Regarding
Future of Illinois Nursing Home Care
Reps. Reitz and
McGuire Host Senior Summit at the State
Capitol
CHICAGO —
Representatives of the Illinois
Council on Long Term Care, an
association of nursing home
professionals, will present a series
of innovative ideas and
recommendations for improving the care
of Illinois’ elderly citizens
tomorrow during a "Senior
Summit" at the State Capitol. The
Illinois Council’s groundbreaking
report, "Visions for the
Future: Transforming Nursing Home Care
in Illinois," addresses three
key areas for change: improving
staffing at Illinois nursing homes,
creating smaller and more home-like
facilities, and developing programs to
better meet residents' health and
quality of life needs.
"As our report
demonstrates, we are committed to
continuously improving nursing home
services in Illinois," states
Terrence Sullivan, spokesperson for
the Illinois Council on Long Term Care
who will present the report during the
summit. "The members of the
Illinois Council want to strengthen
their partnerships with the state's
leaders and stakeholders in long-term
care to better meet the needs of the
elderly through implementing the
recommendations in the report and
developing other initiatives."
The report is intended
to help frame the dialogue on actions
that can be taken to more fully
integrate nursing homes into the
continuum of home- and community-based
care for seniors. Most of the
recommendations require no extra
spending by the state.
Key recommendations in
the report that will be addressed
during the summit include:
Enable seniors to
live at home and receive
community-based health care whenever
possible, with nursing homes focused
primarily on providing higher-level
skilled nursing and rehabilitation
services;
Establish a single
referral center in each community to
coordinate placements among
hospitals, nursing homes, assisted
living facilities and home health
agencies;
Develop more
home-like settings in nursing homes,
with private resident rooms whenever
possible;
Help solve the
state's fiscal crisis through a
nursing home licensing fee that
generates millions of dollars in
federal matching funds;
Overcome the nursing
and caregiver shortage through
career ladder programs and nursing
scholarships;
Create an incentive
program to reward progressive
Medicaid facilities that invest in
innovative approaches to resident
care;
Certify nursing
homes based on their specialties,
such as Alzheimer's care, cardiac
care, and wound care, to help
consumers make informed choices in
selecting a facility;
Develop resident and
family satisfaction surveys, and
share these results with the public
through the Internet or by
publishing a consumer guide; and
Focus the public
health inspection of care system on
the real results of care residents
receive, with less emphasis on
hundreds of survey items that don't
impact resident well being.
The summit, which is
the final meeting of a series of
public forums statewide on the future
of long-term care in Illinois, will
take place at the State Capitol,
Room 114, Springfield, on October 7 at
11:00 a.m. Illinois House Speaker
Michael Madigan is sponsoring the
series. House Representatives Dan
Reitz (D-116, Steeleville) and Jack
McGuire (D-86, Joliet) will host the
Springfield event.
Also serving on an
advisory panel at the summit will be
House Representatives Marlow Colvin
(D-33, Chicago), Joe Lyons (D-19,
Chicago), Elizabeth Coulson (R-17,
Glenview), Suzanne Bassi (R-54,
Palatine) and Rosemary Mulligan (R-65,
Des Plaines). State lawmakers plan to
use the results of the summits to
shape future legislation that will
benefit the state's elderly.
"Our state's
elderly are the foundation of our
society," states Sullivan.
"They deserve a long-term care
system that preserves their dignity,
enhances their well-being, and
provides the best health care
available."
The Illinois Council
on Long Term Care is an association of
nursing home professionals
representing 210 facilities employing
27,000 staff members who serve more
than 39,000 residents. Further
information on long-term care issues
can be found at the Council's Web site
at www.nursinghome.org.
# # #
For a complete copy of
"Visions for the Future:
Transforming Nursing Home Care in
Illinois" report, please
click on Visions
for the Future.
