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Last Modified 07/22/04
Spring 2008 NWKAAA CARE Newsletter
***Attention!!
We have a new email
address! It’s tgerhardt@nwkaaa.org.
The care_hays@hotmail.com
address will send an email that we have a new address and remind you what it is
if you accidentally send correspondence there.
CUTTING THROUGH THE CLUTTER: Hoarding Resources Available
The Central Plains Area Agency on Aging sponsored a conference addressing compulsive hoarding behavior at the Wichita Marriott on April 4.
Dr. Renae Reinardy and Christiana Bratiotis presented useful information regarding the limited research that has been devoted to studying this behavior and drew from extensive personal experiences to illustrate how all-encompassing this disorder is.
The Kansas Animal Health Department was available during a breakout session to inform the audience about animal hoarding.
At least 10 million Americans are hoarders. Hoarders tend to be older, but this is not always the case. Currently there is no “chronic hoarding” diagnosis; it must be categorized with another disorder, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, or Depression. Future research may result in hoarding being its own separate diagnosis.
Please contact the Northwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging for more resources and contacts regarding hoarding behavior by calling 1-800-432-7422.
Visit one of these websites to learn more about compulsive hoarding:
New Tipsheet on Legal, Financial Planning Now Available
The Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center is pleased to announce the availability of a new tipsheet: Legal and Financial Planning for People with Alzheimer’s Disease. Important and sometimes difficult subjects are discussed and presented in clear, understandable language to caregivers and families dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. The publication explains basic legal and financial planning for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and their families, outlining the essential steps to take and documents to complete. Written in an easy-to-read format with brief explanations, legal terminology is defined, but also kept to a minimum. Contact information for other useful resources appears at the end of the tipsheet.
A copy of the tipsheet is included with this newsletter.
Free legal advice can be obtained by calling the Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-432-7422. The NWKAAA will make the referral to Kansas Legal Services, who will return your phone call with answers to your legal questions.
Identity Theft Information
Occurrences of identity theft in Kansas are on the rise since 2002. Many times a victim of identity theft has their information used in a variety of fraudulent schemes. An information sheet is included with this newsletter explaining ways to prevent identity theft, along with a table describing Kansas Identity Theft statistics.
Identity theft insurance is available for consumers. The Kansas Insurance Commissioner’s office has many resources about identity theft and identity theft insurance. You can reach their office at 1-800-432-2484. In addition, Glenna Clingingsmith recently attended a training about ID theft; she is available to provide information or presentations. She can be reached at 1-800-432-7422.
How Smart Is Your Right Foot?
I received an email several weeks ago that just baffled me. Now it’s your turn to try! I’ll bet you don’t try this just once, either.
While sitting in a chair, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number “6” in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction.
Remember…
You must include gas receipts with the voucher in order to be reimbursed
at the increased rate.
Spring Update Trainings Quickly Approaching
It’s that time again! Spring update trainings are scheduled for
Tuesday,
April 22 in Hoxie at Sheridan County Health Complex – 826 18th St
Wednesday,
April 23 in Norton at Norton County Health Department – 801 N Norton
Thursday, April 24 in Hays at Commerce Bank - 718 Main.
All CARE assessors must update once per calendar year to maintain certification.
These
are the first opportunities of 2008. If
you are unable to attend these spring dates, three more trainings will be held
in the fall in Goodland, Oakley and Osborne.
Plan
to arrive early for the pre-meeting snacks!
Spring training will feature hot dogs and ballpark snacks.
Please
indicate your intention to attend update training by calling us at
1-800-432-7422 if you have not already reserved your seat.
New
CARE Training Scheduled for April 29
New
CARE assessor training will be held Tuesday, April 29 at Commerce Bank – 718
Main in Hays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Lorna
McFarren, KDOA trainer, will come to Hays to conduct the training.
This
training is for RNs or others with 4-year degrees who have not attended a CARE
training before. Each facility
should have at least one (and hopefully a backup) person trained to complete
CARE assessments.
Nursing
facility employees will only need to attend the morning portion of the training.
For
more information or to sign up, please call the Area Agency at 1-800-432-7422.
Your
Ideas and Suggestions are Welcome!!
The
required trainings are designed to make completing CARE assessments easier for
you. If you have a suggestion for a
training speaker or topic to address in the newsletter, please let us know.
We will try our best to inform you about that topic.
It is really difficult to know what is happening in the field without
your feedback – we really appreciate the phone call updates and questions so
we can address new issues at training before they become a problem, and if
necessary, share with KDOA to develop appropriate policies.
We
appreciate all the feedback you have given us to help the CARE program operate
smoothly.
Governor’s
Conference on Aging Services May 7 & 8
The
Governor’s Conference on Aging will be held May 7 and 8, 2008 in Topeka.
This year’s theme is “Life’s a Dance.”
Many
topics will be presented throughout the conference for seniors and professionals
who work with seniors. Frank Burns,
David Naster and Dr. William H Thomas are the featured speakers.
You
can attend either or both days and CEUs are available.
For
more information, or to request a registration packet, please call the Northwest
Kansas Area Agency on Aging at 1-800-432-7422.
Trends
in CARE
There
seems to be a decrease in the number of CARE assessments completed in Northwest
Kansas. Ironically, there hasn’t
actually been a decrease; hospitals are now completing 70% of CARE assessments.
Counties in the eastern area of our coverage are account for the majority
of independent CARE assessments. By
looking at the enclosed chart you can see how our area compares both over the
past 2 years and with other areas in the state.
The map with the numbers of CARE assessments indicates where the
assessments have been completed. Data
was not available to coincide with the tables; however it will be available for
the next fiscal year.
Do
Not Call List About to Expire
The
national Do Not Call list debuted June 27, 2003.
The first people who registered will need to register again this year in
order to remain on the list. Registrations
are only valid for 5 years at a time. The
federal Do Not Call List has several loopholes.
It doesn’t apply to charities, politicians, survey takers, or companies
that have a prior business relationship with you.
To
renew your name on the Do Not Call List please visit
www.DoNotCall.gov.
By taking about 5 minutes to register now, you will have protection until
2013.
***Update!!
The National Do Not Call Registry is now permanent, thanks to a last minute move by Congress. The first of 150 million phone numbers consumers have shielded since 2003 were about to fall back into telemarketers’ clutches. Now, they’re safe from pesky sales calls forever. To add yours, call 888-382-1222 or go to www.donotcall.gov.
--Published in “AARP The Magazine,” May/June 2008 edition, page 26.
Adult
Protective Services and the CARE Assessor’s Role
Several
assessors have noted that it doesn’t seem to matter if a report is made to
Adult Protective Services (APS) or not; the client seems to remain in the same
undesirable situation.
APS
is concerned with the concept of “client right to self-determination.”
If a person does not want to do something, the social worker will never
force them to. What eventually will
happen is one of two things:
1)
either the client will become the victim of abuse, neglect, exploitation,
or self-neglect to the point where they will require medical or law enforcement
intervention and then the court will order APS to act; at that time they step in
because the authority is now telling them they want them to act.
Prior to this point the “authority” is the person who is not yet
adjudicated incompetent, and thus has the right to control his/her own destiny.
2)
if we have evidence that is so clear and convincing that a guardian or
adjudication is required then APS will approach the court and it will go
through; most of the referrals they get aren’t at that level yet, though many
a person certainly feels they should be.
APS
is bound by very “narrow” requirements in statute and regulation.
They don’t have the flexibility to do a lot of things people would like
them to (and even the workers themselves would like to do).
They have very strict criteria for what they can accept as a case and
what they must “rule out.”
Exploitation
is a huge issue. Neighbors, kids,
family and others take advantage or flat out steal from people who are
vulnerable but all APS is authorized to do is remove the access the abuser has
from the person. That is “why”
so often you will have someone who just changes a DPOA and gets the money from
say a daughter and her family that is living on Mom’s Social Security check
rather than paying her bills or getting her things.
Mom will decline to press charges, and with no victim, how do you
prosecute? Most elderly will not
turn their kids in no matter how they are abused.
Please
continue to make the referrals to APS. It’s
the “track record” of citing after citing, call after call, visit after
visit the often builds either the bridge to the person to get them to trust and
listen to APS or become “enough” for the law to allow intervention.
Check
It Out!! Culture Change in Long
Term Care on KDOA Website
Go
to
www.agingkansas.org/CultureChange/Culture_Change_Index.html
to discover new ideas designed to enhance Kansans’ expectations toward
person-directed options in the community and adult care settings.
Programs
described on this site include: Promoting
Excellent Alternatives in Kansas nursing homes (PEAK), Money Follows the Person,
Long Term Care Division, Mental Health and Residential Care Facilities Division,
and Licensure and Certification Division.
Nursing
Facility survey process, nursing home compare tools, zero deficiency surveys and
exemplary letters are also available on this site.
***For
copies of any handout discussed in this newsletter, please contact Tammy G at
the Area Agency by calling
1-800-432-7422
or –1-785-625-2037.