All News

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious and highly contagious disease. A webinar on May 3, Tuberculosis (TB): An Ongoing Concern for Prevention and Management, will deliver best practices in prevention to help minimize risk. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Aging and Adult Services Division is about to launch a survey of wages and costs for all types of providers in the state’s Elderly Waiver (EW) program. 

In a call with LeadingAge last week, we received key updates on affordable housing funding from their advocacy on Capitol Hill: 

Current law has a severe penalty that causes nursing homes with fines over a certain level ($10,483 as of 2017) to automatically lose their ability to train CNAs for two years - even if the care deficiencies cited are unrelated to the nursing home’s CNA training program.   

Last week’s newsletter included a preview of our new Assisted Living Certificate Program, a combined series with separate tracks for Assisted Living/Housing with Services Managers and Nurse Managers. 

This program will be offered in the spring and the fall of 2018. Registration will be open very soon and is expected to fill quickly. Watch the LeadingAge Minnesota website and your email for registration announcement.

Technology solutions are expanding to help long term services and support providers address physical plant issues in their organizations, including data storage and internet service, facility maintenance, staff scheduling, resident security and asset protection. 

Coming soon: New AgingServicesJobs.Org platform! The temporary job board we launched in August 2017 is about to sunset as we integrate the newest job board technology. 

More than 200 LeadingAge Minnesota members gathered for the fourth annual Workforce Solutions Conference last week. The conference was designed to be interactive and fast-paced – featuring expert panels, 15-minute express sessions, and providing tools needed to build and retain our workforce. 

There are important differences between the POLST (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) and Advance Care Planning. To help members better understand POLST, we are providing the following overview and resources: 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) informed us last week that section 11.7.4 of NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities Code (2012 edition), does not allow the storage or use of liquid oxygen in patient bed locations (resident rooms) or patient care rooms, unless the room meets a 1-hour fire-resistance standard. Here is the code language: 

Two questions that arise frequently from Assisted Living Home Care Providers relate to what an LPN can carry out when delegated to by the RN.  Both questions have been addressed by the Minnesota Department of Health in their Provider FAQ responses: 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently awarded more than $7.5 million in Live Well at Home grants to programs that help older Minnesotans remain in their homes and communities. Of the 53 grants awarded, seven were for projects led by LeadingAge Minnesota members: 

The deadline for submitting a Performance-Incentive Payment Program (PIPP) proposal is midnight on May 1. 

New legislation introduced in Congress would help aging services providers alleviate its growing workforce crisis:    

The debate on how to deal with the impending seven percent cut in DWRS funding continues at the State Capitol, with three different positions from the House, Senate and Governor Dayton. 

Sign up today for the final Onboarding Toolkit Webinar on May 9 at 10 a.m. This webinar is open to anyone who has already implemented the toolkit as well as anyone interested in learning more about the resource. 

Heritage Living & Rehab (formerly known as Elders’ Home), which has operated in New York Mills for nearly 60 years, has made the difficult decision to close. 

Did you miss the online demo of the OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training last week? Don’t worry! Catch an Express Demo at the Workforce Solutions Conference tomorrow! OnTrack staff will also be available onsite at the conference to answer questions. 

The popular Sales & Marketing in Senior Housing Certificate Program begins in less than two weeks and this is the last full week to register. 

Understanding the desires of the next generation of transitioning seniors will be the key to success as the seniors housing and care industry evolves. Lancaster Pollard, a valued business partner of LeadingAge Minnesota, shares how providers can create environments that will entice seniors to move in, especially at a younger age: 

Our spring Health Support Specialist (HSS) regional hubs will continue next week and will deliver on a core foundation of apprenticeship: mentoring. 

You don’t have to have the intent to discriminate to run afoul of fair housing laws. In fact, most fair housing claims are filed against people who have very good intention. It is important to regularly train staff and volunteers in the principles and regulations of fair housing.   

A recent report on Medicaid assisted living services by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) calls on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve how it collects, reports, manages and monitors information about Medicaid assisted living services. 

Sign up today for the final Onboarding Toolkit Webinar on May 9 at 10 a.m. This webinar is open to anyone who has already implemented the toolkit as well as anyone interested in learning more about the resource.

Dr. Joseph E. Gaugler has been named the new Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging at the University of Minnesota. 

LeadingAge Minnesota has combined the best of two popular and enduring certificate programs into one program that meets the current demands and expectations of the key leaders working in Minnesota assisted living programs. This new educational offering is the merger of the previous Housing-with-Services Management and Home Care Nurse Managers certificate programs. 

Adult day providers received some good news last week when Minnesota House Republicans released budget targets that included funding to prevent a cut in Disability Waiver rates. 

Rising rents and apartment shortages are problems around the state, particularly for low-income individuals. The St. Louis Park City Council recently passed a new renter protection ordinance, believed to be the first of its kind in Minnesota, that could impact housing with services members who provide affordable housing to older adults. 

The debate on immigration can send a chilling effect across our field, as immigrants and refugees are an essential part of our workforce – today and in the future. 

Nursing facility staffing measures posted on Nursing Home Compare and facility staffing ratings calculated for the Five Star Quality Rating System will reflect Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data beginning this month, along with a new risk adjustment methodology, according to a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) memorandum released April 6.