U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced a bill to protect Minnesota seniors who receive long-term services and supports in their homes and communities by guaranteeing them basic rights and protection from abuse and neglect.Sen. Franken developed this legislation after hearing directly from Minnesota seniors and their advocates.
“It became very clear to me after meeting with seniors from Moorhead to Winona that remaining independent and at home is a top priority for our seniors,” said Franken. “But in order to keep our seniors in their homes we have to make sure they’re safe. This legislation would ensure that seniors who choose to receive long-term services and supports in their homes and communities have the same rights and protections from elder abuse that seniors living in nursing homes already have.”
The Home Care Consumer Bill of Rights Act would:
• Direct states to develop a Home Care Consumer Bill of Rights to protect seniors who receive services in their homes and communities;
• Establish a voluntary Home Care Ombudsman Program to support states that choose to provide ombudsman services to resolve the concerns and complaints of seniors who receive home and community-based services; and
• Develop quality standards for home and community-based services so that seniors and their families can make more informed decisions about who provides their services.
Sen. Franken plans to incorporate his bill into the Older Americans Act (OAA) when it comes up for reauthorization later this year. In an effort to prepare for the reauthorization — which Sen. Franken will play a key role in as a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee — he and his staff held listening sessions with seniors across the state, released a report on their findings, and held a Senate Special Committee on Aging Field Hearing in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Full Article and Source:
Franken Introduces Senior Care Bill
4 comments:
Great work, Senator!
Al Franken is becoming known for his work with Seniors!
I am going to take an in depth look at this bill. Nobody in his or her right mind wants or needs more Human Services false reporting on family mmembers who are doing a good job taking care of their parents in their homes. If this is just another way to invade senior citizens' homes, "to make sure they are not being abused," then this attitude, that the government has the right to ignore rights to privacy needs to be looked at as well. Human Services has stated that it, the Human Services, has the right to senior citizens' midical records so that it, Human Services, can know what services senior need. Thi type of thinking needs to be examined as well, as forcing seniors to be examined. Currently there is no reason not to believe that government experts will not, in the near future, consider it their job to raise our children, because the have "expertise" and "education" that family members do not have. If government agencies, like Human Services, are to begin the right to invade seniors' homes, why should this government "right" be limited to seniors? It seems that to limit this to seniors is a form of descrimination against others who may or may not know of the services that are available to them through government programs.
This is awesome, however, unless there is an exception clause like everything else...guardians control this also. Omsbudsman defer to guardians, back to square one.
steve nero
Wash., DC
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