News

The Self Care theme for November and December is "Three Good Things." We naturally tend to focus on what goes wrong in our daily lives and rarely, or only briefly, spend any time dwelling on the good things. Gratitude increases how much positive emotion we feel and decreases negative emotion. The Three Good Things Self Care activity is about taking the time to notice those good things in our daily lives and retrain our brains to focus on the positive.

Keeping our residents safe from COVID-19 has been an all-consuming focus.  While we continue to be vigilant in our Infection Control and other safety practices, we see the impact of COVID-19 infection and isolation on residents. 

As a result of the continued consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took action to extend the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) for another 90 days, effective Oct. 15. The PHE will now be in place until mid-Jan. 2022.

The Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Health (MDH) are working with hospitals and long-term care providers to quickly identify 4-5 skilled nursing facilities that can stand up "hospital decompression sites" that would allow for increased movement between acute and post-acute settings.

SAINT PAUL, MN (Oct. 15, 2021) - Minnesota is experiencing a crisis in caregiving, and it is affecting the entire health care continuum. We applaud efforts to address health care backups through strike teams. Strike teams are very much needed to provide temporary relief and respite to exhausted caregivers. But it will not solve one of the root causes of the problem: staffing shortages in long-term care.

In response to advocacy by LeadingAge, HUD has allowed key deadline flexibilities for COVID-19 Supplemental Payment (CSP) requests for capital cost reimbursements due to COVID-19. HUD announced the change in a 20-question CSP FAQ document; HUD also released a draft version of the CSP request form.

The most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update on long-term care vaccination shows that staff vaccination rates have increased in the last couple of months as the mandate for vaccination of care center staff draws closer.

A select working group began hosting hearings about allocating the money set aside during the 2021 special session for Hero Pay bonuses for frontline workers in late July. Several different groups are vying for a piece of the $250 million fund, and this week, the working group released two separate proposals drawn upon party lines.

Top of mind for many members is the CDC guidance regarding testing during an outbreak. When a new facility onset case of COVID-19 is found in a staff member or resident, the organization must proceed with outbreak testing. So how do we know who to test and what are the testing parameters? The information below may give you the answers you need.

Recently, Minnesota's state medical director eliminated a significant barrier to using antigen testing in assisted living settings.

As COVID-19 crashed into our lives, so did the awareness of and need for respiratory protection programs in long-term care settings. Respiratory protection programs are designed to ensure all employees are protected from respiratory hazards, such as the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen.

Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that staff and resident vaccination rates for all care centers have been posted on the Care Compare website.

As the workforce crisis deepens due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 1135 waiver remains in place, grant funding for the Basic Care Aide and Paid Feeding Assistant Training programs has been extended until November.

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

Since the COVID era began, we've been witnessing and talking about the traumatic effects of the virus and how to cope as best we can. These things are real and can range from mental distress to physical exhaustion— and can include significant grief and worry.

On Sept. 10, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated QSO-20-38-NH concerning nursing home testing to align with recently updated recommendations from the CDC.

Resilience is our ability to bounce back from the stresses of life, and doing Random Acts of Kindness for others is a scientifically proven way to build resilience. Learn more in this 2-minute Self Care for Safe Care video with Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinics of Psychology.

As the workforce crisis deepens due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 1135 waiver remains in place, grant funding for the Basic Care Aide and Paid Feeding Assistant Training programs has been extended until November. This support comes from the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation and EduCare. You may continue to register students here, while EduCare users can still access the training in your EduCare library.

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) clarified their interpretation of COVID-19 prevention and infection control in assisted living licensed facilities. Screening of residents by staff is required for each resident who is receiving assisted living services. Residents who are only receiving housing and supportive services may screen themselves and report results to staff.

When Minnesota's Peacetime Emergency ended on July 1, it started a sixty-day countdown to the expiration of most Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) COVID-19 waivers or modifications of state laws or regulations. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is actively developing a plan for booster vaccinations in long-term care settings.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) aims to launch boosters the week of Sept. 20, and MDH wants to be sure this next phase in the vaccination process rolls out as quickly and smoothly as possible.