Illinois Dept. on Aging praises long-term care advocates in
observance of Nursing Home Week
Ombudsmen
improve quality of life for nursing home residents
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[May 17, 2012]
SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois Department on
Aging Director John K. Holton, Ph.D., praised advocates and
caregivers in observance of National Nursing Home Week. This
weeklong awareness campaign, sponsored nationally by the American
Health Care Association, runs the week after Mother's Day to honor
the residents, family members, staff and volunteers who help nursing
home residents.
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"The idea of Nursing Home Week is
that residents should feel satisfied, and staff should feel they
have contributed in a meaningful way. We commend the family members,
volunteers, long-term care advocates and facility staff who work to
make certain the residents' dignity, privacy and other human rights
are maintained while living in long-term care settings," Holton
said. The Illinois Department on Aging, which advocates on behalf
of older adults to help them live independently and remain in their
own homes and communities, also has a program to assist older adults
who require additional support and have moved into nursing homes.
The long-term care ombudsman program protects and promotes the
rights as well as quality of life for people who reside in nursing
homes. Regional ombudsmen have a hands-on working relationship with
nursing home residents and staff of the facilities.
State ombudsman Sally Petrone says they take time to develop
relationships with residents, many of whom rarely have visitors. She
says visits help engage the residents and give them the comfort and
hope they need.
"A 30-minute visit by family and friends does wonders to lift a
resident's spirit and brighten their day," Petrone said.
The theme of this year's National Nursing Home Week observance is
"Celebrating the Journey," which reminds us that every life
should be honored, every life's story needs to be told, and every
day we have the chance to begin writing a new chapter. Whether the
day is filled with comedy or drama, nursing home residents and
caregivers are co-authors and leading characters in each other's
life story.
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For more information about this year's National Nursing Home
Week, visit the American Health Care Association website at
www.ahcancal.org/events/
national_nursing_home_week/Pages/default.aspx.
For more information about program services to assist older
adults in Illinois and their caregivers, including the ombudsman
program, call the Department on Aging's Senior HelpLine at
1-800-252-8966 or, for hearing-impaired use only, 1-888-206-1327
TTY.
[Text from
Illinois
Department on Aging file received from the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information]
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