long term care Archives - Center for Elder Law & Justice

submitted by Liam McMahon, Paralegal The Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) is excited to announce the release of two new informational guides for long-term care consumers in Western New York. In October of 2019, with generous funding provided by the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Benefit Fund, CELJ began a new resident rights advocacy…

submitted by Bria Lewis, Esq. The 2020 Presidential Election is fast approaching and many long-term care residents are at risk for not being able to cast a vote. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nursing homes and adult care facilities to have strict visitation policies. Therefore, family members, Ombudsman representatives, and other visitors that would assist…

submitted by Lindsay Heckler, Esq. On September 17, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new nursing home visitation guidelines that replace and supersede all previous rules pertaining to nursing home visitation. The CMS guidance was issued shortly after the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued its own update to…

Attorney Lindsay Heckler is providing testimony today before the Joint Legislative Committees on Aging, Health, and Investigations and Government Operations on New York Residential Health Care Facilities and Covid-19. The growing crisis of substandard care in nursing homes and other residential settings is nothing new. The pandemic has exacerbated these issues and brought long overdue…

submitted by Lindsay Heckler, Esq. and Liam McMahon, Paralegal Call to action: use your voice to improve long-term care! There have been longstanding issues with transparency and communication on the guidance issued to nursing home and adult care facility providers by New York State and the New York State Department of Health. To assist the…

Recently, Governor Cuomo announced a focused effort to investigate nursing homes when they violate new requirements that impact resident safety (see https://elderjusticeny.org/new-york-state-nursing-home-inspections/). The state should focus on nursing homes that have a history of poor infection practices and insufficient staffing. In the August 2019 report from Long Term Care Community Coalition, 16 nursing homes in…

The Buffalo News story published today, “Through the glass, laughter and tears in visit to 107-year-old mom at nursing home” highlights the resilience of residents, families, and staff as we learn how to live through our current reality. The story also highlights concerns from residents, family and staff as they grapple with isolation, staffing concerns,…

submitted by Kelly Barrett Sarama, Esq. and Lindsay Heckler, Esq. The Medicaid Redesign Team II (MRT II), a panel comprised mainly of industry representatives and one Medicaid consumer, was created and charged by the Governor to achieve $2.5 billion cuts to New York’s Medicaid program without harm to Medicaid recipients. The MRT II has finalized…

submitted by Lindsay Heckler, Esq. While the ban on visitors has turned nursing home and assisted living residents and their families lives upside down, we want the following to be clear: residents still have rights. It has come to our attention that some nursing homes have been attempting to involuntary discharge/transfer residents to shelters, different…

The Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) is pleased to announce a new initiative made possible through the Odd Fellow & Rebekah Benefit Fund. The goal of this initiative will be to improve the ability of nursing home residents in Western New York to advocate for themselves to receive the best possible care. This…