Disability Voice Advocates (DiVA), a program of Elder Voice Advocates (EVA), raise grave concerns about a proposed change to the funding program, Waiver Reimagine. EVA Board members Misti Okerlund, disability rights attorney, and Lauren Thompson, a person with disabilities, and DiVA member Lance Hegland are quoted throughout the article.  Minnesotans fear disability benefits overhaul will lead to more institutionalization The state is revamping its systems for assessing and f

We recognized that Elder Voice Advocates (EVA) needed to offer elders, individuals with disabilities, and their families a trustworthy and impartial resource for screening care providers. We deliberately avoided sources with a pay-to-play model, like A Place for Mom, as we believed such approaches could be misleading at best and potentially disastrous at worst. This well research article underscores why EVA pooled its resources to develop Elder Care IQ. This innovative screen

Featuring Elder Voice's Eilon Caspi May 2, 2024 In this short episode of the JAG podcast, Editor-in-Chief Debra Dobbs meets with author Eilon Caspi to discuss the findings of his recent paper on the fear of nursing home residents of reprisal from facility staff when voicing care concerns and making mistreatment complaints. Listen now

There are a few basic steps to determine whether personal care services (PCS) is right for a loved one and whether a family member may qualify as a paid caregiver. By Rashelle Brown NextAvenue | APRIL 10, 2024 — 6:00AM In 2019, Katrina Cordes was a busy 30-year-old, running a massage therapy business and teaching the occupation to others in the Twin Cities. Then her father had a stroke, and everything changed. The stroke had been a bad one, and Cordes was told that her fathe

Elder Voice Advocates (EVA) strongly supports the MN Department of Human Services bill, HF 4480/SF 4580, which mandates disclosure of related-party transactions. We are alarmed by a concerning trend: nursing homes masking their true profitability by diverting funds to related businesses, all while the quality of care deteriorates. It's imperative to expose this deception and demand transparency and accountability in finances, operations, and ownership. Currently, many Minneso

SF 4733 EVA is focused on the threat form the MN Department of Human Services' plan to reconfigure the Waiver Reimagine program. This program will base reimbursement on where a person lives, not on their needs. Using this method will lower rates by as much as 30 – 50% less than what they are currently getting while congregate care will get much higher rates. EVA board member and disability rights advocate, Misti Okerlund brought this to light last year when she took the Cindy

Legislators hold the power to select four out of ten critical topics for evaluation by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA). Among these, the guardianship of adults stands as a pressing concern, warranting thorough examination. This is a deeply flawed system that needs a close review to determine changes that protect vulnerable adults. We ask all to contact their legislators and ask them to vote for the audit for Guardianship of Adults.

2024 Legislative Priorities Urgent Need to Protect Those Under Guardianship – HF 3483/SF 3438 Guardians are immune from liability based on new court interpretation. Currently, a guardian is completely immune for virtually all acts of negligence, as a 2022 Minnesota Court of Appeals decision shows. Persons under guardianship are at risk of harm. As it stands, a guardian could provide for no food, no care, or neglect the person subject to guardianship, even up to the point of

“Disability rights are basic human rights, not special rights.  Persons with disabilities have the same rights as all people to...

Urgent Need To Protect Those Under Guardianship – HF3483/SF3438 Guardians are immune from liability based on new court interpretation....

Urgent Need to Prevent Budget Reduction for Those Living in their Home DiVA is working to raise awareness of the inequities of Waiver...

Elder Voice Advocates (EVA) recognizes the interconnectedness of issues facing both elderly individuals and those with disabilities. The quality care challenges of elders and people with disabilities align in many ways. Together we can unite the voices of older adults and adults with disabilities to create high impact advocacy. A group of adults with disabilities and family members are enthusiastically coming together and beginning their work with a focus on stopping Waiver R

2020 Elder Voice Advocates did a review of the long-term care provider investigations in the Central Minnesota area. We found that 44%...

April 1990 The OIG conducted this study to promote a better understanding of abuse in nursing homes. This is the first of two reports. It...

2003 Since the late 1970s when Congressman Claude Pepper held widely publicized hearings on the mistreatment of the elderly, policy...

Legislation proposes more transparent ownership and financial information so Minnesota can be sure its investments in nursing homes actually improved facilities, care. By Jeremy Olson Star Tribune MARCH 16, 2024 — 8:00AM View Article Lawmakers are demanding more information about the ownership and finances of Minnesota's nursing homes, after spending taxpayer dollars on the rescue of a for-profit Red Wing facility that ran out of money anyway. Problems at Bay View Nursing &

JANUARY 16TH, 2024 | 54:16 | E250 LISTEN TO EPISODE EPISODE SUMMARY An expert on aging discusses the status of long-term care in the U.S., including the toll on caregivers, innovations in Alzheimer’s treatment, and the financial ramifications for older adults. EPISODE NOTES Our guest on the podcast today is Howard Gleckman. He is the author of a book called Caring for Our Parents and an expert on the topic of aging and caregiving. Howard is also a senior fellow at the Urban

Elder Voice's board member, Eilon Caspi, shares his published research article from the Journal of Applied Gerontology The study was funded by the Long Term Care Community Coalition in New York City. Abstract The phenomenon of residents’ fear of staff retaliation when voicing care concern and making mistreatment complaints in nursing homes has been shown in research to be common. Despite longstanding concerns by care advocacy organizations about this phenomenon and its impact

By Jordan Rau View Article This article is part of the Dying Broke series examining how the immense financial costs of long-term care drain older Americans and their families. Published Nov. 19, 2023 Updated Nov. 20, 2023 Assisted-living centers have become an appealing retirement option for hundreds of thousands of boomers who can no longer live independently, promising a cheerful alternative to the institutional feel of a nursing home. But their cost is so crushingly high t

November 07, 2023 By Stefano Kotsonis and Meghna Chakrabarti View article here Editor's note: The transcript of this episode has been changed from the audio to correct the description of TeamHealth as a private equity firm. TeamHealth is a physician-led provider network owned by private equity company, Blackstone. Private equity and your doctor's office. A private equity firm in Texas has been buying up anesthesiology businesses, promising greater efficiencies and lower cost