Official Site of The State of New Jersey

April 2022

Residents’ Rights BINGO
It’s a cheery yellow bingo card that promises fun. Only a closer look at the squares reveals such items as:

• The right to be free from unnecessary medications.
• The right to have visitors.
• The right to nutritional meals that taste good.

Residents’ Rights Bingo is a lively way to educate long-term care residents about their individual rights under the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act.  Playing the game helps give residents a sense of empowerment.
If you would like to see Residents’ Rights Bingo come to your facility, talk to your Social Worker or call the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) at (609) 826-5090.
LTCO respects the importance of listening to New Jersey residents of our state’s nursing homes, assisted living and board, and care communities.

NATIONAL HEALTHCARE DECISIONS DAY- YOUR DECISIONS MATTER
On April 16, join Americans across the country to talk about your future healthcare decision and to complete your advance directives.

Volunteer Advocate Kues Helps Educate Residents While Having Fun
Residents of N.J. Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland were treated to a game of Residents’ Rights Bingo with LTCO Volunteer Advocate Denise Kues. National Volunteer Week, which this year is April 17-23, is about celebrating people doing extraordinary things through service.

There isn’t a better example of this than our Volunteer Advocates (VAs), who advocate for long-term care residents and address complaints made by them or others on their behalf.

In 2021, 161 LTCO trained and certified Advocates investigated and resolved long-term resident complaints, contributed 7,069 hours of service across New Jersey nursing homes. Their diligence, commitment, compassion, dedication and voice for those who have none help to make each long-term care community a better place to live for all its residents.

Now is the perfect time for those interested to join our team of dedicated Advocates. Virtual training classes are forming now and Volunteer Advocates are ALWAYs needed! If you are interested in having a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of residents living in nursing homes, please call the LTCO Volunteer Advocate Program at 1-877-582-6995 or email at volunteer@ltco.nj.gov.

If you are a resident of a nursing home, you have the right to speak to the Volunteer Advocate assigned to your facility. Just ask staff to direct you to that person. If there is no Volunteer Advocate assigned to your facility, feel free to call the LTCO intake line at 1-877-582-6995.

Biden Proposes Major Nursing Home Reforms
President Joe Biden recently announced the most significant reforms to nursing home care in decades. The proposed reforms include a minimum staffing standard to shore up the long-term care workforce; support for direct care staff; accountability for poor performers; and increased transparency around ownership and finances.

The Administration plans to improve the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Care Compare website. Care Compare is the primary tool for consumers to investigate nursing homes and the quality of care they provide. The site rates the quality of nursing homes by rating them 0 to 5 stars. A five-star rating is the best.

How does your nursing home compare to others? What is its star rating? Find out by Googling “nursing home compare” or visiting medicare.gov/care-compare.