Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
7 <br />Concerns and Emerging Issues for the Upcoming Year: <br />• Ongoing concern and advocacy for increased training and legislation for supporting <br />staff in adult care whose care for a mixed population of mental health elderly <br />residents. Facilities that mix younger, chronically mentally ill residents and older, frail <br />residents pose problems that are of concern to the committee <br />• Our committee continues to be concerned with care of residents in Medicaid <br />dependent adult care facilities. We recognize that quality care is contingent on <br />quality caregivers and low turnover. We will continue to support the front line <br />workers in these facilities by supporting fair wages and treatment. <br />• Facility management problems, vacancies and turnover in key administrative <br />positions. <br />• Decreased in resident volume at many facilities indicate the economic downturn is <br />keeping many elders at home,. thus creating potential for greater family stress and <br />fiscal difficulties at facilities with low census. <br />• Adult Care Homes provide inadequate activities for their residents. <br />Additional Comments and Observations: <br />• Orange County Facility Strengths: <br />-Orange County's adult care homes and family care homes serve a variety of adults <br />in various types of facilities. <br />-Most facilities visited by the committee are aware of the function of the committee <br />and are open to our concerns and questions. <br />-Attentiveness to the residents' individual needs and wants, particularly in the <br />smaller, adult care homes and in the family care homes. <br />-Additional family care home options are now available. <br />Orange County Facility Weaknesses: <br />-Mix of mentally ill, younger residents with older adults <br />-Apparent lack of preparation of staff in handling mental health needs <br />-Maintenance and repairs of older facilities <br />-Rate of staff turnover in many of the facilities <br />-Inability to personalize services to the needs and desires of the residents in each <br />facility. <br />-Activities programs are inadequate in general. <br />The commitment of the Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee <br />members continues to be admirable and reliable. With a consistent membership <br />of 7-8 strong volunteers and we feel that the Committee can work with facility <br />managers to make a difference in the lives of Orange County citizens living in <br />local adult and family care homes. <br />