The article below is a top story from this week's ACTION newsletter—Care Providers of Minnesota's weekly newsletter for members. The newsletter focuses on current legislative issues, regulations, long-term care trends, and other Association news. Each Thursday evening, it is delivered to your inbox. To sign up for ACTION, contact Lisa Foss Olson (952-851-2483). To learn more about membership, visit our Become a Member page.
How will you protect your residents & clients from maltreatment?
By Doug Beardsley, Vice President of Member Services, Care Providers of Minnesota
September 14, 2018 | All members
“Each year, hundreds of Minnesotans are beaten, sexually assaulted, or robbed in senior care homes. Their cases are seldom investigated, leaving families in the dark.” Thus began a five-part series, entitled
“Left to Suffer”, in 2017 and 2018 by Star Tribune reporter Chris Serres. Front page article titles such as “Abused, Ignored Across Minnesota;” “Families Wait Years for Answers;” “When Roommates are the Abusers;” and “Speak Up, and Risk Eviction,” engaged readers, advocates, healthcare consumers, politicians, and providers.
The award-winning series changed our 2018 legislative session, uprooted how the Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC) operates, caused the removal or resignation of at least three Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials (including the commissioner of health), created a
new family advocacy group, and put all Minnesota’s healthcare providers on high-alert regarding abuse, neglect, and theft.
As providers of post-acute care and long-term services and support, what have we learned since the “Left to Suffer” series?
Care Providers of Minnesota is presenting an all-day workshop:
“Protecting Vulnerable Adults from Maltreatment”, on Tuesday, October 2, 2018,
featuring some unique approaches to hiring and training staff, as well as possible solutions to the top maltreatment issues we are seeing today.
The workshop will focus on four specific topic areas:
What can we learn from OHFC maltreatment findings to prevent neglect, abuse, theft, and drug diversion?
- Care Providers of Minnesota has been reviewing OHFC substantiated maltreatment findings and putting the results into a database. Learn the details of what we are learning, trends that support maltreatment findings, and ways we can do better now that we know more details. For example, did you know:
- 74 of the last 143 substantiated findings were against the provider, not an individual?
- 30 substantiated findings involved the misuse or failure of facility owned-equipment?
- during this time frame, 21 providers had substantiated findings of drug diversion?
- 56% of the substantiated findings occurred in an assisted living environment, and 42% were in skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, or boarding care homes?
Drug thieves
- Strategies for preventing drug diversions, and what to do when you suspect medication theft is, or has been, occurring. How do you investigate and how do you deal with the suspected thief?
Coordinating with law enforcement on elder abuse investigations
- Learn how to coordinate concurrent investigations with lead investigative agencies and law enforcement. Understand burden of proof, evidence collection, interview protocols, and best practices.
Staff and workplace culture
- Learn how to interview and select the right staff for the jobs you trust them to perform. Learn how to build a strong team and organizational culture where staff speak up when they spot problems such as suspected maltreatment or inappropriate staff behavior.
Featured speakers
- Laura Pendergrass, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Martin-McAllister Consulting Psychologists
- Sarah Stoever Seehusen, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Martin-McAllister Consulting Psychologists
- Shelly Carlson, MPA, Criminal Justice Systems Manager, Minnesota Elder Justice Center
- Tim Wendler, Detective, Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office
- Tracy Erfourth, Case Manager, Minnesota Health Professionals Services Program
- Shannon Gavin, Project Manager, Zellner Senior Health Consulting
- Susan M. Voigt, Attorney/Partner, Voigt, Rodè & Boxeth
- Mary Nell Zellner, President/CEO, Zellner Senior Health Consulting
- Doug Beardsley, Vice President of Member Services, Care Providers of Minnesota
Plus, a workshop wrap-up, “Where do we go from here?” by Patti Cullen, President/CEO, Care Providers of Minnesota.
Learn more and register today!
Doug Beardsley – 952-851-2489 –
dbeardsley@careproviders.org