Minutes 02-09-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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5 • Adult Care Community Advisory Board: Mary Frasier, Department on Aging Staff Mary Fraiser said the Adult Care Community Advisory Board volunteers visit all six assisted living facilities and five family care homes each quarter, to look at resident rights and quality of life. She said a report is submitted and is available on the County website. She noted there is some disparity between fee-paying facilities and those available to those with lower incomes, and that leadership turnover is a problem. She said Board volunteers try to be supportive to the nurse administrators. Commissioner Dorosin asked if there is a difference between this Board and the Nursing Home committee. Mary Frasier said the two groups are required by state statute, and it is at the county's discretion whether to keep them separate or combined. She said a nursing home requires skilled nursing, whereas an assisted living is more of a social model program where needs are not medical in nature but rather connected to life skills. She said the work of the two committees is identical. Commissioner Burroughs said the work of the group is laudable. She asked if there are enough volunteers for the Board. Mary Frasier said if the committees are full, there are enough people to do the work necessary of visiting the facilities quarterly. She said there must always be at least two people on each quarterly visit, with three being optimal. Commissioner Burroughs asked if there is a pattern to the timing of the visits. Mary Frasier said visits are made at different times, in order to view different elements of the facility's day, including meal times, evenings, leisure time, and weekends. Commissioner Price visited a facility last year with this Board, and recalled its desire to present to the BOCC about its work and what was going on in the facilities. She asked if such a presentation could be added to a future BOCC agenda. Commissioner Pelissier said a weakness mentioned is that staff have limited experience with mental health issues, and she asked if local mental health providers have been contacted to provide training of some sort. Mary Frasier said the Committee has not done so directly. She noted that Cardinal Innovations is involved in most of the assisted living facilities, as they now have a geriatric education specialty team that is funded through the State. She said her concern is when young people suffering from mental illness are placed in the same facility as elderly, frail patients with the same conditions. She said this mixing occurs more in the Medicaid funded facilities. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the number of beds in Orange County for nursing homes versus assisted living is known, and if there is a waiting list. He asked if these numbers could be forwarded to the BOCC. Mary Frasier said yes, she can easily provide this information to the BOCC. She said there are five assisted living facilities, all at a fairly low census and struggling financially. She said Medicaid funded facilities are more full. She noted that there are few facilities that provide both. Commissioner Jacobs asked if there any models in counties across North Carolina that work with people on government assistance to operate or subsidize nursing homes. Mary Frasier said not that she knows of, noting that this is a big policy issue that requires deep review. She said much depends on the federal government and for what Medicaid and insurance will pay. Commissioner Jacobs asked if this topic will be part of Master Aging plan update. Mary Frasier she said it could be.