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10 <br /> Commissioner Bedford said that mask requirements in licensed congregant facilities <br /> have not been lifted. <br /> Commissioner McKee said his concern is oversight, and these facilities are open to <br /> visitors and family and friends. He wonders why they would not be open to a committee that <br /> provides oversight. <br /> Vibeke Talley said she agreed. <br /> Autumn Cox said she could share the contact information for the state ombudsman with <br /> the Board. <br /> Shade Little said that when his committee visits, they have random conversations with <br /> anyone who will talk with them. He said that it is more free range. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton said families are in a different position for advocacy. She said <br /> families do not always know how to navigate the system. She said the committees are in a <br /> different position. <br /> Vibeke Talley said that there has been some progress in reducing the isolation by <br /> having family members visits, but that her committee would like to go in and visit as well. <br /> Commissioner Greene said one of the reasons that the conditions in nursing homes are <br /> the low wages for staff. She asked if any of the nursing homes in the county pay a living wage. <br /> Vibeke Talley and Janice Tyler said no, except for Carol Woods. <br /> Vibeke Talley said they have increased the wages and hourly pay. She said right now it <br /> is $12-$14/hour for four nursing homes and $15-$16/ hour at Carol Woods. <br /> Janice Tyler said that is where the General Assembly stepped in and provided those <br /> bonuses for longtime care workers. <br /> Janice Tyler said that the chair of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Board is <br /> Commissioner Greene. She said it would be appropriate to go through the AAA board for <br /> reentry concerns because it represents seven counties. <br /> Commissioner Richards asked about the regulations on safety. <br /> Janice Tyler said this has come up in previous years. <br /> Commissioner Richards asked who decides the safety expectations. <br /> Janice Tyler said the state decides for nursing homes. She said that the Department of <br /> Social Services, along with the state Department of Health and Social Services, has authority <br /> over adult care homes and assisted living. She said that DSS has a staff person that does the <br /> licensure at adult care centers. <br /> Commissioner Richards ask for clarification on the distinctions between the care types <br /> and centers. <br /> Janice Tyler said skilled nursing facilities and long-term care facilities. <br /> Commissioner Richards asked where issues go to after a visit is made. <br /> Vibeke Talley said they speak with the manager of the facility after a visit and then <br /> speak with the ombudsman's office. She said their reports get posted on the Orange County <br /> website, which increases transparency. <br /> Autumn Cox said any time a state team goes into a building, they always look at most <br /> recent CAC report and share what those concerns are. She said they can take those concerns <br /> in when they go to survey the site. <br /> Commissioner Fowler asked if there is an anonymous tip line for family members to <br /> report concerns. <br /> Vibeke Talley said the ombudsman's number is always posted in the facility. She said <br /> that they ask residents if they can share the information they have learned and if they would like <br /> to be anonymous. <br /> Janice Tyler said her department also gets the calls on the aging help line and they refer <br /> them. <br />