KEY GOALS

AWARENESS

We must create awareness about The Crisis. American's respond when they are confronted by crisis, with incredible results.

We must create awareness about the availability of services designed to benefit long-term care residents and their families.

We must confront our prejudices about the frail and elderly, while creating a new consciousness that embraces all with caring, dignity, and respect.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Now that we are aware, we must be held accountable. Each of us can work to end this Crisis. Long-term care owners and operators, legislators, regulatory officials, physicians, healthcare workers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, the media, reform advocates, concerned citizens, family members, and residents.

Each of us has a role to play. Who will pass the buck? Who will stand-up and be accountable?

INFORM

If you are to held accountable, you must be informed. A Perfect Cause continues to research long-term care issues and report its findings.

As our website develops, we will post more information about long-term care issues.

A key focus is interactive data about long-term care owners and the performance of their facilities (see Aug. 2002 Oklahoma nursing home analysis & rankings). Our hope is consumers will use this information, along with our Comprehensive Nursing Home Checklist to make informed decisions that will result in better care for their loved ones, while forcing the industry to change its practices.

EDUCATE

We must educate families and long-term care workers. While recent studies by long-term care insurance companies state that we have a 1 in 3 chance of becoming a nursing home resident, most families are ill-prepared.

Most families unfamiliar with DONs, ADONs, CMAs, DNRs, Care Plans, or resident rights. Most families are unaware that someone with as little as 1 week of classroom instruction can pull and pass medications to nursing home residents. What do you need to know about your loved one's medications and their medication errors?

What are the Five Leading Cause of Preventable Death in nursing homes? How do you recognize them? How do you prevent and treat them?

INTERVENE

We must be prepared to intervene on behalf of residents and families in crisis.

Yes, some nursing homes provide a quality service. However others do not. In far too many cases, concerns and complaints fall on deaf ears, draw heated responses, and in some cases result in retaliation against the resident.

In some areas, agencies and officials have not fulfilled their obligations to the public.

We can help families by listening to their concerns, investigating their allegations, document findings, and report to law enforcement and regulatory agencies.

We have seen dramatic results when several families in a facility have helped A Perfect Cause file complaints to state agencies and legislators, while participating in media interviews. In these cases owners have been quick to respond and care has improved dramatically, according to the families.