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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-15-1994-X-A 1 ORANGE COUNTY HOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No. X-A ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: March 15, 1994 SUBJECT: Domiciliary Home Community Advisory Committee's Annual Report ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT: County Commissioners PUBLIC HEARING YES: NO: X ------------------------------- ---------------------------------- ATTACHMENT(S) : INFORMATION CONTACT: Randy Brantley, Committee Chair Annual Report TELEPHONE NUMBER- Hillsborough - 732-8181 Chapel Hill - 968-4501 Mebane - 227-2031 Durham - 688-7331 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PURPOSE: To receive the Domiciliary Home Community Advisory Committee's annual report for 1993. BACKGROUND: The County Commissioner appointed Domiciliary Home Community Advisory Committee (DHCAC) is required by state statute to prepare and distribute an annual report of its activities to the County Commissioners, the County Department of Social Services, the Regional Ombudsman and the state Division of Aging. Randy Brantley, DHCAC Chair will make a brief statement and be available for questions. The TJCOG Regional Ombudsmen, Sharon Wilder and Wendy Sause, will also be available for questions. RECOMMENDATION(S) : The manager recommends that the Board receive the Domiciliary Home Community Advisory Committee annual report as information. FN:ABS94#10.Doc 2 ANNUAL RYPORT rOR DObaCILIARY AND NURSING ROME CCHMUNITY ADVISORY COWC=- ES County Orange Reporting Year 1993 Officers : Randy Brantley, Chair Ruth Long, Vice-Chair Members : Florence Soltys Louise Long Catherine Justice Cherie Rosemond Susan Davidson SUMMARY Members : Current Number 8 _ Vacancies : _ Number LTC Mandated racilities Types # of Beds Visits 3 DDA HOMES 18 ;4nnual 11 Family Care Home _61 Annual 4 Home for the Aged 1195 Quarterly Nursing Facillity Quarterly Page 1 of 5 3 ANNUAL, REPORT FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY DOMICILIARY HOME COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MARCH 15, 1994 1. Were all homes in the county served by the committee? The Committee is committed to helping all residents in domiciliary care in Orange County. The members were able to visit a majority of the homes during the year but was not able to visit all of the homes due to changes in membership (and intense involvement with Triangle Care) . 2. Describe educational efforts by the Committee. The Committee continued its work in educating the public about domiciliary home issues and progressed rapidly in obtaining regional and state-wide support for the Critical Domiciliary Care Resolution (the Board of County Commissioners adopted the resolution) . This work and support gave result to a bill being introduced in the NC General Assembly (HB 1425 similar language from the resolution) that made a request for the state to study these issues and make recommendations to the legislative body. A combination of these efforts lead the NC Department of Human Resources to establish a Task Force in Domiciliary Care that will make policy and legislative changes concerning domiciliary care in North Carolina. The Committee was successful in getting legislation introduced (HB 1410, SB 1133) that made a request for an increase in the personal needs allowance (for residents in need) . The Committee's work resulted- in a permanent increase (from $36 to $38) being included in the DHR Budget. The Committee provided letters and recommendations to legislators and state policy makers in regard to issues concerning long-term care. The Committee also provided testimony to some legislative committees during the 1993 session and met with a variety government officials. 3. Describe community involvement by the Committee. A major task was taken on by the Committee in its efforts to correct problems at Triangle Care. The Committee had worked with this troubled home for several years in an effort to Page 2 of 5 t 4 make this facility a better place. After some lengthy investigative work, the Advisory Committee came to realize that the owner/operator and the staff of this facility had minimal interest in the basic welfare of the residents. The Committee was determined that something must be done to protect the residents' lives. A variety of people were involved in the process of making the community and state officials aware of the on-going problems at this facility. The efforts of Orange County Sheriff's Office, Home Health Agency of Chapel Hill and Jane Stancill with the News and Observer were instrumental in getting the state to finally take action in regard to this home. In addition, the cooperation and dedication of the Orange County Department of Social Services and the help and support of the Triangle J Regional Ombudsman made! the work of the Committee a success. 4. Describe problems encountered by the Committee. The Committee has been successful in recruiting interested and dedicated members. The BOCC efforts in screening applicants and allowing the Advisory Board to be a part of this process has lead to an improvement in the quality of members and membership. The process of building membership and the length of time involved in the training process has limited some of the work of the Committee. The continued good relationship we have with the BOCC (and the BOCC office) and the recent hiring of an additional regional ombudsman should help to eliminate this problem in 1994. The Committee has some concern about the availability and ability to review public (county) documents on file with DSS. (This may be a matter that the BOCC needs to clarify. ) While DSS was cooperative in the process of closing Triangle Care, the Committee was disappointed that DSS did not allow the members to review public documents concerning this troubled home. The Chair- of the Committee met with Division of Facility Services in Raleigh to copy and discuss information supplied in the documents. 5 . Was the Committee involved in a grievance resolution during the year? _Yes If so, identify what type of facility was involved and the nature of the problem. Page 3 of 5 5 There were some major grievances filed with the Committee concerning Triangle Care Rest Home. A lengthy (multiple pages) explanation would be required in order to get a clear understanding of all that was involved to resolve these grievances. The Committee feels this would go beyond what this report is designed for but the Chair will be glad to answer any questions' and discuss any issues the BOCC has in regard to Triangle Care during the report presentation. Home Health Agency of Chapel Hill made contact with the Committee because they were concerned that they had been fired by the owner/operator of Triangle Care. Their concern involved the termination of providing medical services to 42 residents who had not given consent to the firing. In addition, the residents' medical doctor had also been fired without their (residents' ) approval. The Chair met with DSS to discuss this matter and was informed that since this action (firing) had been done to all the residents at this facility instead of an individual, there was no Bill of Rights Violation (meaning no penalty) . DSS did state that the facility would have to provide a plan to them showing how the residents would receive medical care. I The initial meeting with HHA lead to additional grievances filed by three nurses and a speech pathologist (employed with HHA) with the Committee. The Chair met with these individuals and took lengthy testimony that included but was not limited to: residents not receiving medication for 20-30 days; assault on residents by Triangle Care staff; residents not taken to medical appointments; a resident dying from drowning in his own secretions and the overall lack of care from Triangle Care staff. The Committee received additional concern/grievances from the Orange County Sheriff's Office and a specific p grievance filed by a Deputy Sheriff. The Chair took testimony from the Deputy that included some of the following: the officer witnessing a wheel chair resident in the road several blocks from the facility; going to the homes numerous times to investigate complaints by the residents (theft, assault, sexual assault, neglect) ; witnessing the lack of concern and professionalism from Triangle Care staff. (Please note that these documents were submitted to the Orange County DSS, State Division of Facility Services, Triangle J Regional Page 4 of 5 i 6 Ombudsman and the Attorney General's Office) . There were attempts made by the Committee to meet with the owner/operator (Gordon Sutton) of Triangle Care to discuss some of these issues but he was unable to meet with us. The Committee (Chair) had subsequent meetings with a variety of county and state officials in regard to the problems at this rest home. Once the Committee made officials aware (more aware) of the frequently occurring problems at this home, it was beyond the Committee's scope to establish any negotiations with the owner/operator of Triangle Care. 6. Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the facilities in the county. The majority of domiciliary homes in Orange Country are run by caring and concerned operators, owners and staff. There are some homes with problems that mirror what is happening with domiciliary homes throughout the state. There is still a need for adequate staff training, addressing frequent staff turnover, problems administering medication properly, providing good health care and other related issues. 7. Other comments. The Domiciliary Advisory Committee appreciates the help of the BOCC in providing members with a stipend and some mileage reimbursement. This appropriation has helped the Committee in recruiting and retaining good members and has allowed the Advisory Board to continue its work as mandated by state law. The Committee would encourage (and specifically urge the BOCC representative on the County DSS Board) to ask the DSS to accept the Elder Abuse Funds allocated for the Triangle J Region early in the fiscal year. The Committee has offered volunteer support (as well as others in the community) for the past two years but has been disappointed in the lack of response from DSS. The Committee believes elder abuse awareness could be beneficial to all citizens of Orange County. The Committee would like to remind the BOCC that some of the worst nursing home and rest home incidents (in the past decade in NC) have occurred in Orange County. Page 5 of 5