throughout the country. Staff members trained in gerontology greet each resident by name and with a smile, know each one's medical and personal histories and seem to enjoy taking care of older people, even those who can at times be cantankerous."  Congratulations to Mo Funk and the fine staff at Miami Jewish Health Systems.  Click here to read the complete article.
 
FAHSA Members Visit Key Lawmakers -- Over the past month, Luanne Reese (Mease Manor), Raymond M. (Ray) Johnson (Life Care Pastoral Services, Inc.) and Robert P. (Bob) Scharmann (John Knox Village of Florida) accompanied Mary Ellen Early, FAHSA's Vice President of Public Policy, on visits to the following legislators:  Rep. Will Weatherford (R-61), Sen. Mike Fasano (R-11), Rep. John Legg (R-46), and Rep. Evan Jenne (D-100).  Luanne also met with Rep. Janet Long (D-51), and Mary Ellen met with Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D-90).  Next week, Ray Johnson and Mary Ellen are meeting with Rep. Bill Proctor (R-20). Bob Scharmann is also planning to visit with Rep. Gwyn Clarke-Reed (D-92). FAHSA is very appreciative of the time that these and other FAHSA members are taking to participate in the Legislative Ambassador Program. For more information about the program, contact Beverly Gregory, bgregory@fahsa.org.

Those elderly seen for injurious falls in the emergency department and then admitted to the hospital were more than twice as likely (65.7% to 28.4%) to be discharged to long-term care than patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency room with other conditions, the study found. Falls are the most common cause of nursing home admissions.

The most common reason for injurious-related emergency department visits among the elderly was fractures. Hip fractures accounted for about one in eight injurious fall-related emergency department visits among the elderly.  

 

To see the report, click here. Source: McKnight's Long Term Care News and Assisted Living

DOEA/DOH Fall Prevention Webcast Available - Click here to view the DOEA/DOH Fall Prevention Webcast moderated by Secretary Doug Beach, Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA). This webcast was held recently is 90 minutes in length. Source: FCOANetworkAlert09 

FAHSA General Membership Alert Page 

 

AAHSA Conducts Conference Calls with HUD Officials -- This week, AAHSA, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) conducted two conference calls to to assist members with reporting their funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  Read more in this week's Housing Alert, HUD 09-26.
 
Other Housing News:

FAHSA Housing Alert Page

Legislative Committee Meetings Began this Week -- It's that time of year again! The first week of scheduled committee meetings in preparation for the 2010 legislative session began this week.  The meetings provided committee members with an opportunity to meet with agency heads and to hear from legislative staff about some of the interim studies that were conducted over the summer.  In the House, Speaker Larry Cretul made numerous changes to Committee Appointments which means that there will be a learning curve for some legislators. 
 
Now is the Time to Meet with State Legislators -- The need has never been greater for FAHSA members to advocate aggressively on behalf of their own organizations and the elder Floridians they serve.  Florida is expected to face more financial woes over the next two years.  This means potential deficits of over a billion dollars during the next budget year, which could result in cuts to elder care programs and affordable housing initiatives.  Hastily crafted proposals for additional costly regulation could also be a problem. 
 
FAHSA's success in advocating on your behalf is dependent to a large extent on your willingness to educate legislators about your organization and the benefits of the services it provides.  Please meet with legislators in their office or at an event in your community before the holidays.  You do not have to discuss specific issues, but there is a list of FAHSA preliminary Public Policy Priorities on the FAHSA Web site that you can give to lawmakers.  The goals of these meetings should be to introduce yourself, key employees, and resident leaders to legislators; remind them of your organization's contributions to the community as a service provider and employer; and ask for their support during the 2010 legislative session if we need their help on a bill, funding item, or amendment.
 
Florida Faces Another Tough Budget Year -- While legislators were in Tallahassee this week for committee meetings, they were reminded that Florida's economy is still weak with unemployment in double digits (10.7 percent) and income from taxes much lower than before the recession started.  To complicate matters, the demand for state services has increased, with a record 12 percent of the state's population on food stamps.

According to most recent economic forecasts, legislators will have to come up with about $2.7 billion for critical services such as health-care, prisons and schools for the next fiscal year when the federal stimulus money expires. (This year's $66.5-billion budget includes $5 billion in stimulus dollars.) Increases in taxes and fees are not likely in an election year especially since lawmakers increased dozens of fees last session to generate $2 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2009-10. Most programs have been cut to the bone over the past three years to avoid deficits, and trust funds have been raided to the point of being close to depleted. This could be a much more challenging year for lawmakers because their options are very limited.

In light of the dismal economic forecast, the Senate President and Speaker of the House announced, for the second consecutive year, there will not be any "turkeys" -- local projects that benefit specific legislative districts.

FAHSA Legislative Update Page

 

FAHSA Preferred Business Associates Page

Welcome to the Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging Career Center!

 

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Copyright 2009 -- Publication of the Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (FAHSA).

• FAHSA Chair: Terri Cunliffe
• FAHSA President/CEO: Janegale Boyd
• Managing Editor: Gail Matillo, MPA

Copyright Information: Copies of the articles and other information in this publication may be noncommercially reproduced for the purpose of educational or scientific advancement. Otherwise, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying, microfilm and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the editor.

Correspondence: Should be addressed to: Editor, 1812 Riggins Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. For telephone inquiries, call (850) 671-3700. Or E-mail FAHSA at info@fahsa.org. © 2009 FAHSA. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this correspondence is not intended as a substitute for legal advice. Please discuss any information gathered from this or any other FAHSA publications with your legal counsel in the context of your particular situation before implementing any new policies or procedures.