Serving 18 Counties in Northwest Kansas

Northwest Kansas 
Area Agency on Aging

Home     Counties Served     News & Events   Calendar    Volunteer

Free Test For Diabetes 

Services & Information

CARE (Client Assessment & Referral Evaluation)

Senior Health Insurance/ Prescription Drug Program

Nutrition Program

In-Home Services

Legal Services

Caregiver Program

Disease Prevention/ Health Promotion

Free Publications

Links

Contact Us

Site Index
Last Modified 07/22/04

CARE Connection

Summer News - July 2010

Working Together for our Clients

There are so many competing choices available for clients needing a little extra help.  It doesn't have to be a competition between providers!  As our population ages, we will continue to see more and more people entering our system with various needs.  In the past the long term care model looked somewhat like this:  community ->hospital->NF.  Now it is a revolving door between the NF, AL, in home services, etc.  Each service will probably be used several times throughout a client's lifetime.  Because of this circular cycle, it is important that we avoid the negative thoughts about "losing" clients to another service - there is a good chance we will get to serve them again in the future.

Our long term care industry is undergoing a "culture change."  Years ago our facilities relied on the "medical model" - that is, making the nursing facility similar to a typical hospital.  We are slowly changing toward the "social model" - a homelike atmosphere that emphasizes person-centered care.

For more information about person-centered care, go to www.agingkansas.org/LongTermCare/CultureChange.html

Attention Nursing Facilities!!

Please pay close attention to clients coming to your facility for short term stays.  Are they realistically staying less than 30 days?  Do you have physician documentation of the length of stay?  Did you complete the PASRR?  Did you fax the completed PASRR and physician's documentation to the Area Agency on Aging?  Payment and compliance issues will result from inappropriately handled admission; we want to help you get paid and follow the law!

When you have a client come from out of state with their PASRR please fax that information to the AAA too.

Some facilities have found it helpful to check for the CARE certificate during the quarterly chart review.  Some MDS coordinators are remembering to call the AAA when they notice that a client is going to exceed their short term stay.

Update Trainings Successful

We had a wide variety of speakers at our 2010 Update Trainings.  Our speakers included:

• NWKAAA Services / Homestead Nutrition Project
  • Glenna Clingingsmith
• Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) / Money Follows the Person (MFP)
  • Tammy Deterding
• In Home Service Providers
  • Jill Edgett of Jill's Helping Hands
  • Libby Ziegler of Trego County Home Health
  • Ann Arnold of Professional Home Health Services
  • Donna Gregory of Progressive Care
• Assisted Living / Home Plus Providers
  • Treva Benoit of CedarView Assisted Living
  • Donna Gregory of Progressive Care Home Plus
  • Heather Fletcher of Sterling House Assisted Living
• High Plains Mental Health Center
  • Ken Loos
• Kansas Legal Services
  • Curtis Brown
• Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas (DSNWK)
  • Steve Keil
  • Scott Stults
• Living Independently in Northwest Kansas (LINK)
  • Angie Zimmerman
  • Carol Boxberger
• Southeast Kansas Independent Living (SKIL)
  • Kyler Fetters
• Ombudsman
  • Velvet Johnson
• Regional Prevention Center
  • Tricia Korthanke
  • Mindy Ketchum

Thanks to everyone who attended!  We have compiled a list of our speakers with their contact information.  Please contact the speaker for additional information about their program or services they offer as you find clients who can utilize their services.

Abuse, Neglect and Financial Exploitation Growing Problems

Domestic violence in later life occurs when individuals are physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, exploited by someone [with whom] they have an ongoing relationship...Abusers intentionally use coercive tactics, such as isolation, threats, intimidation, manipulation, and violence to gain and maintain control over the victim.

--National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life

Elder abuse can occur in many locations and take many forms.  Elder abuse typically takes place where the elder lives.  Abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, abandonment, financial or fraud.

Many elder abuse cases involve elder neglect.  Elder neglect can be passive (an unintentional act, such as being in denial about the amount of care an elderly person needs) or active (an intentional act).

Physical abuse involves the intentional use of force that results in injury, pain, or impairment.  Inappropriate use of drugs, restraints or confinement is also a form of physical abuse.

Emotional abuse can be either verbal or nonverbal.  Verbal abuse includes intimidation, blaming or humiliation.  Nonverbal abuse includes ignoring the person and isolating the person from family and friends.

Sexual abuse can take many forms, including physical sex acts, showing an elder pornographic material, forcing the elder to undress, or forcing the person to watch sex acts.

Financial exploitation is the intentional misuse of a person's property or money.

Religious, cultural, financial and generational reasons cause some victims of abuse to stay with the abuser.  People who are concerned about the abuse victim can provide safety planning, information, strategies for breaking isolation, and most of all, support.

The warning signs of elder abuse vary depending on the nature of the abuse.  A table of some of the indicators is available at http://helpguide.org/mental/elder_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm

Caring for aging adults is stressful.  There are several risk factors for abuse among caregivers.  These include:

• Inability to cope with stress
• Lack of resilience
• Depression
• Lack of support from other caregivers
• Caregiver's perception that taking care of the elder is burdensome and without psychological reward
• Substance abuse.

In-home supportive services help prevent social isolation and may help to reduce the likelihood of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation by family members.

Reporting elder abuse is essential.  Many of us are mandated reporters.  The rest of us need to report elder abuse simply because it is the right thing to do.  Elder abuse can be reported to Adult Protective Services (APS) by calling 1-800-922-5330.  APS can investigate the report of abuse and help arrange or provide for community services (i.e. shelter), offer advice, or petition for a guardian advocate.  Remember...it's not your jot to prove abuse has occurred-it's your job to report your reasonable suspicions of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

The following are examples of possible legal remedies for victims of late life violence or elder abuse:

• Assisting a victim to enter into a new power of attorney arrangement and/or revoke authority of an existing attorney in fact (the individual who holds a power of attorney).
• Terminating the powers of a guardian who has abused his or her role.
• Providing defense for a proposed ward in a guardianship proceeding if an abuser is attempting to gain control without looking out for the ward's best interests.
• Returning title to a victim's name for property, vehicles, certificates of deposit or bank accounts that were taken by a perpetrator.
• Establishing a trust to protect the resources of a victim.
• Changing a will back to a testator's/victim's wishes from the changes made by a perpetrator.
• Appealing a denial of public benefits, Social Security, or disability decision.
• Filing for a name change.
• Filing an order for removal of a perpetrator from a victim's property.

Source:  Deanna Clingan-Fisher, "Elder Abuse and the Legal Services Connection."  National Center on Elder Abuse Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 7  May 2005.

The ombudsman is available to provide advocacy and help protect the rights of residents in long term care facilities.  The ombudsman focuses on the resident's wishes.  This is a confidential service.  Velvet Johnson is currently the ombudsman serving the northwest Kansas area.  She can be reached by calling 785-628-3121.

There are many informative articles and agencies available to answer your questions about elder abuse.  The list below includes some of them:

Adult Protective Services - 1-800-922-5330 - http://www.srskansas.org/ISD/ees/adult.htm

Kansas Legal Services - 785-625-4514 - http://www.kansaslegalservices.org/Home/PublicWeb

National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) - http://www.ndvh.org

Kansas Attorney General's Office - Current Kansas Attorney General is Steve Six - 785-295-2215 - www.ksag.org

"During the ANE [Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation] Unit's first year, we made a disturbing discovery.  Financial exploitation or fiduciary abuse is the most common form of reported elder abuse in our state, but it's not always viewed as a crime," [Kansas Attorney General Steve] Six said.  "We have to change the public's views and make sure it is reported and taken seriously by law enforcement."

Of the 1,785 reports of Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of children and vulnerable adults received by the ANE unit last year (2007):

• 80% of the reports are of child abuse
• 20% of adult abuse
• Almost half o fall adult abuse cases reported involved financial exploitation.

SRS and KDOA reported 184 confirmed cases of financial exploitation or fiduciary abuse of vulnerable adults.

"Sadly, less than 8% of the financial cases reported to our unit resulted in criminal charges and prosecution by county and district attorneys."

Sources:  http://www.ksag.org/page/six-targets-elder-financial-abuse

http://www.ksag.org/page/kansas-seniors-need-our-protection

New CARE Assessor Training Scheduled

Join us for New CARE Assessor training October 5 from 8:30-4:30 at the Kansas Highway Patrol Office in Hays if you are either a new CARE assessor or someone who wants to "brush up" on CARE assessment procedures.

Lorna McFarren, KDOA CARE Level I Trainer,  will be our presenter.  Lunch is on your own.  You are allowed to bring individual drinks or snacks, but we are not able to provide group snacks at this location.

Please call or email your reservation to Tammy G at 785-625-2037 or tgerhardt@nwkaaa.org

The CARE Assessor Application is online at http://www.nwkaaa.com/CAREAssessorApplication.htm

The assessor requirements are listed at http://www.nwkaaa.com/CAREjobdescription.htm

A few reminders about assessment procedures are included with this newsletter.  If you need anything explained further, please call.

Terminal Illness Letters

Please request the "Terminal Illness Exemption Letter" when your client is terminally ill.  This letter may also be referred to as the "Hospice Letter" - but the client does NOT have to be utilizing Hospice services to qualify for this exemption.  This process makes it much easier for the family and takes less time for you!

When requesting the letter, please provide certification of the terminal illness from the doctor, the name of the Hospice agency the client is using, if applicable, and the nursing facility they are going to.

The client does not have to actually receive the letter prior to admission to the nursing facility.  Send the certification of terminal illness to the nursing facility until KDOA is able to generate the exemption letter.  If you have questions, please give us a call!

Please remember to return your CARE contract if you have not already done so.  We cannot assign assessments to you until we receive it.  Thanks!!

Statewide New CARE Assessor Training Schedule

Assessors can attend the location that is most convenient for them.  If you have a current manual please bring it with you.  It was last updated March 2009.

All sessions are from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.  Free CEUs are available.  Please call to reserve your space.

August 25 - Chanute

September 2 - Wichita

September 13 - Topeka

September 23 - Manhattan

September 28 - Kansas City

October 5 - Hays

Kansas Highway Patrol Office - 1821 Frontier Road

October 6 - Dodge City