Assisted Living Facilities: Finding ALFs “in the news”

News Updates from the National Center for Assisted Living

National Long-Term Care Residents' Rights Week will be celebrated October 7 – 13, 2007. This year’s theme is “Advancing Excellence: A Resident’s Perspective on Quality.” Residents' Rights Week is designated by the National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR), a non-profit membership organization, which announced a Residents' Rights Week Challenge to suit any resident’s creative skills. This year NCCNHR challenges residents to submit a drawing, poem, essay, or photo submission relating to his/her perspective on quality care.

Trans Fat Ban in Montgomery County - As of January 1, 2008, certain ALFs in Montgomery County must follow new guidelines on the use of trans fats in food preparation. Montgomery County is the only jurisdiction in the nation to adopt such an ordinance. A 2007 proposal for a Maryland-wide ban was put on hold by the bill’s sponsor in order to give restaurants time to adopt voluntary measures. More details on the requirement

Look for new guidance on emergency preparedness in the Fall 2007 and early 2008 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Emergency Preparedness Stakeholder Workgroup’s request for comments on questions closed on December 31, 2006. The questions will be included in the FAQ document to be incorporated into the larger CMS and HHS national plans, for nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices, and other providers.

On August 18, 2007 an article in the Baltimore Sun reported that “about three-quarters of Maryland's roughly 1,500 licensed "assisted-living facilities" for the elderly went unchecked by regulators despite a state law that requires annual inspections, according to a legislative audit released yesterday by the Office of Health Care Quality”. The OHCQ spokesperson noted that more inspectors had been hired recently.